The History of Marijuana -- Second Installment

The History of Marijuana
Second Installment
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       Marijuana use as a medicine was declining, but recreational use of the herb was just beginning. There were currantly no laws regulating its use, and with the beginning of the Gilded Age, marijuana found a new home among the literati, the artists, and the immigrant population.
       In 1876 the Philadelphia Display featured the turkish pasttime of hash smoking. By 1886, hash clubs were filled with affluent writers, lawyers, and elite members of society. At the same time Bellicose Beer halls ensured that the calm and quiet crowds of hash smokers remained unnoticed.
       Hash houses came out of the dark with the publication of A Hashish-House in New York by H.H. Kane in Harper's Montly, in 1883. Kane carefully describes the wonders of the house and writes a vivid description of his trip to "Hashishdom." Needless to say he enjoys the experience.
       Mary C. Hungerford has a very different experience. In 1884 she writes about her experience overdosing on hashish in her work titled, An Overdose of Hashish.
       This lurid account does nothing to hinder the popularity of the drug or slow the growth of the user population. One such user could be credited with popularizing marijuana use, his name was Fitz Hugh Ludlow.
       Ludlow was a native of Pough Keepsie, New York. He led an uneventful life until he read about the experiences of Bayard Taylor. Bayard was an american, which brought the experiences home to Ludlow.
       In 1855, after experiencing with chloroform, ether, and opium, ludlow stumbles across a small bottle in an apothecary shop. The label on the bottle was Cannabis Indica.
       After experimenting, Ludlow writes about the effect of the drug on his mind and attitude. He continually ups the dosage, and finally reaches a bad trip. He writes about that too. His book, The Hashish Eater is the first well known and widely read chronicle of recreational drug use in america.
       Recreational use of Marijuana continuely increases as more people read about users experiences while under the influence. No one seems concerened about marijuana use or its effect on society until the early 20th century.