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Exhibition Program

Exhibition: Marijuana

From the Digital Gallery

Picture of a title page from a book.

Provings of cannabis indica

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  • Cartoon discussing the consequences of marijuana usage.
  • Scientific drawing of the plant cannabis sativa (marijuana).
  • Photograph of a bottle containing cannabis extract.
  • Photograph of a Book with marijuana plants on the cover.
  • Advertisement with an illustration of a man injecting a woman with a chemical and the pitfalls of drug usage.
  • Metal roach clip and rolling paper for smoking marijuana
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  • Scientific drawing of the plant cannabis sativa (marijuana).

    Cannabis in Charles F. Millspaugh, American Medicinal Plants, 1887

    Courtesy National Library of Medicine

    botanical iconBOTANICAL, Cannibis

    American physician and botanist Charles Millspaugh noted the global history and preparation and use of cannabis in his classic work on American medicinal plants.

  • Photograph of a bottle containing cannabis extract.

    Cannabis Fluid Extract, U.S.P., Parke, Davis & Co., 1933

    Courtesy National Museum of American History

    curative iconCURATIVE, Questioned Cure

    As physicians sought to professionalize the practice of medicine, many discredited popular botanical remedies, including cannabis, to treat a wide variety of conditions. Meanwhile, pharmacologists attempted to harness the active properties of the substance for medicinal use. This bottle of fluid extract included instructions to measure the dose administered.

  • Photograph of a Book with marijuana plants on the cover.

    The Connoisseurs Handbook of Marijuana, a celebration of the drug and its popularity among the American counterculture, 1971

    Courtesy National Library of Medicine

    market iconMARKET, Lucrative Herb

    Fueled by a social and cultural revolution, cannabis had become the most widely-used illegal drug in the United States by the end of the 20th century. Sellers, while breaking the law, pocketed the profits. More recently, the permitted/lawful use of medical marijuana has generated revenues for tax coffers and entrepreneurs.

  • Advertisement with an illustration of a man injecting a woman with a chemical and the pitfalls of drug usage.

    Advertisement for the film Marihuana, 1936

    Courtesy National Library of Medicine

    consumer iconCONSUMER, Marijuana on the Margins

    In the 1930s, officials relabeled cannabis with the Spanish name “marijuana,” to link it to Mexican immigrants. Over the next 20 years, the use of cannabis for pleasure spread and by the 1960s, the drug was associated with the urban poor, criminals, political radicals and social misfits known as beatniks.

  • Metal roach clip and rolling paper for smoking marijuana.

    Rolling papers and roach clip for smoking marijuana

    Courtesy National Museum of American History

    consumer iconCONSUMER, Marijuana on the Margins

    In the 1930s, officials relabeled cannabis with the Spanish name “marijuana,” to link it to Mexican immigrants. Over the next 20 years, the use of cannabis for pleasure spread and by the 1960s, the drug was associated with the urban poor, criminals, political radicals and social misfits known as beatniks.

  • Cartoon discussing the consequences of marijuana usage.

    Hooked!, an anti-drug comic book, 1967

    Courtesy National Library of Medicine

    prohibitive iconPROHIBITIVE, Hooked!

    In the 1960s, scientists’ general observations of the widespread social use of cannabis suggested the substance might be less harmful than once believed. As a result, public health messages shifted to focus on the idea that it might serve as a “gateway” to other, more dangerous substances.

In the 19th century, cannabis was available in patent medicines sold at pharmacies or via prescription. Recreational users began by smoking the resin from the plant until the 1920s when Mexican immigrants introduced the technique of smoking the leaves. This association of the drug with unpopular groups of users undermined its legitimacy as a medical resource for decades.

By the 1970s, cannabis became a controlled substance and physicians who prescribed the drug were in danger of losing their licenses whilst their patients risked criminal prosecution. After years of lobbying, some states now allow limited use for treatment of medical conditions.

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