The 18th century was the era when marijuana prohibition started on a government level. When an army of Napoleon Bonaparte had the conquest of Egypt, they brought the herb back to France as the spoil of war. Later, in 1799 Napoleon prohibited the usage of cannabis. He imposed a sentence of three months if any soldier caught red-handed.
British started banning both consumption and production of cannabis in colonized India back in the 1800s. Based on the inquiry, which says consuming cannabis can lead to insanity. Later, the authorities rejected that inquiry.
The Cause of The The Marijuana Prohibition Movement:
The 1900s proved a bad year for the USA as far as cannabis was concerned. Due to financial, cultural, and political factors, usage of cannabis started restricted at the state level. Massachusetts was the first state to ban it back in 1911.
South Africa, Jamaica, Canada, Britain and New Zealand were among the pioneer countries to ban cannabis.
Mexican immigrants were the people who were the main consumers of cannabis back in the early 20th century. They came to the USA between 2010 and 2020 during the Mexican revolution. These immigrants used to call it marijuana. The word later became a racist term.
How Weed became illegal:
Marijuana was made illegal In the 20th century. Many states made laws to ban it. Lowa, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arkansas, and Colorado banned cannabis. However, in 1937 when Marihuana Tax Act passed, they banned cannabis globally.
Who made marijuana illegal?
in 1937 the Marijuana Tax Act passed parliament. They banned cannabis nationwide. In the 1930s they cleared the truth between reality and perception about cannabis.
Why Weed became illegal?
Anslinger was famous for making racist comments about cannabis consumers. Once he said” There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.”
Many leading newspapers of that era wrote his story on the front page. A propaganda film of 1933 added fuel to the fire. Cannabis consumers in the movie presented as wild, animalistic, and uncontrollable.
The Marijuana Tax Act:
American Medical Association recommended and marijuana tax act of 1937 passed on Oct 2nd. This act banned the use of cannabis across the country. In the years that followed sentences against cannabis users got harsher. In the year 1969, The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was overturned. Although in the same year Controlled substance act was signed by President Richard Nixon. This law put a total ban on cannabis and other drugs. President Nixon also started the war against drugs in 1971 and established Drug Enforcement Administration in 1973. In 1982, President Reagan announced a war on drugs once again. He focused on a zero-tolerance policy and it was the result of this policy that prisons were overcrowded. But besides putting 1 trillion $ to stop this industry, these policies always failed.
While efforts to legalize cannabis have been successful in countries like Uruguay and Canada, as well as parts of the US and Australia, the plant remains illegal throughout most of the world. The Marijuana Prohibition Movement is in effect in countries today.
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