For thousands of years, cannabis was used as medicine, food, and fiber. In the United States, you could even buy cannabis tinctures at your local pharmacy during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was common, accepted, and safe — after all, cannabis has never caused a single recorded death from overdose. This is well documented in the must read book of any cannabis activist, The Emperor Wears no Clothes by Jack Herer.
So how did this ancient plant go from being sold in pharmacies to being demonized and criminalized? The answer has little to do with public health and everything to do with racism, politics, and profit.
Harry Anslinger and the Birth of Cannabis Prohibition
When alcohol prohibition ended in 1933, Harry Anslinger — who had been head of the Federal Bureau of Prohibition — suddenly found himself without a job. But instead of fading into history, he reinvented himself. As the newly appointed head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Anslinger needed a new “public enemy number one” to justify his position and budget. He chose cannabis.
Anslinger launched a racist smear campaign against the plant, deliberately linking its use to Black and Hispanic Americans. His propaganda claimed that cannabis caused violence, insanity, and moral decay. Newspapers of the time ran sensational headlines like “Marijuana: Assassin of Youth”, spreading fear rather than truth.
Medical professionals pushed back, but Anslinger silenced them. Doctors who refused to spread his lies were jailed. Despite cannabis being a legitimate medicine in pharmacies for conditions like pain, insomnia, and migraines, Anslinger’s campaign succeeded in passing the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, effectively criminalizing the plant.
DuPont, Hemp, and the War on Industry
The criminalization of cannabis wasn’t just about racism and job security — it was also about protecting powerful corporate interests.
At the same time Anslinger was pushing prohibition, DuPont had developed a new synthetic fiber called nylon, made from petroleum-based plastics. Hemp, a versatile plant that could make rope, fabric, paper, fuel, and biodegradable plastics, was a direct competitor.
DuPont had close ties to Anslinger through marriage and political connections. By criminalizing hemp alongside cannabis, they eliminated a major threat to their profits. Prohibition wasn’t just about controlling people — it was about controlling markets.
Nixon, Reagan, and the War on Drugs
Decades later, cannabis prohibition was reignited under President Richard Nixon. Despite medical experts telling him cannabis was not harmful, Nixon admitted the “War on Drugs” was a political tool. His administration used drug laws to target anti-war protesters and Black communities.
In Nixon’s own words, cannabis prohibition was less about science and more about controlling his enemies.
In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan doubled down, declaring drugs a national crisis and escalating harsh penalties. This era fueled mass incarceration and stigmatized cannabis even further — despite decades of evidence proving its relative safety.
Who Benefits from Keeping Cannabis Illegal?
Today, cannabis remains federally illegal in the U.S., even as state after state votes for legalization. Why? The answer is the same as it was in Anslinger’s time: money and power.
- Big Pharma lobbies to keep cannabis restricted because it threatens profits from opioids, sleep aids, anxiety medications, and countless other pharmaceuticals.
- Private and public prison systems profit from high incarceration rates, fueled in part by non-violent cannabis arrests.
- Corporate interests continue to protect industries that fear hemp competition, from plastics to paper.
The truth is undeniable: cannabis prohibition was never about protecting people. It was — and still is — about protecting profits.
The Path Forward
Cannabis has been used safely for millennia. It has never killed anyone, yet millions of lives have been harmed by unjust laws built on lies, racism, and greed.
As more people learn the real history, the pressure grows on lawmakers to end prohibition once and for all. Legalization isn’t just about personal freedom — it’s about undoing decades of systemic injustice, corporate manipulation, and political gamesmanship.
The fight continues, but the truth is on our side.
