As the marijuana debate continues to leave its fragrant green mark across our country, we can only watch in fascination as a drug that was formerly frowned upon has taken its first steps into another positive spotlight. Interestingly, though, the United States’ history with marijuana goes back much further than you might think. To understand how deeply our county is rooted in the pro-cannabis movement, go back to the 1600s, during a time when the little hemp plant was revered rather than despised. In contrast to other world countries, America’s stance on weed is a pretty complicated one, and the addition of drug films showcasing the plant’s negative aspects certainly contributes to the complexity of the situation. Today, let’s take a closer look at the history of marijuana in the United States.
Hemp Rope
Although marijuana’s is best known for its psychoactive properties (thanks to THC and CBD), hemp, a version of the Sativa strain that does not alter the brain, has traditionally been used to make a variety of products ranging from textiles to rope (for over 9,000 years, in fact). During the Colonial Period, hemp became an invaluable product for the inhabitants of the New World. In fact, in 1619, Virginia issued a law ordering that hemp must be grown on every farm in the established colony. Likewise, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland all revered hemp as a form of currency.
Reefer Madness
So where did everything head south and, most importantly, why?
Beneath the squeaky-clean lifestyle shown on black and white TV, the 1950s was a time when an underground movement was slithering across American society. Early in this decade, the Beat Generation appeared in the United States and spread ideas of breaking away from society to adopt a bohemian, poetic lifestyle. Of course, this unbridled lifestyle also included drug use, including the smoking of marijuana. (However, you could consider that jazz singer Cab Calloway, writer of the song “Reefer Man,” kickstarted the revolution in the 1930s.)
Criminal Intent
Prohibition actually took root in the 1930s, nearly two decades before the beatniks showed up on America’s doorstep. During this time, prohibition movements shed a new light on marijuana, and society painted an image of societies and people who used the drug as uncouth and uncivilized. Eventually, the Texas Marijuana Act was passed in 1937, officially making the plant illegal in the United States.
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