The Green Plant that Propelled a Red Scare

                                                                                                     Figure 9:
                                                                                                                                       Theatrical Poster for "Devil's Harvest

Source:
Devil's Harvest Original Theatrical Poster
by Continental Films.Advertisement.1942:Web. 

The portrayal of cannabis as a violence inducing substance 
lasted until 1948 when Anslinger capitalized off of a much larger fear plaguing a new generation. During the peak of the Red Scare, politicians would do anything to link drug use to communism. As a result, Anslinger deployed a new public menace destroying the teenage generation--the communist tendencies inducing marijuana plant. According to Jack Herer, Anslinger began “red baiting” which is the act of attacking or persecuting as a Communist or communistic, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

 The frightened public was told by the Federal Government that smoking marijuana would give the user Socialist, Marxist, and Communist tendencies which ultimately gave users the power to overthrow the government. The substance that just years ago caused black men to rape white women--was now destroying the teenage youth, one pacifistic user at a time. Which can be seen in the quote from Anslinger, “Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing.” 

Figure 10:
Novel Cover for Marijuana Girl

Source: 
Marijuana Girl. Advertisement.
1951:Ramble House. Web. 

The Federal Government propelled marijuana's link to the Red Scare by telling Americans that Communists would use marijuana to hinder our American soldiers' motivation to fight.This false message received such a large amount of attention worldwide that within the next twenty years Russia and China, both Communist countries, outlawed marijuana out of fear that American’s would use it to turn communist soldiers into pacifists. Which completely contradicted  cannabis's use as a medical drug and relaxant for thousands of years in this region. 

Regardless of the time period the Federal Government has been spreading propaganda aimed at demonizing cannabis use. Whether the message is marijuana causes violence,  pacifism, laziness, insanity, or terrorism--the plant has been manipulated into a feared narcotic that’s taken the blame for social upheaval. Unfortunately the information presented to citizens regarding cannabis has been deliberate deception. Which has lead users and non-users to question if cannabis is a violence inducing devil weed, or if our government is deliberately manipulating the image of a plant.