The logo above is from the Dutch East India Company, (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) what might be known as the first international corporation. They held a virtual monopoly on the spice trade in the Far East for most of the 17th century, making it possibly the richest company of all time. Equipped with its own navy, standing army, the ability to declare war or make peace, they were responsible for making the world smaller, introducing Europeans in large scale to Asia, Africa, and Brazil. Opening Asia up to the West, Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716) physician with the Dutch East India Company, wrote about the medicinal use of cannabis as observed in Japan and India. Given the high mortality rate among sailors with the Company, it seems likely Kaempfer would have used all tools at his disposal to alleviate pain and suffering. While many atrocities were committed in the name of profit and colonization, historians still consider the company to be the most important of all time. Its iconography still represents an unquenched desire for voyaging, trade, and discovery.