Since the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, Uncle Sam can not lay off the Weed!

Many states have legalized cannabis use on some level, even though under Federal law it is still illegal.

(credit: naturalblaze.com and snopes.com)

In 1937, the U.S. Government passed the Marijuana Tax Act in it's first regulation on marijuana. The approach to tax it and regulate it as opposed to outlawing it was a calculated move by the Government to minimize legal objections. No doubt with booze prohibition ending 5 years earlier, Uncle Sam was looking to regain some control.

(Norman Rockwell painting)

In 1952, marijuana laws were strengthened by the Boggs Act, which created mandatory minimums for certain acts involving marijuana. World War II had just ended, and now the heroes who defended the World from evil, could not even smoke a joint in their back yard without breaking the law. Such a shame, especially knowing everything we know now about marijuana and not just it's physical health properties but also it's mental health properties.

(credit: thepicta.com)

The finishing blow was the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 that placed marijuana alongside heroin and LSD as both highly dangerous and medically invaluable, and collectively labeled them Schedule 1 drugs. President Richard Nixon and his infamous war on drugs were integral parts in banishing weed from the land of the free.

This is the battle we are facing today, one that pits archaic, ignorant laws against truth and an increasingly more aware population. Just when it looked like momentum had shifted our way, the Government announced, through the voice of Jeff Sessions that prosecutors should pursue Federal marijuana crimes aggressively.

Stay aware, the fight is not over, but we are inching closer to reclaiming a small piece of freedom.

Thanks for stopping by, stay high!