-
1600-1890s
In 1619 the Virginia Assembly passed legislation requiring every farmer to grow hemp. During the 19th century, hashish use became a fad in France and some parts of the U.S. -
1900-20s
After the Mexican Revolution of 1910, Mexican immigrants flooded into the U.S., introducing to American culture the recreational use of marijuana. The drug became associated with the immigrants. -
1930s
During the Great Depression, massive unemployment increased public resentment and fear of Mexican immigrants, escalating public and governmental concern about the problem of marijuana. This instigated a flurry of research which linked the use of marijuana with violence, crime and other socially deviant behaviors. -
1932
Concern about the rising use of marijuana and research linking its use with crime and other social problems created pressure on the federal government to take action. Rather than promoting federal legislation, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics strongly encouraged state governments to accept responsibility for control of the problem by adopting the Uniform State Narcotic Act. -
1960s
A changing political and cultural climate was reflected in more lenient attitudes towards marijuana. Use of the drug became widespread in the white upper middle class. -
1980s
President Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, instituting mandatory sentences for drug-related crimes. Possession of 100 marijuana plants received the same penalty as possession of 100 grams of heroin. A later amendment to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act established a "three strikes and you're out" policy, requiring life sentences for repeat drug offenders, and providing for the death penalty for "drug kingpins." -
2000s
As of the 2000s marijuana has been legalized in many states for either recreational or medical use. Medical states being, Montana, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Recreational states are the following, Colorado, Washington and Oregon. -
1970
Congress repealed most of the mandatory penalties for drug-related offenses. It was widely acknowledged that the mandatory minimum sentences of the 1950s had done nothing to eliminate the drug culture that embraced marijuana use throughout the 60s, and that the minimum sentences imposed were often unduly harsh. The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act categorized marijuana separately from other narcotics and eliminated mandatory federal sentences for possession of small amounts. -
1990s
California voters passed Proposition 215 allowing for the sale and medical use of marijuana for patients with AIDS, cancer, and other serious and painful diseases. This law stands in tension with federal laws prohibiting possession of marijuana.