# When did marijuana become illegal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2000, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068 "2000-10-07T16:27:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/1 "2000-10-07T16:27:48Z")
And why? What’s the truth? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/2 "2000-10-07T16:40:54Z")
Here’s some dope: [Marihuana Tax Act of 1937](http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/taxact/taxact.htm) [Here](http://www.dhm.de/museen/hanf/hemp0132.htm)’s the text of the Act. [Some background](http://www.commongroup.net/users/carl-olsen/DPF/whitebread06.html) on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Maxwell\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Maxwell\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maxwell_Edison)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/3 "2000-10-07T21:05:44Z")
Yeah, the whole marijuana thing is just baffling. ---
**Author:** ![orion007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@orion007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orion007)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/4 "2000-10-07T23:30:51Z")
What’s even weirder is why marijuana is illegal and alcohol isn’t. The world makes sense again… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Lord\_Davidson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bc8723/32.png) [@Dark\_Lord\_Davidson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Lord_Davidson)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/5 "2000-10-08T05:52:55Z")
Sure doesn’t make any sense to me that the FDA approves certain drugs with SERIOUS known side effects and possible damage from long term use, while there’s NEVER been a death from OD on marijuana. And about the “gateway” drug idea…I don’t think that smoking a little weed is going to make someone go “Hmm, getting high is fun, but I bet I could get higher by sniffing this unidentified white powder, or injecting this into my arm!” ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/6 "2000-10-08T15:09:48Z")
Mahaloth, I don’t know where you are, but in SC, Calif USA & Alaska, USA, marijuana is NOT illegal. At any rate, we wrote about your question extensively before have a search see. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/7 "2000-10-08T19:30:59Z")
I did have a search see. It didn’t turn up anything. ---
**Author:** ![sk8rixtx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@sk8rixtx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sk8rixtx)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/8 "2000-10-09T03:33:14Z")
handy, what do you mean it’s NOT illegal? You can just go up to someone and say “Gimme some weed.” Then smoke it somewhere without any consequence? ---
**Author:** ![Danielinthewolvesden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Danielinthewolvesden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danielinthewolvesden)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/9 "2000-10-09T07:59:05Z")
umm, Handy, weed is certainly illegal here in CA, but there are exceptions. Medical usage is mostly OK, and possession of small amounts is only a ticket. Having a huge field, or selling dope to kids is still good for some hard time. ---
**Author:** ![TampaFlyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@TampaFlyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TampaFlyer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/10 "2000-10-09T21:21:27Z")
PBS is running a multi-part special on this subject this month, each episode dealing with a different drug. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/11 "2000-10-10T01:51:20Z")
from [http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/whiteb1.htm](http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/whiteb1.htm) > [@](#): > > Probably the best single statement was the statement of a proponent of Texas first marijuana law. He said on the floor of the Texas Senate, and I quote, “All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff (referring to marijuana) is what makes them crazy.” Or, as the proponent of Montana’s first marijuana law said, (and imagine this on the floor of the state legislature) and I quote, “Give one of these Mexican beet field workers a couple of puffs on a marijuana cigarette and he thinks he is in the bullring at Barcelona.” > [@](#): > > The New York Times in an editorial in 1919 said, “No one here in New York uses this drug marijuana. We have only just heard about it from down in the Southwest,” and here comes the substitution. “But,” said the New York Times, “we had better prohibit its use before it gets here. Otherwise” – here’s the substitution concept – “all the heroin and hard narcotics addicts cut off from their drug by the Harrison Act and all the alcohol drinkers cut off from their drug by 1919 alcohol Prohibition will substitute this new and unknown drug marijuana for the drugs they used to use.” ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/12 "2000-10-10T01:52:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Mahaloth, I don’t know where you are, but in SC, Calif USA & Alaska, USA, marijuana is NOT illegal Federal law supercedes any of the state laws that decriminalized marijuana. Pot was decriminalized in 16 states during the 1970s, but Ron and Nancy made sure it didn’t stay that way for long. If you can make it to a TV within the next couple hours, the History Channel is playing a show called “Hooked : Illegal Drugs and how they got that way.” It played at 8PM CST and will play again at midnight. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/13 "2000-10-10T02:05:49Z")
And NPR is running a series on the War on Drugs _this_ week. I know it will be news to some of you who do not dig deeply into public affairs, but I am hardly alone amongst those who describe ourselves as conservative in calling for the, _not_ decriminilization of, but the legalization of marijuana. ---
**Author:** ![desdemona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@desdemona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desdemona)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/14 "2000-10-10T02:21:06Z")
The History Channel is discussing illegal drugs tonight and for the next 3. If you miss the regularly scheduled time, know that they replay the shows late at night. I’m going to catch it at 1 (AZ time). Check your local listings. df ---
**Author:** ![writefetus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9de053/32.png) [@writefetus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/writefetus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/15 "2000-10-10T13:25:38Z")
For the story behind the story check this out :[http://www.sumeria.net/politics/shadv3.html](http://www.sumeria.net/politics/shadv3.html) “The Real Reason the Government Won’t Debate Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Re-legalization” further described as :“Documented Evidence of a Secret Business and Political Alliance Between the U.S. stablishment” and the Nazis - Before, During and After World War II - up to the Present." The players include, Big Oil (ANDREW MELLON, founder of the Gulf Oil Corporation.as well as STANDARD OIL OF NEW JERSEY), Big Media(WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST, the newspaper and magazine tycoon.), and Big Petro-Chemical(THE DU PONT CHEMICAL CORPORATION),and Big Industry (General Motors and INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH ). ``` ...it also includes the story of how BOTH of Geo W.'s G-Grandads coluded(sp?) with the facists (suprise,suprise)in the 1930s. quote: ``` “Young George was in flight school in October 1942, when the U.S. government charged his father with running Nazi front groups in the United States. Under the Trading with the Enemy Act.” This is, all in all, the MOST frightining document that I have seen in 7 yrs. of surfing for such info,it seems extensivly footnoted with abundent citations. Any reactions from the teeming millions? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-marijuana-become-illegal/36068/16 "2000-10-10T14:30:24Z")
Mahaloth, how about reading this book: THE HISTORY OF MARIJUANA