MedicalXpress.com - 12/06/12, Gene Johnson
This undated file photo provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration shows a 1930s anti-marijuana movie poster as part of an exhibit at the DEA Museum and Visitors Center which opened May 10, 1999 in Arlington, Va. After the repeal of alcohol prohibition in 1933, Harry Anslinger, who headed the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, turned his attention to pot. He told of sensational crimes reportedly committed by marijuana addicts. "No one knows, when he places a marijuana cigarette to his lips, whether he will become a philosopher, a joyous reveler in a musical heaven, a mad insensate, a calm philosopher, or a murderer," he wrote in "Marijuana: Assassin of Youth," in 1937. On the occasion of "Legalization Day," Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012, when Washington's new law takes effect, AP takes a look back at the cultural and legal status of the "evil weed" in American history. (AP Photo/DEA, File)
(AP)—The grass is no greener. But, finally, it's legal—at least somewhere in America. It's been a long, strange trip for marijuana.
Washington state and Colorado voted to legalize and regulate its recreational use last month. But before that, the plant, renowned since ancient times for its strong fibers, medical use and mind-altering properties, was a staple crop of the colonies, an "assassin of youth," a counterculture emblem and a widely accepted—if often abused—medicine.
On the occasion of Thursday's "Legalization Day," when Washington's new law takes effect, here's a look back at the cultural and legal status of the "evil weed" in American history.
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