Check out this timeline of marijuana's history in the United States. (Use your cursor to enlarge the images.)
While most people are warned about the dangers of pot, few have any idea about how long the plant has been illegal, or even why it was prohibited in the first place. Did you know that cough syrup used to contain cannabis? This fun little timeline provides you with lots of cool people, events, and laws that you can type into your Google search bar to learn more about.
Here are some highlights of the U.S. and marijuana's dysfunctional relationship:
1937: Marijuana is made illegal by the federal government through The Marijuana Tax Act. The American Medical Association opposed making it illegal at this time but would ultimately refuse to support rescheduling marijuana until 2009.
1943-48: Harry Anslinger plans to bust the biggest jazz musicians in the country for pot, including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and others. The plan is rejected by Anslinger's superior.
1972: President Richard Nixon rejects the Schaffer Commission's recommendation that personal marijuana use should be decriminalized.
2007: A Harvard University study finds that THC reduces tumor growth for lung cancer by half and also significantly reduces cancer's spread.