The History of Marijuana -- Part 4

The History Of Marijuana
Fourth Installment
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         Henry J. Anslinger, at the age of 12, witnessed a neighbor suffering from morphine withdrawal. He noted the horrendous screams that ended only when he was sent by his neighbor's husband to purchase some morphine.
         He later wrote, “I never forgot those screams. Nor did I forget that the morphine she had required was sold to a twelve year old boy, no questions asked.”
         At age 25, after working as a railroad investigator and an arson investigator, Anslinger became an inspector for the war department. After a year he requested assignment overseas. With his assignment to The Hague, he enters the world of espionage; he distinguishes himself in that arena as well. Later, he is promoted to Vice-Counsel at Hamburg. It is probably here that he sees the magnitude of illegal drug use.
         From The Hague he is sent to Venezuela. Here he encounters Peal-smugglers and is introduced to how large-scale smuggling operations work. From Venezuela he is sent to the Bahamas. The year was 1926. In the Bahamas he encounter rum-smugglers. He also sees the levels of corruption involved with running liquor and the impact of illicit cash-and corrupt officials-on local economy.
         It was also during his stay in the Bahamas when Anslinger writers an article for the Saturday evening post that expresses the gory and explicit description that sets the tone for his later writings, one of which will make marijuana a household word. The article could be seen as a symbol for the drug world itself; it details the viciousness of shark attacks.
         In 1930, Anslinger is given control over the new Federal Bureau of Narcotics. At this time, though, Americans that had heard about marijuana typically could care less about the drug, much less about laws regarding its use. That would soon change.
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