Throughout history marijuana has been used to serve various purposes in many different cultures. The purposeshave changed over time to fit in with the current lifestyles. This pattern isalso true in American history. The use of marijuana has adapted to the socialclimate of the time. Marijuana, whose scientific name is cannabis sativa, wasmentioned in historical manuscripts as early as 2700 B. C. in China. (GrolierElectronic Encyclopedia, 1995). The cultivation of the marijuana plant began asfar back as the Jamestown settlers, around 1611, which used hemp produced fromthe marijuana plant's fibers to make rope and canvas. It was also used inmaking clothing because of its durability. These uses fit in with the socialclimate of the time, because the main focus was on survival rather than forpsychoactive purposes. During the prohibition, marijuana was widely usedbecause of the scarcity of alcohol. Prohibition was repealed after justthirteen years while the prohibition against marijuana lasted for more than seventy-fiveyears. This double standard may have resulted from the wishes of those inpower. Alcohol prohibition struck directly at tens of millions of Americans ofall ages, including many of societies most powerful members. Marijuanaprohibition threatened far fewer Americans, and they had relatively littleinfluence in the districts of power. Only the prohibition of marijuana, whichsome sixty million Americans have violated since 1965 has come close toapproximating the prohibition experience, but marijuana smokers consist mostlyof young and relatively powerless Americans (American Heritage, pg 47). Alcoholprohibition was repealed and marijuana prohibition was retained, not becausescientists had proved that alcohol was the less dangerous of the variouspsychoactive drugs, but because of the prejudices and preferences of mostAmericans (American Heritage, pg 47). In 1937 the government issued theMarijuana Tax Act, which levied a dollar an oun...
