The History of Everything in 10-ish Minutes: From Crop to Craze

Author’s Note

This podcast came to be as part of an assignment to create a multimodal argument within our chosen topic for the semester. Having spent the better part of my first semester researching and piecing together the complex history of marijuana in the United States, I wanted to find a way to capture the information I found most intriguing; share with others what I had learned. This episode (situated within a larger, history-based, educational, yet entertaining podcast) invites listeners to consider the complex historical events that have shaped current marijuana policies and societal views. It examines the impacts of misinformation, or fear mongering, in shaping public opinion. By unpacking the past, this episode provides valuable context for the present and future of marijuana in the United States. My ultimate goal for this podcast is for it to act as a catalyst for critical thinking and informed debate. I wish to demonstrate that gaining a nuanced understanding of this multifaceted, yet increasingly relevant, issue in the United States can be entertaining too!

Transcript:

The History of Everything; in 10-ish Minutes

Episode 37: “From Crop to Craze”

*Upbeat Introduction Music Plays*

- Upbeat Indie Happy Rock by Infraction [No Copyright Music] / The Good Times

Hey everyone! My name is Jackie Wood and I am your host on The History of Everything; in 10-ish Minutes, the podcast where you get to choose the topic. Every week, we have our listeners send in suggestions, and we put them to a vote. The most popular topic is then researched and presented back in an engaging, yet informative way; most importantly in around 10 minutes!

In this week’s episode, “From Crop to Craze'', we will be diving into the complex history of marijuana in the United States. Now, without further ado, let’s get to exploring the key events that have shaped marijuana’s current status in this country.

*Spliced audio clips of celebrities/news channels/shows/etc. mentioning marijuana.*

- Indiana lawmakers react to Ohio legalizing recreational marijuana

- “Fox59’s Hannah Adamson explores how some lawmakers think this could impact the general assembly's own marijuana debate; she's now joining us live to give us a rundown of how we could do this. Oh absolutely, this week Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved the legalization of recreational marijuana—”

- Seth Rogen Reveals Why He Smokes Weed ‘All Day, Every Single Day’

- “Could I not smoke weed, probably, would I just much rather smoke weed all day, yes. A lot of the ideas we've come up with we've come up with hanging out and smoking weed. I probably would not have made the movie pineapple express”

- Using cannabis to improve mental health - The Green Room

- “Today though, we’re going to focus on Mike Tyson the cannabis entrepreneur and explore how he went from controversial boxer to weed evangelist educator and partner in an orange country cannabis company that is taking the countries legal weed scene by storm ”

- Americans are buying more marijuana than chocolate

- “30 billion, U.S. legal marijuana sales in 2022, 30 billion dollars, legal, this is legal! We got–who knows what's going on in the illegal market. And that 30 billion tops chocolate’s 18 billion, that's how popular and how much money is being made just from legal marijuana .

The year 2023 is quickly coming to a close, and as of right now, it seems marijiuana is more popular than chocolate. Currently, 38 states have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana with 24 of these states also allowing for recreational use.^[1] As this shift gradually occurs on a more national scale, it's no surprise that more and more celebrities are speaking out about their support for the legalization of the drug.

Stars such as Snoop Dogg, or Lil’ Wayne are examples of individuals who (probably) instantly come to mind. But what about other household names such as Lady Gaga, Whoopi Goldberg, Seth Rogan, and Woody Harrellson? Even retired professional athletes—such as former NFL running back Ricky Williams— are publicly sharing their passion for cannabis.

Regardless of this, the plant remains classified as a Schedule I substance at the federal level, grouped alongside Heroin and crack cocaine.^[2] By simply taking a look at the widely varying policies currently in place, it is clear that there are few issues as polarizing as Marijuana Legalization in the U.S.

A common misconception by many is that this divide is most influenced by one’s political affiliation. With how controversial of a topic marijuana legalization seems to be, this is a very reasonable assumption. However, recent GALLUP polls show that “for the second straight year, majority support for legalization is found among all major subgroups, including… by political party.”^[3] If that’s the case then, who are the one’s against legalization? A study, conducted by the Pew Research Center (at the end of 2022, addresses this by noting that while “Republicans and Democrats differ greatly on whether marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, there are also age divides within each party.”^[4] This makes you wonder, exactly how much does age group play a role?

As it turns out, “older adults are far less likely than younger ones to favor legalizing [marijuana] …particularly…among those ages 75 and older.”^[5] But, why do we see people born before the mid 1960’s, also known as Boomers, upholding such a strong and collective, anti-marijuana sentiment? To answer that, let’s take a step back and rewind through almost 10,000 years of history…

*Transitional Audio (something that sounds like rewinding>old time-y)*

- Time Rewind /Sound Effect

- Bledsoe Fort Colonial Days

Early Uses: Crops and Social Acceptance

Did you know that the hemp plant is considered one of the earliest cultivated crops? I didn’t! Evidence marks the first known use of the plant all the way back to around 8000 BC^[6], placing it just earlier than crops such as wheat and corn^[7]. With the amount of attention marijuana’s psychoactive effects get in today's world, it’s surprising that people aren’t aware of the multifaceted nature of the substance’s source. For clarification, the marijuana we are most familiar with hearing about today refers to “the mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves that come from the hemp plant.”^[8]

Back towards the start of the colonial era, hemp was considered nothing more than a common agricultural crop, and domestic production of hemp was encouraged. This trend was solidified during the Virginia Assembly of 1619, a gathering which marked “the first representative governing body to meet in North America”^[9].

With legislation now in place that required every farmer to grow hemp, domestic production across the early United States flourished. Hemp fibers were used to construct everything from sails, to ropes, to textiles. This period of mass hemp production lasted until the end of the Civil War, in 1865, when the post-war climate allowed for newly imported goods, as well as further development with domestic materials. Cheaper alternatives were found, effectively replacing the previously hemp-based products and dramatically cutting the need for large scale cultivation. Intriguing as it may be, this cornerstone-role (played by the hemp production industry) is one that goes largely forgotten in the history of Marijuana in the United States.

What allowed marijuana to remain embedded in U.S. society was not its material uses (derived from hemp), rather it was the recognition it received for its medicinal properties. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, marijuana became a popular ingredient in many medicinal products. Believed to treat a variety of symptoms, for example “anxiety and insomnia”^[10], the drug “was readily prescribed as a pain reliever by medical professionals”^[11]. This patented medication made enough of an impact that, in 1850, the plant was “described in the United States Pharmacopoeia [the official medical reference book] for the first time”^[12].

Largely unknown to the general public today is that many of our founding fathers strongly advocated for the utilization of medicinal marijuana. Take George Washington as a notable example: in his diary he mentions intentionally growing marijuana “with a high tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC) content”^[13] on his estate. Historians believe that Washington likely used the drug as a pain reliever for his toothaches, but that wasn’t all. Evidence of personalized “smoking blends”, which were exchanged as gifts between Washington and none other than Thomas Jefferson, show that the plant was appreciated for its recreational purpose as well.

So then how did marijuana go from being sold openly in public pharmacies, with the potential to allow for substantial development in the world of medicine, to a deeply stigmatized or taboo drug? Some argue that there is one man responsible for it all…

*Transitional Audio (JFK commends Harry J. Anslinger )*

- September 27, 1962 - President Kennedy Presents Outstanding Record Citation to Harry J. Anslinger

The Man behind the Ban: For all the Wrong Reasons

Despite President John F. Kennedy’s commendations, if there is anyone you should blame for all the confusion you’ve ever felt trying to understand the federal government’s policy on cannabis, this is your guy. Nicknamed “The Godfather of Cannabis Prohibition”^[14]Harry Anslinger was arguably the one person in history who most influenced marijuana’s future in America. You’ve probably heard of Nixon’s War on Drugs, however, in reality, this war began around half a century earlier with Anslinger’s fight to ban marijuana.

Ironically, when Harry Anslinger became the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) in 1930, he felt that “efforts should be concentrated on controlling more dangerous drugs such as cocaine and opiates”^[15]. So, for a brief period, marijuana was nearly entirely disregarded. Sentiments surrounding the drug suddenly began to shift when, in January of 1936, a Reorganization Act threatened to dissolve the Bureau of Narcotics. This Act would have forced Anslinger out of his position as commissioner^[16], so (seemingly) in response “the bureau began to treat the marihuana problem as a serious menace”^[17].

*Transitional Audio (Reefer Madness Original Trailer, 1936)

- Reefer Madness ORIGINAL TRAILER - 1936 (Not the full film)

This marked the launch of a major, FBN-backed, anti-marijuana campaign all throughout the popular press— reflected in a multitude of “newsreels, instructional videos, even cartoons”^[18].

Take Reefer Madness, a 1936 exploitation film (which you just heard the trailer for), as an example of the propaganda released during this time. The plot featured “a lurid story of impressionable white teenagers driven to death and destruction” ^[19]; all this thanks to a single puff from a joint. As ridiculous as it may sound to us now, these films reflected the very real social anxieties of the time, acting as a mirror of society.^[20]

Once the general public’s opinion was shifted, there was no going back. If anything, the Boomer generation’s lasting negative perception of marijuana, despite the drug being widely accepted in today’s society, demonstrates the power of this single narrative. Anslinger’s fear-mongering tactics worked and the scene was set for him to convince Congress to pass the “Marihuana Tax Act of 1937”. As a result, strict regulations and taxes were imposed on cannabis, effectively curbing its medicinal use and foreshadowing the drug’s fast-approaching prohibition^[21]. The official passing of a law prohibiting the use of marijuana was a perfect way to create a nation-wide stigma towards the drug.

Over the next two decades Anslinger put in place a series of “legislative actions [that] contributed to creating limitations on research, [such as] restricting procurement of cannabis for academic purposes.”^[22] Catalyzed by the counterculture movement of the 1970’s, the U.S.’s ever-growing body of scientific research supported marijuana’s therapeutic uses, thus allowing the plant’s medicinal benefits to (somewhat) remain in society. Harry Anslinger’s determination to prohibit the drug nationally, and the legal measures he put in place to do so, remain the biggest hindering factors towards the advancement of medicinal marijuana research. Who knows what scientists could have done with the plant if these restrictions were never put in place!

*Transitional Audio (something that sounds like rewinding>modern)*

- Time Rewind /Sound Effect

Conclusion and Connections to Today:

Over the past 20 years, national attitudes about cannabis legalization have changed dramatically. GALLUP polls highlight year after year of record-level support, with 7 in 10 Americans supporting marijuana legalization in 2023!^[23]. Us Gen-Z-ers have lived through this so-called “Green Wave”^[24], a name given to the upward trend we’ve seen surrounding cannabis. For now, with increasing levels of support for marijuana shows no sign of slowing, perhaps we are one day closer to the federal government legalizing marijuana. So next time you ask yourself, “I wonder why certain state laws allow for patients with serious and painful diseases to have marijuana, but federal laws still prohibit it” or “wow, my grandparents seriously don’t understand that marijuana isn’t considered that bad anymore”, think back to the complicated history of marijuana in the United States.

Hopefully, learning about the past has helped you understand a little bit more about today’s world. Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of The History of Everything; in 10-ish Minutes, I’m your host Jackie Wood, and as always don’t forget to vote on a topic for next week’s podcast!

*Upbeat Outro Music Plays*

- Upbeat Indie Happy Rock by Infraction [No Copyright Music] / The Good Times