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On September 16, 1934, the New York Times published a piece entitled, Use of Marijuana Spreading in West: Poisonous Weed Is Being Sold Quite Freely in Pool Halls and Beer Gardens.
In this Special Correspondence piece, the officials of the Narcotic Bureau (the had-just-been-recently-established-in-1930-Federal-Bureau-of-Narcotics, headed by Harry Anslinger) appears to be the primary information source.
Use of Marijuana Spreading in West: Poisonous Weed Is Being Sold Quite Freely in Pool Halls and Beer Gardens
CHILDREN SAID TO BUY IT
Narcotic Bureau Officials Say Law Gives No Authority to Stop Traffic
Denver, Sept. 13 - Although as appalling in its effects on the human mind and body as narcotics, the consumption of marijuana appears to be proceeding, virtually unchecked in Colorado and other Western States with a large Spanish-American population. The drug is particularly popular with Latin Americans and its use in rapidly spreading to include all classes.
The poisonous weed which maddens the senses and emaciates the body of the user, is being sold more or less openly in pool halls and beer gardens throughout the West and Southwest and, according to some authorities, it is being peddled to school children. The Federal Government is powerless to stop the traffic, officials of the Narcotic Bureau say, because marijuana was left out of the Harrison Narcotic Act under which the bureau gets its authority to stop the traffic in opium and its derivatives.
The seriousness of the problem, growing out of the laxity in enforcing State laws barring the drug, is indicated by the fact that it is the same weed from which Egyptian hashish is made. The plant grows wild in many parts of the United States, by when cultivated it is usually concealed in a stand of some other high-growing crop such as sugar beets, alfalfa or corn. After it grows to a height of three or four feet it blossomed and is cut and dried. The leaves and blossoms are then packed in ordinary pocket-size tobacco tins which retails $3 to $5 each and contain enough "hay" to make thirty or forty cigarettes, which is enough to intoxicate the smoker.
The sensations of the addict are wholly different from those of the user of narcotics. Users of marijuana become stimulated as they inhale the drug and are likely to do anything. Most crimes of violence in this section, especially in country districts, are laid to users of the drug. However it is said that the marijuana habit can be more easily broken than that of narcotics.
The weed's toxic qualities are not confined to men, but have equally deleterious effects on animals. Kin to the loco weed, marijuana when mixed with hay causes death to the horses that eat it.
When it comes to a piece like this, the inaccurate information, the obvious bias, the xenophobic angle - it's no wonder how we've arrived at today. While things are changing slowly (when considering the last century, the digital age accelerated cannabis truth-telling), there is still considerable misinformation and problematic stigma that shapes the contemporary cannabis narrative.
Below is just a sampling of questions that naturally came to mind while examining this article. If just one of these questions had been appropriately and ethically researched or addressed during the writing process of this piece, the outcome could've been different. The reality of the situation, though, would not have allowed that. Government authority is government authority. Period.
Response Questions
The "appalling" effects - what are they and how was this verified?
What is the significance of the "classes" comment? What is this attempting to convey?
Why is this plant being referred to as poisonous?
What does "madden the senses" and "emaciates the body of the user mean?" Is there proof to back up this claim?
Can documentation of instances of marijuana being "peddled to school children" be provided?
Can the "seriousness of the problem" be explained here?
What does "the sensations of the addict are wholly different from those of the user of narcotics" mean?
Marijuana users are described as "likely to do anything." What verifiable and accurate evidence can support this claim?
Can specific examples of crimes of violence that are "laid to users of the drug" be provided? Are these examples only coming from government sources or can these claims be validated by others outside of the FBN and offices of elected officials?
What is the loco weed, as it's being referred to here?
Can the claim "causes death to the horses that eat it" be proven?
The topic of cannabis today has been directly influenced by the cannabis narrative of the past. That's why public cannabis education should start with historical context. This is the pathway to changing the narrative.
Contact Elucidation Strategies for cannabis educational services.
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