THE DAWNING OF PROHIBITION Harry J. Anslinger was a morally repugnant, racist human being. To be clear: this is not a matter of opinion but rather one of documented fact. Direct quotes of his from throughout his tenure in office include such assertions as “reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men” and a stated belief that “the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.” Sadly, these are just a few of the many examples of the hateful, ignorant rhetoric Anslinger relied on to enact a series of increasingly severe new drug laws in the U.S. While appearing before Congress to promote the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act, for instance, Anslinger cited murder cases that had demonstrably not been caused by cannabis as part of his plea for support for the legislation, which essentially attempted to outlaw cannabis and hemp by making the taxation rates excessively high. One thing Anslinger decided not to mention? A letter he’d received from the American Medical Association voicing strenuous objection to his desire to outlaw cannabis. Instead of listening to science, Anslinger spent his time targeting outspoken jazz musicians and union leaders. The next major step in his plan came with the Boggs Act of 1951, which introduced the concepts of mandatory sentences for drug crimes. By the time Anslinger finally retired, in 1962, he’d served under five presidents and firmly established the trajectory of where America’s drug policy was headed next. <a rel="noreferrer nofollow noopener" href="https://glasshousefarms.org/a-history-of-weed-part-ii/" target="_blank">https://glasshousefarms.org/a-history-of-weed-part-ii/</a>