PBS Marijuana Timeline

Take a journey through time in the US from the 1600s when hemp production was encouraged through to the 1930s when the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was created, and the ensuing period of Reefer Madness, up until 1996 and legalized medical marijuana in California.

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1600-1890s

 

Domestic production of hemp encouraged

American production of hemp was encouraged by the government in the 17th century for the production of rope, sails, and clothing. (Marijuana is the mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves that comes from the hemp plant.)

In 1619 the Virginia Assembly passed legislation requiring every farmer to grow hemp. Hemp was allowed to be exchanged as legal tender in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland.

Domestic production flourished until after the Civil War, when imports and other domestic materials replaced hemp for many purposes. In the late nineteenth century,

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