Why Is Cannabis Illegal?

The Policies & Political Agendas That Shaped Prohibition

How did something so good for us, get taken from us?

After the 1910 Mexican Revolution, our government used cannabis as a way to enforce prejudice and fear toward Mexican immigrants that used the plant.

And in a twist of irony, California became the first state to enact laws that prohibited the use and possession of cannabis.

On the East coast it was a different story—African American jazz musicians were allegedly using cannabis to seduce white women into sleeping with them.

And the final death knell came with Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which made it illegal to possess or sell cannabis or hemp across the United States.

Now fast forward to today, we know all of these were lies.

It was a crisis that was manufactured to allow private industries to profit by eliminating competition from cannabis and hemp alternatives.

Interested in cannabis history + legalities? It’s all covered in my Cannabis 101 online course.