Ancient Siberian Ice Princess Smoked Weed!

Did a dying Siberian maiden who lived 2,500 years ago self-medicate with marijuana? New research by Russian scientists shows that is a likely possibility!

The mummified body of the Siberian "Altai Princess" -- so well preserved that that tattoos on her skin were still visible when she was found -- was unearthed in an icy plateau in eastern Russia's Altai Mountains back in 1993. Since then, scientists have gained a fairly good understanding of who the ice princess was, and how she and her people lived. But no one knew for sure how this woman who died at only 20, in the 5th Century BCE, met her eventual end. Until now.

To solve the mystery, a team of Russian scientists using MRI scans determined that the esteemed Pazyryk woman was suffering from breast cancer.

“We are dealing with a primary tumor in the right breast and right axial lymph nodes with metastases,” team member Andrey Letyagin told the Siberian Times. “I am quite sure of the diagnosis -- she had cancer.”

The Altai Princess or Shaman was found buried with meat, ornate clothing, accessories and cannabis which she may have used to deal with her sickening pain. There is archeological evidence that the Pazyryk people used cannabis, wine and opium for analgesic purposes.

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