f professional and other upper middle class people who make fairly regular recreationaluse of the drug. Another sign of sophistication in the marijuana picture is that much more is known about it now. The newknowledge has not added up to a universally agreed-upon body of facts. Those holding opposing viewpointson marijuana disagree chiefly on whether “recreational” use is harmful, and whether its possession should belegally permissible. The smoking of pot began to spread up the Mississippi from New Orleans and Mexico in the 1920’s,mostly in the hands of Mexican labor workers, black riverboatmen and jazz musicians. Hemp grown for thefibers and cannabis mixtures for medical purposes were known in this country long before that. Recreationaluse of the substance was virtually unknown in the United States. Marijuana in a reefer to be smoked, asintroduced from south of the border in the early years of the century, is still the form of cannabis generallyused in this country. The cannabis plant itself grows freely almost everywhere in the world, except for the cold regions. Theplants fall into three different groups with those from tropical climates markedly richer in THC than those fromcooler climates. The part of the plant used makes a difference in potency in a reefer (also known as joint orreefer). The female of the plant was long considered the potent...
