When marijuana was first legalized in Colorado back in 2012 for recreational use, it was all the rage in the media and newspapers. Before then, marijuana was already legal in a few states for medical purposes, such as treating muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis or nausea from cancer chemotherapy. Legalizing the plant for recreational purposes allow citizens easier access to it, such as being able to purchase it at your local grocery store. Those in Colorado not only can now purchase the drug, but also circulate it more easily to other parts of the nation. While it is important to know about the legalization and its effect, how did marijuana become illegal in the first place?
Marijuana is considered to be a Schedule I drug, a category of drugs in which the federal government deems to be most dangerous. Its legal history travels back to the early 1900s shortly after the Mexican Revolution, when masses of Mexican immigrants moved to southern states such as Texas and Louisiana. As with any large migration of people, the immigrants carried with them their language, customs, and traditions—in this case, one of the customs carried over was the use of marihuana as a medicine (or cannabis, as people then called it). Ironically enough, the pharmaceutical industry frequently used cannabis as an ingredient in many American medicine. With immigrants comes fear though, so the media was able to spread claims about the Mexicans and their dangerous uses of the “unfamiliar” plants that played on the people’s fears. Yellow journalism was especially prevalent in stoking the fires that is racism and violence; Harry J Anslinger and William Randolf Hearst played an active role in spreading it throughout the country. Claims such as men of color becoming more violent or soliciting sex from white women after marihuana riled the public into wanting government action. The federal government needed an excuse to detain and deport these immigrants though, so they banned the use and sales of the drug, aka the Marijuana Tax Act of 1971.
Once the high of the hostility towards Mexicans simmered, people slowly began to lessen the harsh ban. Eventually, California became the first state to end the 59-year abstinence by legalizing it for medical purposes in 1996. States slowly followed suit, and soon a total of 23 states allowed the drug to be used under specific medical circumstances. After Colorado’s bold move, the public is now starting to question the prohibition of marijuana altogether—even more so because of its historically racist and propagandized basis. What are your thoughts?