A record of diamba as "tobacco" in Senegambia in 1859 may describe cannabis; if so, the plant's presence traces either to the few recaptives settled directly in British Gambia, estimated at just 310 people, or to travellers from Sierra Leone.[1] About 3,500 recaptives left Sierra Leone for Senegambia between 1818 and 1838, and Sierra Leonean merchant sailors had worked European ships since the 1600s.[1] French doctors tried to grow pharmaceutical cannabis in Senegal by the 1890s, though whether from imported seed or local plants is undocumented.[1]
Listed for context. No score change is recorded for Gambia here.
References
- The African Roots of MarijuanaChris S. Duvall · Duke University Press · 2019 · ch. 7, printed pp. 150–151 with notes 196–198 (p. 298); 1859 Senegambia tobacco record, recaptive settlement figures, sailor history, Sébire 1899 pharmaceutical trials · ISBN 9781478004530
Checked. The date and the event were compared with a source that was read.