marijuana

Problems with Legal Marijuana will Demand Coherent Policy Response

by Peter Thilly

The state-by-state variation in marijuana laws means that legalization has the potential to create inequalities and subject some users to state violence. The history of opium in China shows the need for coherent overarching policies. 

How "4:20" Became Enshrined in Pot Culture

Bored teens plus a coincidental after-school meeting time plus a statue of Louis Pasteur plus a gig as a Grateful Dead roadie turned out to equal a viral piece of pot culture that is known worldwide today.

How the Cold War Killed Cannabis as We Knew It

When Henry Kissinger sought to assert American control of Caribbean bauxite ore reserves, he set off a political dirty war that poisoned the Jamaican interior and destroyed prominent strains of cannabis in the name of marijuana interdiction. 

Why Don't We Consider Cannabis Part of the American Herbal Renaissance

by Nick Johnson

From pill bottles to produce sections, modern medicine and agriculture have effectively distanced our relationship to the plants that matter most to us. 

This Is What’s Really Interesting About Ohio’s Vote Against Marijuana

by Emily Dufton

The big fear about legalization is that the pot business is ripe for corporate exploitation.

A More Historic Act of Clemency

by Zach Hidin

Commuting the sentences of 46 nonviolent drug offenders may seem historic. But history sets the bar higher still.

How 4/20 Became 4/20

by A.J. McCarthy and Rachel Stewart

Probably not the way you heard.

The secret history of pot (it was made illegal in rapid response to Mexican immigrants smoking it)

by Stephen Siff

The speed with which Americans are now considering legalizing marijuana has taken everyone by surprise. But in the midst of this shift in public opinion and state law it is worth remembering the speed with which marijuana was made illegal.

You Won't Believe What Anti-Pot Crusaders Said About Weed in the 1970s

by Emily Dufton

Reefer madness, eat your heart out: One congressman from the '70s sais that youth marijuana use will leave America "with a large population of semi-zombies."

Why is Hemp Illegal?

by Bradley J. Borougerdi

The real reason hemp is illegal may surprise you -- it has everything to do with Orientalism.