Cannabis, or marijuana, was once considered a dangerous drug. As the late 1950s and 1960s drew to a close, new cannabis propaganda campaigns began to appear, often invoking children and family values.
These campaigns stressed the benefits of cannabis to both recreational users and users in medicine. They also highlighted the general public’s ignorance of cannabis during this time.
After being legal in California for only a few years in the early 1900s, hemp was completely banned in 1907 due to its perceived menace towards American society. After being re-legalized in 1931, hemp production resumed until it again was banned in 1937 due to its supposed link to Nazism.
This article will focus on looking back at how certain groups used cannabis as propaganda during the 1930s and 1940s in order to draw attention to their causes.
“Marijuana Madness”
“Marijuana Madness” traces its roots to the late 1920s and early 1930s, when media campaigns targeting young people began for the first time.
These campaigns emphasized what a dangerous drug marijuana was and how it corrupted users. These users were often shown in projections of drug-addled, disheveled bodies.
Their influence continued into the 1940s and 1950s, when more steady publications like film reviews and newspaper articles began informing young people about drugs. During this time, there was more of a focus on mental health effects of drugs than current effects.
This effect still continues to this day, as seeing even brief mentions of drugs in papers or reviews can have a lasting impact. Many people are nervous to speak about drugs because of these images.
Exploiting cultural fears
When cannabis was portrayed as a drug that would make you do things you wouldn’t otherwise do, people were more vulnerable to its influence.
As the 1920s marked the beginning of modern drugs policy, government officials were still trying to determine if marijuana use was a habit orif it wasn’t used as an isolation agent in medicine, it was assumed to be harmful.
By using film and television propaganda about cannabis during the 1930s, governments were able to exploit public fears about a new drug that had recently been introduced into medicine. By the 1940s and 1950s, when most people first started using cannabis as an anti-inflammatory agent, this old technique of propaganda had run its course.
Promoting anti-Mexican sentiment
California’s cannabis propaganda of the 1930s was filled with anti-Mexican sentiment. Many of these images were used to promote anti-Mexican sentiment and solidarity between users.
The cannabis imagery we see in these advertisements is used to promote a lifestyle and culture for users, not to raise revenue. However, this revenue was important at the time as many wealthy people invested in promoting cannabis as a respectable drug.
These ads were put on walls, magazine subscriptions, newspapers, and even people‘s backsides!. They were so widespread that some people did not even realize they were being asked to support a drug that could kill them.
The effects of cannabis on users
When cannabis was first legalized in the 1920s, it was described as a drug that made you feel euphoric. This myth was used to target young people and encourage them to take part in an anti-drug campaign.
Euphoria was considered a desirable state of mind for advertisers during this time. By depicting cannabis users as happy and sociable people, advertisers were able to push their products onto more people.
At the time, cannabis use was seen as a means to stay awake and awake during the day. People thought that by using cannabis, they’d be able to work longer and be more efficient at their jobs.
This is what brought about sales and popularity for the drug.
“The habit is no worse than liquor drinking”
In the 1930s, cannabis was a popular drug in California. Movie houses and theater circuits carried cannabis films to entertain audiences.
Movies like the 1936 movie The High Screen Cannabis Culture (sometimes called A Lady and a Little Boy) promoted drug use with frivolous entertainment, such as watching a pot plant grow.
The film was so successful that it was re-made in 1939 as Marijuana Billets for a Film About Nothing (sometimes called A Lady and a Little Boy Get High). Both movies reinforced the notion that marijuana was harmless, and that if you wanted to be free, you could try it.
This continued for decades due to low self- Concepts of what drugs were like and how they should be portrayed in media.
The marijuana lobby starts to form
Shortly thereafter, in 1937, the federal government passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which barred marijuana as a Schedule I drug.
This law was put into place due to the large number of marijuana smokers at the time. Between 1935 and 1937, over 50 million marihuana cigarettes were sold in the United States, making it one of the most popular drugs of that time.
The law was challenged numerous times in court, with only one case being successful. Despite this success, many viewed it as a stamp of approval for cannabis, especially since it was legal at the time of its passage.
The law did not go into effect until 1942, when medical professionals could begin prescribing it. This helped spread awareness of cannabis within both society and medicine during this time.
Research into cannabis begins
After World War II, science began to study cannabis, and the effects of the drug on human behavior and physical health were discussed.
This research continued through the 1960s and into the modern era. Most of it was for drug addiction treatment, but some was for its medical benefits.
In the 1970s and 1980s, more modern research began to be done. This included studies on its medical benefits without using cannabis as a focus.
Today, most people know what cannabis is used for: treating pain, treating anxiety, helping with sleep, and various other benefits. While people still enjoy it for these reasons, they are aware of its risks.
These risks include mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, as well as physical symptoms such as muscle tension and aches.
The fall of cannabis begins
In the early 1900s, California was a paradise for cannabis smokers. Cannabis was considered a social drug that helped create cohesive community activity.
With its abundance in local areas, cannabis was highly prized. You could find it in your grocery store, but not only there were medicinal uses for cannabis, it was also popular as a recreational drug.
As the 20th century started and cannabis became more of a crime than ever, people turned to the filmic agent as an alternative.
