Eric Schlosser's 1994 article Reefer Madness
Eric Schlosser's 1994 article "Reefer Madness" outlines the historyand ideology behind marijuana criminalization laws. The author attempts topoint out the flaws in America's anti-drug policies by criticizing heavy-handed sentencing and the lack of scientific evidence against the dangersof marijuana use. Tracing the origins of marijuana cultivation in theUnited States, Schlosser shows that pot was not always the "evil weed" thatmany assume it is; it was once used in an innocuous manner by the FoundingFathers as a sturdy fiber and even as legal tender. What began the campaignagainst cannabis sativa was actually rooted in racism and classdiscrimination, according to Schlosser. Citing evidence that Mexicanmigrant farm laborers, black New Orleans jazz musicians, and undergroundgroups used marijuana recreationally, the author connects anti-marijuanalaws to the era of the Great Depression. Consequently, drug laws beganpolitically charged and remain so until this day. Ronald Reagan's "War onDrugs" further exacerbated the problem of overcrowding prisons withnonviolent drug offenders, many of whom receive stricter sentences thanmurderers or rapists. The purpose of Schlosser's article is to point out
White, while he admits many of the offenders arenon-violent, nevertheless enjoys his work. The introductory section of "Reefer madness" grabs the reader'sattention though the story of Mark Young, who was sentenced to life inprison without parole for being a "middleman. Moreover, Anslinger and others enforced their heavy-handed policieswithout listening to contemporary research by scientists. The nature of the marijuanagrowing industry has changed as well: crops are grown indoors more often. e problems inherent in America's strict drug laws. The first is a comprehensive introduction and theremaining six deal with specific historical and geographical issuesrelevant to the discussion of the topic. American policy went from requiring all farmers to grow hemp to enforcingstrict criminalization of the plant. " Chronicling a DEA bust by showing how the authorities found andfollowed the trail of evidence, the author again returns full circle todiscuss the case of Mark Young, who faces life without parole for marijuanadistribution. Schlosser wonders how a society comes to slap stiffer sentenceson a man such as Young while those who commit violent crimes face far morelenient penalties. While few studies exist to prove the benefits ofmarijuana use, the government has focused more on the harmful effects ofthe plant to promote their political agendas. Schlosser points directly to racismand discrimination as the cause for this change in policy; the authorblames such historical figures as Harry Anslinger for this radical turn ofevents. In this section, Schlosser alsoshows that the bulk of marijuana grown in the States is from the heartland,bolstered by White's testimony. The estimated crop value of marijuana is in thebillions: between four and twenty-four billion per year. Schlosser focuses on a specific case tying into his introductoryanecdote about Mark Young in the fifth section, "A Farm in Morgan County.
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Acceptance Essays
