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Jan 1, 1492
Marijuana Comes to the New World
In 1492, Christopher Columbus brought Cannibis Sativa to America. -
Farmers in America Required to Grow Hemp
From 1000 to 1500, the use of marijuana spread further. The French and British grew hemp in the colonies of Port Royal, Virginia and Plymouth. In 1619 a law was passed in Jamestown, Virginia Colony, which required farmers to grow hemp. Marijuana also became a major trade item between Central and South Asia during this time. -
Presidential Marijuana
At Mount Vernon, George Washington grew hemp as his primary crop in 1797. Thomas Jefferson grew hemp as a secondary crop at Monticello. -
Medical Cannabis Sold in the U.S.
In 1840, medicines with a cannabis base were available in U.S. pharmacies. Hashish was available in Persian pharmacies -
U.S. Receives the Gift of Marijuana
In 1876, the Sultan of Turkey gave marijuana to the United States as a gift. By 1880, Turkish smoking parlors were opened all over the northeastern U.S. -
Food and Drug Administration Formed in the U.S
In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in the U.S. and the Food and Drug Administration was formed. This was the first time drugs had any government oversight. -
Ford's Hempmobile
In 1908, Henry Ford made his first Model T with hemp plastic. The car was fueled with hemp ethanol. -
Harry J. Anslinger Declares War on Marijuana
The federal government gave control of illegal drugs to the Treasury Department, which created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Harry J. Anslinger, a prohibitionist, became the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930. He held the position until 1962. Anslinger declared war on drugs and effectively shaped America's views about marijuana. -
Reefer Madness
In 1936, the propaganda film "Reefer Madness" was made in an attempt to scare young Americans away from using marijuana. The film directly stated that smoking marijuana causes insanity. In the film, a woman smokes marijuana, then laughs while a man who has smoked marijuana beats a third person to death. -
First Marijuana Conviction
On the very day the Marijunana Tax Stamp Act was passed, the FBI and Denver police raided the Lexington Hotel and arrested two people: Samuel R. Caldwell and Moses Baca. Three days later, Caldwell, a 58 year old unemployed laborer, became first person in the U.S. to be convicted of selling of marijuana without a tax stamp. He was sentenced to four years of hard labor in Leavenworth Penitentiary. Presiding Judge J Foster Symes, had previously stated that he considered marijuana to be the worst of -
Narcotic Control Act of 1956
On a roll, Anslinger then pushed for even tougher drug laws and got President Eisenhower on board. The Narcotic Control Act put marijuana in the same drug class as heroin and added more severe penalties. A first conviction of possession of marijuana was punishable by a mandatory two to 10 years in prison. State drug laws also toughened up. In Missouri, a second conviction for possession of marijuana was eligible for a life sentence. -
1960s Anti-Drug Propaganda
In the 1960s, anti-drug propaganda was widely distributed with the message that smoking marijuana would not only make you lazy and irresponsible, but that you were also out of touch with reality and a threat to national security.Dr. Leo E. Hollister, the associate chief of staff and the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital in California conducted a study of the effects of marijuana and concluded that smoking marijuana makes people happy, friendly, intoxicated and sleepy. He found no reason to believe t -
Marijuana Culture is Born in the U.S.
Despite the propaganda, marijuana increased in popularity on college campuses across the country. Students spoke out about their marijuana use and gradually changed the public's perception of the drug. By 1965, an estimated 1 million Americans had tried marijuana. With events like Woodstock and popular groups such as the Grateful Dead, smoking marijuana became a part of pop-culture. By 1972, approximately 24 million Americans had tried marijuana. -
The Controlled Substances Act
There was a push for marijuana reform as the public began to realize that marijuana laws were not effective and that the penalties were too harsh. A big wake-up call for many middle-class people was the fact that their own kids were the top demographic for arrests and prosecution. At a Senate hearing on marijuana legislation in 1969, Dr. Stanley Yolles estimated that 8 to 12 million people in the United States smoked marijuana and urged Congress to abolish mandatory minimum sentencing for drug o -
Nixon's War on Drugs
Nixon won the election on a campaign-platform for restoring law and order in the country. Since most criminal violations are handled by the states, he found that drug laws could allow him to be most effective. He launched Operation Intercept. Two thousand customs agents were deployed along the Mexican border in a military-style search and seizure mission to stop the flow of marijuana. Virtually no marijuana was found among the 5 million people who were searched and after three weeks the operatio -
Don Crowe Sentenced to 50 Years
Twenty-five year old Vietnam veteran Don Crowe was convicted of selling marijuana to an undercover cop. It was his first offense and the amount of marijuana was under an ounce. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison. -
DEA is Born
Nixon did not give up, and pushed forward with his war against marijuana. In 1972, all of the government's existing drug agencies were combined into one super-powerful agency, the Drug Enforcement Agency. The DEA was given the authority to enter homes without knocking, use wiretaps and gather intelligence on anyone. -
Marijuana Activism
In the 1970s, smoking marijuana became popular among middle-class adults, and activists revamped the movement for decriminalization. -
The Reagan Administration's War on Drugs
In the 1980s, the Reagan administration launched its own war on drugs. An average of one person every 38 seconds was arrested for violating marijuana laws. -
Judge Francis Law Recommends Reclassifying Marijuana as a Prescription Drug
Judge Francis Law, a DEA administrative law judge, held hearings on the medical benefits of marijuana. He found that marijuana has a clearly established medical use and recommended that it be reclassified as a prescription drug. However, no action was taken to reclassify marijuana based on Law's findings. -
First U.S. Medical Marijuana Law Passed
Although Canada became the first country in the world to legalize medical marijuana in 2003, the U.S. Federal Government has been resistant to changing marijuana laws. California passed Proposition 215, the first U.S. medical marijuana law, in 1996. Today Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have passed medical marijuana laws. Several other states are also considering legalizing medical marijuan -
The Fight for Reform and Medical Marijuana Continues
Currently marijuana activists are working for marijuana reform and fighting for medical marijuana laws. The U.S. National Institute of Health spent $1 million on medical research to investigate the therapeutic effects of synthetic chemicals that mimic the effects of smoking marijuana. At Temple University, research is also being done on synthetic marijuana.Meanwhile, the U.S. government, which supposedly has no horse in the medical marijuana race, has patented medical marijuana. US Patent 6630
