Back In 1930, Congress established the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. They placed Harry Anslinger in charge. This was shortly after the catastrophe of prohibition, when the population refused to give up alcohol and Congress hated to admit defeat. They needed an enemy to fight; Marijuana was the ideal target. Harry Anslinger told the public there were 100,000 marijuana smokers among them, and then he claimed that most of these were Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and even some entertainers. He pointed a finger at marijuana for all of their wild jazz and swing songs. He further warned the public that marijuana caused white ladies to seek sex with Negroes. The Great Depression had instilled resentment against foreigners and bred racism! And so people were influenced and the bad connotations of marijuana began. Where once cannabis was embraced for its medicinal properties, it was now being accused of inciting violence and even promiscuity! By 1936, laws restricting marijuana were in place all across the country. Medicines such as aspirin and morphine took over as painkillers. And then a year later, Congress put in locale the Marijuana Tax Act, still allowing physicians and pharmacists to prescribe marijuana. But they began so heavily taxing it that it became cost prohibitive; in the mid to late sixties, as young people objected to the establishment, the government once again held marijuana to blame. Unfortunately, these mistaken and archaic beliefs have stuck around and they still influence people’s perceptions. Gradually, however, as cannabis is proven effective in the treatment of so many illnesses and disorders, awareness is on the rise.