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The History of the Marijuana Laws in the United States by Charles Whitebread - A Speech to the California Judges Association 1995 annual conference An excellent, and funny history of how we got our current drug laws.
The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge: An Inquiry into the Legal History of American Marijuana Prohibition by Professor Richard J. Bonnie & Professor Charles H. Whitebread, II -- The first major study ever done of the legal history of the marihuana laws.
The History of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 by David F. Musto, MD
Chinese people used marijuana as early as the 2700's B.C. People in India have long used it for pleasure, in ceremonies, and as a medicine. Marijuana has been used as an agent for achieving euphoria since ancient times; it was described in a Chinese medical compendium traditionally considered to date from 2737 B.C. Its use spread from China to India and then to N Africa and reached Europe at least as early as A.D. 500.
Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug.
The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You’ll see below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate.
You’ll also see that the history of marijuana’s criminalization is filled with:
These are the actual reasons marijuana is illegal.
Hemp (Cannabis sativa) was first brought to North America by the Puritans.
In the 17th century hemp was encouraged by the government in the production of rope, sails, and clothing; however, hemp use declined in the late eighteenth century. In the late nineteenth century, cannabis became a common ingredient in medicine and was openly sold at pharmacies.[2]
 George Washington |
Major General George Washington, U.S. Revolutionary War hero and first president of the United States, shown here on a U.S. dollar treasury note, cultivated Indian Hemp (Cannabis sativa indica, i.e. medical cannabis, which could also be used for fiber, although not as well as regular hemp) on his farm.[3]
"Make the most you can of the Indian hemp seed. Sow it everywhere." |
 Thomas Jefferson |
Thomas Jefferson, the co-author of the American Declaration of Independence was the third president of the United States. He cultivated cannabis.[3] |
 Benjamin Franklin |
Benjamin Franklin, shown here on a U.S. $100 bill, started the first American paper mill, which made paper exclusively from cannabis.[5] |
The first significant instance of cannabis regulation appeared in District of Columbia in 1906.[6] Regulations of marijuana (the phrase Indian Hemp is sometimes used) followed in Massachusetts in 1911; Maine, California, Texas, Wyoming and Indiana in 1913; New York City in 1914; Utah and Vermont in 1915; Colorado and Nevada in 1917. These laws were passed not due to any widespread use or concern about cannabis, but as regulatory initiatives to discourage future use.[7][8]
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In 1978, Robert Randall sued the federal government for arresting him for using cannabis to treat his glaucoma. The judge ruled Randall needed cannabis for medical purposes and required the Food and Drug Administration set up a program to grow cannabis on a farm at the University of Mississippi and to distribute 300 cannabis cigarettes a month to Randall. In 1992, George H. W. Bush discontinued the program after Randall tried to make AIDS patients eligible for the program. At the time, thirteen people were already enrolled and were allowed to continue receiving cannabis cigarettes; today the government still ships cannabis cigarettes to seven persons. Irvin Rosenfeld, who became eligible to receive cannabis from the program in 1982 to treat rare bone tumors, urged the George W. Bush administration to reopen the program; however, he was unsuccessful.[34]
The Marijuana, cannabis, or hemp plant is one of the oldest psychoactive plants known to humanity. Cannabis has become one of the most widespread and diversified of plants. It grows as weed and cultivated plant all over the world in a variety of climates and soils. Cannabis preparations have been used as remedies for thousands of years and the active ingredients of the hemp plant can be put to use in a multitude of medical conditions.
Marijuana has been used throughout history in many different cultures to change mood, perception, and consciousness - in other words, to get high. Its effects range from increasing creativity to provoking mystical experiences, to heightening the capacity to feel, sense and share. After alcohol, it is the most popular of what are called "recreational drugs."
