It’s a 17th century version of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” William Shakespeare may have been high when he penned his plays, not unlike his fellow Brits, the Beatles.

Chandos painting of William Shakespeare. Image via Wikimedia Commons
Chandos painting of William Shakespeare. Image via Wikimedia Commons
According to media reports, the Bard of Avon had pot in his tobacco pipes.

Residue from 400-year-old clay pipes from Shakespeare’s garden were studied in Pretoria, South Africa, via gas chromatography mass spectrometry — 16 years after it was first suggested that cannabis fueled his genius.

“There was unquestionable evidence for the smoking of coca leaves in early 17th century England, based on chemical evidence from two pipes in the Stratford-upon-Avon area,” said one report. Neither of the pipes with cocaine came from Shakepeare’s garden. But four of the pipes with cannabis did.”

Cannabis was found in eight samples, nicotine in at least one sample, and Peruvian cocaine from coca leaves in others.

The report also suggests hints of marijuana use by the Bard himself:

“In Sonnet 76, Shakespeare writes about ‘invention in a noted weed.’ This can be interpreted to mean that Shakespeare was willing to use ‘weed’ (cannabis as a kind of tobacco) for creative writing (‘nvention).

“In the same sonnet it appears that he would prefer not to be associated with ‘compounds strange.’ which can be interpreted, at least potentially, to mean ‘strange drugs’ (possibly cocaine).”

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