An article saying that traces of cannabis was discovered in Pakistan’s Hindu Kush mountain range dating back to 120,000 years ago is a hoax.
The bogus report was posted on World News Daily Report, a satirical website that often posts bunk science stories.
“Chitral| Archaeologists excavating at a prehistoric site in the Hindu Kush mountains, have discovered what could be the most ancient proof of intentional use of a psychoactive substance by humans. While searching the site of a Paleolithic settlement estimated to be 120 000 years old, scientists discovered seeds, resin and ashes, associated to the indica subspecies of the cannabis sativa plant,” the article says.
It has a disclaimer that says it publishes satire and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
“World News Daily Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within worldnewsdailyreport.com are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental, except for all references to politicians and/or celebrities, in which case they are based on real people, but still based almost entirely in fiction,” the disclaimer says.
The About Us section on the site also says, “World News Daily Report is an American Jewish Zionist newspaper based in Tel Aviv and dedicated on covering biblical archeology news and other mysteries around the Globe ... Our News Team is composed of award winning christian, muslim and jewish journalists, retired Mossad agents and veterans of the Israeli Armed Forces.”
The Pakistan cannabis article had thousands of shares and “likes” on Facebook as of Sunday, with many apparently believing the report. Some also took the time on the article page’s comments section to defend the use of cannabis.
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