Zangproducts. Why is Marijuana Illegal? Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug.
The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You’ll see below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. The history of how the Marihuana Tax Act came to be the law of the land.
For more background on the history of, and reasons for the Marihuana Tax Act, see also these related documents: The History of the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States - a speech by Professor Charles Whitebread to the California Judge's Conference - This contains a short history of the marijuana laws. The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge, by Professors Richard Bonnie and Charles Whitebread - This is a more extended history of the origins of the marijuana laws. Unraveling an American Dilemma: The Demonization of Marihuana - by John C.