Marijuana Criminalized: The 1937 Tax Act
The Marihuana Tax Act, signed on August 2, 1937, effectively criminalized cannabis by imposing registration requirements and a prohibitive tax on every transaction. Harry Anslinger, head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, had campaigned for the law using racist propaganda, claiming marijuana caused violence among Mexican Americans and jazz musicians. The American Medical Association opposed the bill, arguing it would impede medical research, but its representative arrived too late to testify effectively. The Act dismantled a centuries-old relationship between Americans and hemp, which had been used for rope, textiles, and medicine since colonial times. Cannabis remained federally prohibited until individual states began legalizing it decades later.
August 2, 1937
89 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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