By Pravin Persaud

 April 5th 2019    11:39pm

 

Since the rise of Donald Trump, Mexican-Americans, especially new Mexican immigrants, have been attacked for their role in the rise of criminal enterprises, specifically the smuggling of illegal drugs into the country. This narrative is not a new one, but originated in the wake of the Mexican Revolution over a hundred years ago when Mexican immigrants sought refuge in the Southwest region of America. Believing that these immigrants introduced recreational marijuana in the U.S., the Federal Bureau of Narcotics began an anti-Marijuana campaign that exploited anti-Mexican sentiments regarding their use of the drug, which led to the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act, which prohibited the drug through excise taxes. Since then, Mexicans have been associated with the drug ever since, often negatively to proliferate anti-immigrant and nativist sentiments. However, is this historical narrative really true? In order to find out, I spoke to Professor Isaac Campos of the University of Cincinnati and Professor Stephen Siff of Miami University in Ohio to clarify this issue. The result will readjust your historical understanding of early 20th Century marijuana in America, and how we live with the repercussions today.