Saturday marked the 88th anniversary of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, the first federal law prohibiting cannabis in the United States. In recognition of the milestone, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) released a statement calling for the end of federal marijuana prohibition.
“The criminalization of cannabis and the stigmatization of its consumers have, since their inception, relied on misinformation, racial bias, and exaggerated claims,” the organization stated in a press release. NORML argues that the historical roots of federal cannabis laws were not based in science or public health, but in political and social agendas.
The Marihuana Tax Act, signed into law on August 2, 1937, effectively outlawed cannabis across the United States. NORML points to early media and academic reports from the 1920s and 1930s that portrayed cannabis as a dangerous substance capable of causing insanity and death. One cited example is a 1927 New York Times article titled “Mexican Family Goes Insane,” which claimed, without evidence, that a woman and her children were driven mad by eating marijuana plants.
In its statement, NORML also referenced Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics, who played a major role in pushing for national prohibition. According to the organization, Anslinger’s public comments at the time included racialized language and unsupported claims linking cannabis use to violence and moral decay.
Although the American Medical Association opposed the 1937 law, Congress passed it with little debate.
NORML further highlighted the escalation of cannabis enforcement during the Nixon administration. While cannabis was placed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 — a designation for drugs with no accepted medical use and high potential for abuse — former Nixon aide John Ehrlichman later alleged that the drug war was used in part as a political tool to target antiwar activists and Black communities.
“Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did,” Ehrlichman said in a 1994 interview, which NORML cited to support its argument that the origins of cannabis prohibition were politically motivated.
According to NORML, federal and state law enforcement agencies made over 20 million cannabis-related arrests between 1990 and 2023. The group shared historical arrest data broken down by decade.
Despite the volume of arrests, support for legalization has steadily increased. A 2023 Gallup poll found that 70% of U.S. adults favor legalizing cannabis. Pew Research Center reported that only about 11% of Americans support continued federal criminalization.
NORML also noted that 24 states have legalized adult-use cannabis since 2014, when Colorado and Washington implemented the first such programs. No state has since repealed legalization measures.
As cannabis remains classified as a Schedule I substance — the same category as heroin — NORML continues to advocate for federal policy change. The organization contends that the existing classification is out of step with both scientific research and public opinion.
“After nearly a century of criminalization, the evidence and the electorate overwhelmingly support ending prohibition,” NORML stated. “It’s time for federal lawmakers to act.”
Currently, cannabis policy remains a point of contention in Congress. The Trump Administration has been luke warm to cannabis reform legislation.
