jan 1, 1937 - Reefer Madness

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By 1937, the FBI had cut its teeth on Depression-era gangsters and achieved some level of national prestige. Prohibition had ended, and meaningful federal health regulation was about to come about under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act of 1938. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics, operating under the U.S. Treasury Department, had come into existence in 1930 under the leadership of Harry Anslinger (shown left).
And into this new national enforcement framework came the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which attempted to tax marijuana into oblivion ​Marijuana had not been shown to be dangerous, but the perception that it might be a "gateway drug" for heroin users — and its alleged popularity among Mexican-American immigrants — made it an easy target.

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