Reefer Madness

As the fame of J. Edgar Hoover and his G-men increases, so does the FBI's annual budget. Harry Ainslinger, director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics after it is established in 1930, is determined that Hoover's bureau won't get all the money and notoriety.

Ainslinger realizes that he needs a crime wave in order to keep his operation in business. He seizes on marijuana and mounts a campaign ripe with propaganda, aiming to convince America — in particular its parents — that the country is in the grips of a terrible foe. Pamphlets and publications stressing the dangers of marijuana are just the tip of the iceberg. Ainslinger travels to Hollywood to solicit a film on the subject. Reefer Madness opens in 1936 and plays to packed audiences, effectively arousing the public's fear of this destructive drug epidemic. The government dutifully responds with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. With the success of Ainslinger's plan, his budget grows, and the relevance of the narcotics bureau is assured.

Movie Poster