The Racist history of Cannabis Prohibition and how it still affects Black and Brown Americans today
If you don't know who Harry Anslinger is...you should. He said the following.... “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men. The primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.” "I wish I could show you what a small marihuana cigarette can do to our degenerate Spanish-speaking residents. That’s why our problem is so great, the greatest percentage of our population is composed of Spanish-speaking persons, most of who are low mentally" Marijuana has been illegal in this country for close to 100 years, but many people don't know why it became illegal in the 1st place. Harry had a personal vendetta against people of color, jazz music, and a fierce need to prove that whites were superior and that BIPOC were basically...trash. There was a HUGE push with nationwide propaganda using fear tactics to "scare" the White Majority into keeping Cannabis public enemy number one. In 1850, cannabis, a plant with a history of medical us