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Harry Anslinger

An overview of Anslinger

Harry Anslinger, worked for the foreign service during World War I and during the 1920's. He also worked in the Dept of Treasury Prohibition Division. After a scandal broke out in the narcotics sector of the Prohibition division in the late 1920s, Anslinger was appointed in the 1930's to the head of Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Anslinger, remained at this post till he retired in 1962(1 ).

Anslinger said his first perceptions of Marijuana were based on Sheriffs and local police department reports from the west and south western United States about Mexicans getting loaded on the stuff and causing "a lot of trouble, stabbings, assaults, and so on."(2 ).

In 1937 Anslinger testified before congress saying "marijuana is the most violence causing drug in the history of mankind". Then contradicting himself he testified again before a strongly anti-communist congress in 1948. Anslinger proclaimed that Marijuana caused it's user's to become so peaceful and pacifist, that the communist could and would use Marijuana to weaken our American fighting mens will to fight(3 ).

Anslinger wrote "Medical experts agree on the complete unpredictability of the effect of marijuana on different individuals. A small dose taken by one subject may bring about intense intoxication, raving fits, criminal assaults. Another subject can consume large amounts without experiencing any reaction except stupefaction. It is this unpredictable effect which makes of marijuana one of the most dangerous drugs known. Moreover, every individual will react in a different degree to the same dosage of this narcotic, depending on his physiological and emotional constitution."(4 ).

He also claimed marijuana was a "dangerous as a coiled rattlesnake," he also said "How many murders, suicides, robberies, criminal assaults, holdups, burglaries, and deeds of maniacal insanity it causes each year, especially among the young, can be only conjectured." (5 ).

When testifying before the US Senate Anslinger was asked, "Is it or is it not a fact that the marihuana user has been responsible for many of our most sadistic, terrible crimes in this nation, such as sex slayings, sadistic slayings, and matters of that kind?" Anslinger answered, "There have been instances of that, Senator. We have had some rather tragic occurrences by users of marihuana. It does not follow that all crime can be traced to marihuana. There have been many brutal crimes traced to marihuana, but I would not say that it is a controlling factor in the commission of crimes." (6 ).

Chief Counsel to the American Medical Association and doctor Dr. William C. Woodward said "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug." (7 ).