Marihuana Tax Act effectively bans cannabis without medical hearings

President Roosevelt signed the Marihuana Tax Act on August 2, 1937, imposing a prohibitive tax on cannabis transfers that effectively criminalized the plant nationwide. Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry Anslinger had led a disinformation campaign portraying cannabis as a cause of violent crime and insanity, and Congressional hearings lasted only a few hours with no meaningful medical or scientific testimony. The American Medical Association opposed the bill but was largely ignored, and no representative of the cannabis hemp industry was given a fair hearing.