Library of Congress highlights racist news coverage used to justify criminalizing marijuana a century ago
"Tales of alleged atrocities fueled by the drug are often tied to anti-Mexican propaganda”
Marijuana Moment (US)
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
The Library of Congress (LOC) is documenting racist depictions of marijuana in early 20th century news coverage that helped to drive the criminalization of cannabis, highlighting sensationalized articles about the plant that the federal research body says effectively served as “anti-Mexican propaganda.” As part of the institution’s “Chronicling America” project, which digitizes media from throughout U.S. history, LOC published a timeline last week that gives examples of headlines concerning cannabis from 1897 to 1915. “From the late 19th to early 20th century, newspapers reported the early rise of marihuana (known today as marijuana),” the post states.
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