nd other Eastern Europeans relied on cannabis, the genus name for marijuana, as amedicinal aid in the sixteenth century. Toothaches and infected gums were often treated byinhaling the vapor given off by smoldering cannabis seeds. Ancient Romans used hemp for itsstrong physical properties. They made ropes and other support devices that needed to be strongand durable. However, the Romans did not have any idea about the inebriating power of thehemp plant.It was not until the mid-ninetieth century when America became aware of cannabis’sintoxicating ability. Bayard Taylor’s books Journey to Central Africa (1854) and The Land of theSaracens described his experiences with hashish. However, the impressions left in mostAmericans’ minds concerning hashish were lurid and not very positive. By the 1860s, the numberof Americans using hashish had risen to such a point that even in England, a writer namedMordecai Cubitt Cooke predicted that cannabis would replace alcohol as the most popular fromof intoxication. By the early decades of the twentieth century, however, the popularity of the drughad begun to diminish considerably, and the most visible users of the drug were predominantlyblacks and Mexicans. At the same time, the popular name for the drug was no longer hashish butmarijuana, the term more closely associated with the Mexicans. During the years when theeconomy was strong and viable, comparatively little attention was paid to the use of marijuana byminority groups in America. In states where there were large numbers of Mexicans, however,state laws were passed against the use of marijuana, beginning with California in 1915.References to the drug in local newspapers in these states, however, that very little was knownabout the drug. The Austin Texas Statesman, for example, informed its readers that “marijuana isa Mexican herb and is said to be sold on the Texas-Mexican border.” This also might have been areason for ...
