The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed in 1919, prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol. This groundbreaking legislation, although overturned in 1933, is credited with beginning the War on Drugs. A plethora of laws followed, including the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which successfully banned the plant until the Act was ruled unconstitutional in 1969. During this period, marijuana possession and use became criminal offenses. Many people were jailed.

This led to the decision by Nixon’s Shafer Commission in 1972 that marijuana should be decriminalized and, instead, controlled by a medical policy. Nixon promptly denounced the report. With even more support, the decriminalization movement made it to Congress under Jimmy Carter, who had voiced his opinion that possession up to an ounce of ma

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