Cannabis has a complicated history in the United States—particularly in relation to race, ethnicity, and poverty. Marijuana is classified under Schedule I of federally controlled substances. Schedule I drugs are those that have a “high potential for abuse”, “no currently accepted medical uses”, and a “lack of accepted safety for medical use.” According to the Federal Controlled Substances Schedules, marijuana is considered to be as dangerous as heroin and more dangerous than cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, methadone, and other narcotics. Conversely, marijuana has limited abuse potential, is currently used for medical purposes, and is relatively safe compared to narcotics and alcohol.
In the last decade, “6.5 million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges, a greater number than the entire populations of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined,” according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010”, 88 percent were for possession of small amounts of cannabis. Those arrested are disproportionately black—they are “3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana” according to the ACLU, despite studies showing proportionate marijuana use across races.
This racial bias is not new to cannabis’s long history in the U.S. In the late 19th century, cannabis became a popular ingredient in many medications and was openly sold in pharmacies. Hashish (the dried resin from cannabis plants) became a fad among the wealthy and was glamorized by literary celebrities, many of whom belonged to the Club des Hashischins in Paris. However, the word “marijuana” was not yet part of the American lexicon. According to NPR, “Throughout the 19th century, news reports and medical journal articles almost always use the plant's formal name, cannabis.” It was not until the early 20th century that Americans began using the word “marijuana” instead of cannabis.
Upwards of 600,000 Mexican immigrants settled in the southwest U.S after escaping the violence of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. They were greeted with fear and prejudice, which then extended to their recreational use of cannabis, which the immigrants called “marihuana.” Anti-drug campaigners began warning about the “Marijuana Menace,” and attributed crimes to marijuana usage and the Mexican immigrants. According to an article from the Atlantic, “Police officers in Texas claimed that marijuana incited violent crimes, aroused a "lust for blood," and gave its users "superhuman strength." Rumors spread that Mexicans were distributing this "killer weed" to unsuspecting American schoolchildren.” Calling cannabis “marijuana” helped anti-cannabis campaigners by playing on Americans’ fear of people of color and anti-immigrant sentiments.
Throughout the 1930s, Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, campaigned against cannabis. His propaganda film, Reefer Madness, used the word “marijuana” to aid his campaign by establishing it as “foreign”—something to be hated and feared. In 1937, Anslinger testified before Congress on the “evils” of marijuana. His testimony, riddled with racist remarks, led to the approval of the Marihuana Tax Act, which federally criminalized cannabis in every U.S. state.
As America continues to decriminalize marijuana, both medicinally and recreationally, it is important to remember its history and influence in racism, politics, and culture.
Asiya Haouchine
is an Algerian-American writer who graduated from the University of Connecticut in May 2016, earning a BA in journalism and English. She was an editorial intern and contributing writer for Warscapes magazine and the online/blog editor for Long River Review. She is currently studying for her Master’s in Library and Information Science. @AsiyaHaou