The Sinister Crusade That Made Marijuana Illegal
First Published February 22, 2023
Why Was Marijuana Banned?
Cannabis, commonly referred to as marijuana, only became a contentious subject over a century ago. For most of our history, this herb served as an essential plant for humanity, providing food, medicine, industrial fibers, recreation and as a religious sacrament. It is known that the ancient Chinese used it medically thousands of years ago, and even up to the early 20th century, one could buy cannabis extracts in American pharmacies. A beneficial plant indeed! So, why was marijuana banned?
Early Restriction in British Colonies
Apparently, the British sort of got the ball rolling. According to Matthew Joshua Gardiner’s documentary “Cannabis Evolution,” early concerns about the use of cannabis were noted in the late 19th century when the UK made negative claims about its effect on workers in British colonies. Consequently, recreational use of the plant was restricted in territories like Mauritius, British Singapore, South Africa, Jamaica and Canada. The move to criminalize cannabis on an international scale got underway in the 1920s when Egypt and Turkey proposed that it be added to the agenda of the 1925 convention on Narcotics Control in the League of Nations.
Information gleaned from a report titled “How Cannabis was Criminalized” by Sean Blanchard of the Independent Drug Monitoring Unit (UK) (http://www.idmu.co.uk/historical.htm), shows that Egypt and Turkey advanced mental degradation and Islamic law as the basis for proposing prohibition of the herb. The League of Nations never investigated the claims relating to mental impairment. Even though British officials preferred considering the proposal at a later date, they voted in support of prohibition, bolstering the nation’s growing contempt for foreigners with whom cannabis use was associated. Strong opposition was mounted by some countries, including India, which has had a long history of spiritual and medicinal applications of the herb. Nonetheless, the votes of 58 nations formalized the early version of a cannabis / marijuana ban in 1925.
Launch of the US Anti-Cannabis Campaign
Let’s dig into the sordid facts that unfolded on the North American continent. The USA was not a part of the League of Nations and did not sign the 1925 convention. However, many in the country’s establishment also had concern about “foreigners” and possible economic disruptions that cannabis extracts could cause. Accordingly, there was a calculated move to establish an unfavorable connection between some groups of people and the use of cannabis. Newspaper publishers and politicians had already begun to refer to cannabis as “marijuana”, also spelled marihuana, words that have Mexican-Spanish roots. The intention then, was to portray cannabis as some kind of destructive foreign drug, linked to Mexicans. Some of the Mexicans who crossed over into the US during the period took cannabis with them and smoked it recreationally. Other minority groups, including African Americans and Asians, were also disparagingly associated with the use of the herb in what became an openly racist campaign.
An important component of the early assault was to de-link marijuana from agricultural hemp, a widely used commodity that was familiar to Americans at the time. Hence, there was deliberate confusion, leading the public to believe that there was some new dangerous drug at large. As people were being misled, the larger scheme of making cannabis illegal took shape.
It is important to note that alcohol prohibition failed in the USA early in the 20th century, giving rise to criminal networks that ruined communities. After prohibition ended, Harry Anslinger, former head of the department of prohibition, was made commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) in 1931. That bureau was basically a large department that hardly had anything to do. In order to stave off his own redundancy, Anslinger would become a central figure in the plot to criminalize cannabis. This man, who previously said that cannabis didn’t harm people and opposed prohibition of the plant, made a capricious 180-degree turn-around and enlisted his department in a malevolent campaign against marijuana. His plot unfolded even while more than two dozen leading scientists at the time advised against making marijuana illegal. Much of this information is detailed in: “Why Is Marijuana Banned? The Real Reasons Are Worse Than You Think” by Johann Hari (The Huffington Post).
Blatant Lies were Published as a Part of the Assault on Marijuana in the 1930s
The “Cannabis Evolution” documentary goes further to detail that Anslinger had relatives who were part owners of an energy company that had fears about Ford cars switching to hemp-based fuels. With that conflict in play, he reportedly was incentivized to marshal the drive to eliminate any such competition. Activities included the release of posters and films that depicted marijuana as an evil drug that turned men into wild beasts. Anslinger associated the use of cannabis with jazz or what he called “voodoo music,” while expressing fear that it promoted inter-racial sex. He concluded that the drug led to violent crimes, insanity and death. No real evidence was put forward.
Sean Blanchard’s report details that the dishonest campaign was fiercely promoted by publisher William Randolph Hearst. He had investments in timber, which was used to make paper. Hearst knew that the fibers from mechanized hemp production posed a real threat to his business. He sought to eliminate this practical alternative. Reports indicate that his approach was racially inflammatory by design. For instance, it is explained in “Cannabis Evolution” that Hearst published newspaper articles detailing how marijuana made black men look into the eyes of white people and lust after white women.
Over time, it became undeniable, that racism, corrupt special interests and politics were the real reasons behind the ban on marijuana.
The Marijuana Tax Act
The objections of prominent scientists and researchers would not derail Anslinger’s plan. In fact, he succeeded in convincing the US congress to impose heavy restrictions on the legal status of marijuana. On October 1, 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act was enacted. This law made it illegal to grow or transfer cannabis in any form without a tax-paid stamp. However, citizens could not access the stamp, as it was not made available.
Marijuana was effectively made illegal by the way that this law was executed. At the same time, the states enacted their own laws to clamp down on possession. The dishonest campaign of doom worked! Meanwhile, important scientific reports like the 1944 “LaGuardia Report” by the New York Academy of Medicine, which debunked the lies about cannabis, were dismissed and kept hidden by the FBN.
In 1961, the United Nations established a new treaty, the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotics. This treaty placed cannabis on the same list of banned, dangerous drugs such as opiates and cocaine (Schedules I & IV). Cannabis was deemed to have no medical value. The USA joined this convention, which saw wide international enforcement. In 1970, the federal government passed the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which made cannabis illegal for all purposes, including medical applications.
From a position of power, US representatives would lecture international conventions and exert pressure on other nations to clamp down on cannabis use. This eventually led to a “Decertification” foreign policy where the US took on the role of chief police for marijuana ban enforcement around the world. Decertification effectively penalized countries that rejected prohibition of marijuana, eased restrictions, or did not enforce marijuana laws according to the dictates of the US. Such countries faced the possibility of a trade blockade and might have been denied aid or loans etc. As an example, Jamaica (2001) and Mexico (2006) were forced to abort marijuana decriminalization efforts.
In 1971 President Richard Nixon Declared War on Drugs
Marijuana Pulled into the War on Drugs
According to the report by Sean Blanchard, there were only 4 prosecutions for cannabis offences in the UK and 206 for opium in 1945. However, by 1950 there were “more prosecutions for cannabis than for opium and manufactured drugs put together – 86 against 41 opium and 42 others.”
The numbers trended worse for marijuana users in successive years. Despite that fact, marijuana, weed or pot gained traction as a cool, seductive “thing” among many groups of young people in Europe.
Also, in the 1960s some college students in the US and the free-spirited “hippies” smoked marijuana in open defiance of the hardline ban on the plant. The demand for pot did not wane, but rather, seemed to have increased.
US President Richard Nixon declared “war on drugs” in the US in 1971, even while expressing doubts about the effectiveness of criminal sanctions that were in place at the time. He had proposed a budget of “$371 million for programs to control drug abuse in America” that year. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was established in 1973 to replace the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. The agency took the lead role of interdicting illegal drugs. There was heavy focus on drugs (marijuana being one priority) that came across the Mexican border at that time.
It is also worthwhile to note that, based on a long history of cannabis use, India served as a hold-out against US pressure until 1985. Nevertheless, in that year, the Reagan administration successfully pressured the Rajiv Gandhi-led government of India to make marijuana illegal. Many believe that Gandhi yielded in order to build stronger relations with the US.
Take note, however, that US pressure, including its drug “Decertification” policy, was not applied evenly. A 1999 Washington Post article titled “A Look At Drug Certification,” explains that penalties were often waived for allies and enforced against adversaries.
Even when you examine US domestic drug policies, one can make the case that the government has blatantly indulged in double-dealing. To illustrate, a report published online under a Stanford University link (https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/paradox/htele.html) – and titled “United States of America War on Drugs” – challenges the validity of the US government’s stance with these arguments:
“Why does the FDA stand up for the right of adults to smoke tobacco, which is highly addictive and causes over 400,000 deaths per year, while decreeing that adults have no right to smoke marijuana, which is non-addictive and kills no one?”
“Alcohol costs thousands of lives, and alcoholism is an accredited disease, but anyone age 21 or older can go to the liquor store and buy alcohol.”
Clearly, there are shady political and economic considerations partial to a selected few.
The Unscrupulous Lobby to Keep Marijuana Illegal
After the wider marijuana ban, objections to its use – based on self-serving economic interests – gained momentum. A number of industries lobbied the US Congress to keep cannabis illegal so as to protect their profits. For one, it is known that operatives in the pharmaceutical industry directed large sums of money to politicians while peddling their own bias calculated to maintain prohibition. It’s not hard to understand that a natural plant, easily grown by anyone, and which is a viable source of medicine, will always be of concern to that industry.
Similarly, some alcohol producers have been making sizeable contributions over the decades, to influence legislators to maintain the ban on recreational marijuana. This is rather ironic, as the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that in 2016 more than 3 million people died as a result of harmful use of alcohol. So, here we have an industry that is linked to 1 in 20 deaths annually, lobbying against the recreational use of a plant that is not known to kill anyone.
A third industry that has played a role in the lobby to keep weed criminalized, is for-profit-prisons. Their motive needs no explanation! The thrust of the cannabis criminalization lobby has always been ruthless; a devious racket aimed at protecting profits.
Ban Withering – Cannabis Legalization in Reboot
Even without considering the reasons for its initial ban, the criminalization of cannabis has been largely ineffective in preventing its use, while yielding numerous negative consequences. For instance, the prohibition has had lopsided negative impacts on marginalized communities such as people of color and low-income individuals. These groups have been disproportionately targeted and arrested for possession and use of the drug. The fact is that the “war on drugs” has resulted in mass incarceration while doing little to curb the illegal drug trade.
Of course, there should be public policy to block the recreational use of marijuana by teenagers. Also, chronic use by anyone must be discouraged. However, the truth is that the drive to ban marijuana has been sinister from the very start. Legal systems around the world were used to criminalize a versatile plant without any scientific evidence of it posing a major threat to the health of adults. This has resulted in decades of needless arrests, billions of dollars wasted fighting a contrived war on the plant, and a halt to critical research into the numerous medical uses and benefits of cannabis.
Cannabis Prescriptions Can Now Be Obtained Where Legal
Let’s think for a moment about what decades of research could have produced… After President John Kennedy replaced Harry Anslinger in 1963, some research on cannabis resumed in the US. Meanwhile, in 1964, Israeli researcher Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and his colleagues identified tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] as a major active substance in the plant. THC is the cannabinoid most well-known for its psychoactive effect, but it also has other healing properties. CBD – the other major cannabinoid – is widely used as an anti-inflammatory. A myriad of studies in various countries continue to discover new properties.
In recent years, there has been a growing movement to legalize and regulate cannabis. Several countries and many US states have legalized the drug for medical and/or recreational use. Polls show that a majority of Americans support legalization. This is also true in other regions. Yet, there are still many nations – particularly within the Asian continent – that remain strongly resistant to the idea of easing restrictions on cannabis for any purpose. In truth, the wheels of change are turning slowly.
Notwithstanding, some observations are encouraging. The decades of bad press and prohibition failed to break the spiritual and medicinal connections and the general interest in the plant. In fact, there is an ever-increasing segment of the population that is actively seeking out the benefits of marijuana. They are doing this with a view to complement their wellness regimes.
Disseminating The Facts On Cannabis!
Thanks For Dropping In
References:
Blanchard, Sean “How Cannabis was Criminalised.” Independent Drug Monitoring Unit. Retrieved 21 Aug. 2018 from
http://www.idmu.co.uk/historical.htm
Farah, Troy. “The ‘Father of Cannabis Research’ on the Untapped Potential of Marijuana as Medicine. Discover Magazine. November 21, 2019. Retrieved 24 Jan. 2023 from
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-father-of-cannabis-research-on-the-untapped-potential-of-marijuana-as
Hamilton, Philip. “Ganja to remain under ban in Jamaica because of int’l treaties.” Jamaica Gleaner. January 31, 2011. Accessed 6 Feb. 2023 from
https://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110131/news/news3.html
Hari, Johann. “Why Is Marijuana Banned? The Real Reasons Are Worse Than You Think.” Huffington Post. February 11, 2016. Retrieved 2 Dec. 2021 from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-influence/real-reasons-marijuana-is-banned_b_9210248.html
Miller, Jacquie. “Here’s why you shouldn’t use the word marijuana anymore.” Ottawa Citizen. November 03, 2017. Retrieved 9 Dec. 2021 from
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/word-marijuana-has-racist-past-say-those-who-want-it-banished-from-the-lexicon
Youngers, Coletta. “A Look At Drug Certification.” The Washington Post. March 21, 1999. Retrieved 4 Feb. 2023 from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1999/03/21/a-look-at-drug-certification/d0c4e03a-d036-4ccc-a80b-745453470c46/
“Findings of the 1944 La Guardia Report.” University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. Retrieved 1 Feb. 2023 from
https://www.law.du.edu/documents/marijuana-summit/La-Guardia-Report.pdf
“Fox balks at signing drug decriminalization law.” NBC News. May 2, 2006. Retrieved 7 Feb. 2023 from
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12598317#.WzTsNtPwZuU
“Harmful use of alcohol kills more than 3 million people each year, most of them men.” World Health Organization. September 21, 2018. Retrieved 22 Jan. 2023 from
https://www.who.int/news/item/21-09-2018-harmful-use-of-alcohol-kills-more-than-3-million-people-each-year–most-of-them-men#:~:text=More%20than%203%20million%20people%20died%20as%20a%20result%20of,represents%201%20in%2020%20deaths.
“United States of America War on Drugs.” Stanford University. Retrieved 17 Sept. 2018 from
https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/paradox/htele.html
Documentary Film
Matthew, Joshua Gardiner. “Cannabis Evolution.” Produced by Reality Films. Accessed 27 April 2022. Available online at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocFekCYD_Ck
(1971) Remarks (by US President Richard Nixon) About an Intensified Program for Drug Abuse Prevention and Control.
June 17, 1971. Accessed 6 Feb. 2023.
Available on the US Government website:
https://prhome.defense.gov/Portals/52/Documents/RFM/Readiness/DDRP/docs/41%20Nixon%20Remarks%20Intensified%20Program%20for%20Drug%20Abuse.pdf
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