A Brief History of Marijuana Prohibition, Pt. 3

The government's testimony before congress regarding the bill consisted largely of the testimony of the new director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Harry J. Anslinger.  Anslinger painted an ugly picture, reading aloud article after article about the horrors of Marijuana from Hearst's newspapers.  Anslinger was well fitted for his new job, his previous one had been Assistant U.S. Commissioner for Prohibition.  He had been hand-picked for his new position by his uncle Andrew Mellon, who also happened to be the owner and largest stockholder of the Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh.  The same Mellon bank that also happened to be one of only two bankers for (drum roll please) the DuPont Company.  

So, here the DuPont Companies connection to the proceedings becomes clear, but what was their interest in outlawing marijuana? In the beginning of the 1930's machinery to effectively and affordably strip hemp fiber and conserve it's high-cellulose pulp had just become readily available.  In 1937, the DuPont Company had just patented process for making plastics from coal and oil, and a new process for making paper from wood pulp.  

Plastic and paper made from hemp oil and pulp were the main competitors for DuPont's new synthetic based products.  And competition they were indeed, not only was hemp a renewable resource, it was one of the heartiest, fastest growing plants on the planet!  Even though DuPont's new synthetic products weren't readily accepted, they strongly urged investment, anticipating openly that government influence would play a large role in forcing their acceptance.  And indeed, with the passing of the Marijuana Tax Bill of 1937, their largest competitor was suddenly outlawed and business exploded.

Anslinger's was not the only voice heard by congress on the bill. A few opponents were heard from in the proceedings.  Dr. William G. Woodward spoke against the bill on behalf of the American Medical Association, stating that the entire case being against marijuana was based solely on tabloid sensationalism and that the AMA would have come out against the bill sooner had they known that the plant cannabis and the new drug marijuana were one and the same.  However, when the bill came to the floor for a vote and the question was asked whether the AMA had been consulted, a representative of the Ways and Means Committee replied that they had, and a "Dr. Wharton" and the AMA were "in complete agreement." And with that lie and Anslinger's testimony that "Marijuana is the most violence causing drug in the history of mankind," the vote went to the floor and marijuana was outlawed.  

  

A Brief History of Marijuana Prohibition, Pt. 2

So, how did cannabis go from being viewed as one of the most useful, profitable crops in the world to where it is today? The campaign demonizing marijuana began with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst.  Yep, that's right, the father of "yellow journalism" himself.  

For those of you who aren't familiar with Hearst, he was the inspiration for Welles' Citizen Kane.  He exerted huge political influence and even greater influence on public opinion through his thirty plus newspapers.  He greatly abused his power, filling his papers with lurid sensationalism, seldom backed by fact, to promote whatever personal cause he was championing at the moment.  He is regularly credited with instigating the Spanish American War with his yellow journalism and his papers were a constant source of slander and blatant bigotry against Mexican-Americans, Spaniards, Latinos, and African Americans.

From 1910 Hearst led a campaign against cocaine, claiming that in most cases where blacks were accused of raping white women the incident could be traced directly to cocaine use.  But beginning in 1920, he got a new poster child in his anti-drug campaign, marijuana, and that suddenly became the cause in the majority of such incidents.  According to his newspapers marijuana was also responsible for a crime wave of epic proportions, directly responsible for such offenses as "Negroes" and Mexicans - stepping on white mens shadows, looking white people in the eye, looking at white women twice, laughing at white people, etc.

While marijuana is the name most people relate to the cannabis plant today, it wasn't always so.  At that time, hemp and cannabis were the most used names for the plant, and most Americans had no idea whatsoever that marijuana, hemp, and cannabis were actually the same plant! It was Hearst who pounded the name "Marihuana" into Americans' brains, doing his best to make it synonymous with crime, insanity, and death.   

From 1935-1937, the Treasury Department held a series of secret meetings where prohibitive tax laws against marijuana were drafted without the knowledge or input of the public or health professionals.  Now here is where an interesting pattern emerges for those looking closely enough.  On April 14, 1937 the Marijuana tax bill was introduced directly to the House Ways and Means Committee, the only committee that can send its bills directly to the house floor without debate.  It was stamped quickly by Ways and Means Chairman Robert Doughton, a key ally to the DuPont Company.

Pt 3 tomorrow or the next day! 

A Brief History of Marijuana Prohibition, Pt. 1

While almost everyone know something about marijuana, most people don't know a lot about this plant and drug.  Marijuana is one of many names given to the cannabis plant, particularly to the flowering bud of the plant.   The cannabis plant and it's use are nothing new, far from it, it's use has been documented as far back as 2737 BC.  A Chinese medical journal from that year is the first documented mention of the medicinal use of the plant.    The journal mentioned the euphoric effects of the plant, but focused on it's use as a treatment for gout, rheumatism, malaria and absent-mindedness.

Use of the plant spread from China into India then Africa, finally reaching Europe around 500 B.C.  It was in the 1500's that Marijuana finally came to America.  It was introduced in Jamestown and immediately became one of the predominant crops grown by settlers. 

 In the 1600's the first marijuana laws in America were established.  But these laws weren't against growing or using the cannabis plant, on the contrary, these laws required settlers to grow the plant! This plant was so in demand from it's many uses that they couldn't grow enough of it fast enough! Cannabis fibers were used to make hemp cloth and hemp rope, a huge staple in the world shipping industry, and hemp paper was becoming more popular. Cannabis hemp was even legal tender in most of America all the way through the 1800s and it could be used to pay your taxes for over 200 years.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew large crops of cannabis on their plantations and the U.S. census of 1850 stated that there were 8,327 hemp plantations already established in the new world.  Benjamin Franklin established one of the first paper mills in America producing paper from cannabis.  In his book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, activist Jack Herer solidly establishes the cannabis plant as one of the most useful and valuable crops on the planet (if not the most). As for medicinal uses, various cannabis extracts were the first, second, and third most prescribed medicines in the United States from the 1840s through the 1890s.  Throughout all this time of heavy use, there were no deaths or negative effects reported except for some reports of novice users becoming temporarily disoriented or introverted.  Marijuana remained legal and continued to be used medically until the 1930s.

Medical Marijuana in Michigan

Hey all, I've created this blog to educate and inform the public and the medical marijuana community about anything and everything related to the medical marijuana movement both in Michigan and nationwide.

If you're not familiar with the medical marijuana movement, this first post will give you a brief overview of the history of the movement and where it's at today.  Then, if you stick around, in the next days and weeks I'm going to take you down a timeline through history, showing marijuana's historical uses, how and why it became illegal, and the history and progress of the movement to legalize it's medical use.  Whether you are for or against the use of medical marijuana, I promise you that this journey will be educational and eye-opening, and it just might change your mind about a few things.

Just to get started, here's a brief overview of the history of marijuana starting with the beginning of the marijuana prohibition in 1937.  Before that time, cannabis (aka marijuana, aka hemp, etc.) was a massive crop in the U.S., being one of the most useful (if not the most) and most used plants on the planet.  It's uses numbered in the thousands, ranging from making cloth and paper to medicinal uses like pain relief and even the relief of asthma.

The cannabis plant was on track to be the largest, most valuable domestic crop in the U.S..  But all that changed in the 1930's, with a campaign of demonizing the drug which finally peaked in 1937 with the Marihuana Tax Act, the first legislation in the U.S. aimed at bringing the cannabis industry, every branch of it, crashing down.  I'll get way more into detail on all these things later, but history shows clearly (to anyone looking close enough) that the true aim of the authors of this legislation was not to bring a stop to a dangerous drug, but to bring a stop to a powerful business competitor!

Since that first law was passed in 1937, the debate has raged back and forth and activists fought for patient's rights largely without success for many years.  In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act classified marijuana as a drug with "No accepted medical use," placing it on a more restrictive schedule than heroin and cocaine!  At that time activists knew that it was time to take their fight to the next level, and NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) was formed.

From 1970 to 2000, the battle really heated up, with Nixon's war on drugs failing miserably and the medical marijuana movement at the same time becoming stronger and more organized all the time.  Finally, in 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana, contradicting federal law making it illegal.  Several other states quickly followed suit, with Alaska, Oregon, and Washington legalizing in 1998, and Hawaii, Colorado, and Nevada legalizing in 2000. In 2004, Montana legalized, with Rhode Island following suit in 2007, and finally both New Mexico and Michigan as well in 2008. Michigan was the 13th state to legalize medical marijuana.  Since then New Jersey, Arizona, Delaware, and DC have all legalized, bringing the grand total to 16 states which currently allow the use of medical marijuana.

Although legalization was a huge victory for patients here in Michigan, there is still much to work for.  It's the job of patients and activists to educate the public and help remove negative ideas and stereotypes about medical marijuana and it's users.  It's up to us to remove negative stigmas and replace them with constructive ideas regarding the many, many uses for this amazing plant.  And, like I just said, the best way to do this is through education! Education is the way to overcome ignorance, so educate yourself, and then educate others.

In my next post, I'll get way more in depth into the history of medical marijuana and cannabis in the U.S., so check back soon for the next leg of our journey.  Until then, have fun, be safe, and spread some love!