Anti-Cannabis Propaganda: Same as It Ever Was

At the American Cannabis Report, we work to expose propaganda and lies about the Plant, and the awful effects Prohibition has had on our economy and on black and brown people, in particular.

The poster shown here was created by the Inter-State Narcotic Association, a non-profit that existed in the 20th Century in Chicago. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, this

"... warning card" to be placed in railroad trains, buses, streetcars, and other public forums. Warning reads, "Beware! Young and Old--People in All Walks of Life! This [Marijuana Cigarette] may be handed you by the friendly stranger. It contains the Killer Drug "Marihuana"--a powerful narcotic in which lurks Murder! Insanity! Death! WARNING! Dope peddlers are shrewd! They may put some of this drug in the [teapot] or in the [cocktail] or in the tobacco cigarette."

Remarkably, considering how inflammatory the text is and how discredited such hyperbole is now - the poster also shows how deeply anti-cannabis propaganda penetrated the American psyche, and that of the whole world.

Consider that candidate Joe Biden expressed concern over cannabis legalization because 'it might be a gateway drug'

And how Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said earlier this year (2021!!) that "If you legalize marijuana, you’re gonna kill your kids."

Balderdash! But hard to ignore the lasting power of Hearst's prowess with propaganda.