Marijuana is illegal because it was a quick way to deport Mexicans in the Great Depression Oh, and it was a way to crack down on Black Jazz Clubs When Nixon kicked off the modern war on drugs, it was in part to combat the Negroes and anti-war protesters Want to work for racial equity and social justice? Fight for the end of the War on Drugs.“There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.”...“Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”
Well the Mexicans started it with their Revolutionary War classic "La Cucaracha": "The cockroach, the cockroach, can't walk anymore because it doesn't have marijuana to smoke." :) I don't think Harry Anslinger was opposed to pot until the end of Prohibition when he needed something new to demonize in order to preserve his job and budget. So I am not sure he was racist but certainly used the prejudices of others to achieve his own ends. Reefer Madness baby.
The most racially charged depictions of black and Mexican peddlers appeared in yellow journalistic efforts to exploit sensationalized marijuana atrocities. Much of Anslinger’s anecdotal evidence relied on these articles, some of which he himself wrote, and each story fell into three basic types: articles about the prohibition movement, articles about criminals who blamed their actions on marijuana and the most common type, marijuana busts. Articles that documented marijuana and heroin arrests established the dominant narcotics storyline after 1937, as they emphasized busts that caught “peddlers” and always emphasized when dealers and growers were “Negro.” Once prohibition began, the message became less about the growing crisis and more to reassure Americans that the FBN had control of the situation and the problem was somewhat contained.In fact, many racist quotations attributed to Anslinger are either poorly cited, wrong or just plain fabrications. (while Wikiquote labels this quotation as “disputed” several books have used it, which has sparked an unresolved controversy about its validity). In fact, when Anslinger revealed his obvious racism in 1934, it nearly lost him his job. After Anslinger called one marijuana user and informant a “ginger colored nigger,” Senator Joseph Guffey (PA-D) complained and asked that Anslinger be replaced. While Anslinger’s pejoratives explicitly betray his bigotry, politics demanded that he make a more subtle connection between race and marijuana.
Nice find. I have had to bookmark that site. I had forgotten about his campaign against famous jazz musicians, particularly Billie Holiday.