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The First Pot POW

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Downloads (PDF Print Poster, Wallpaper, Web Graphics) Get First Pot POW Gear Join the Discussion The First Pot POW After a decade of U.S. government scare propaganda that convinced Americans that crazed Mexicans, blacks and fans of jazz clubs were pushing marijuana "reefers" on school children and honest youths, turning them into raving murderers, politicians decided to act. The U.S. Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act. Growing and selling marijuana were still legal, but only if you bought a $1 government stamp. And that stamp was not for sale. On the day the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act was enacted -- Oct. 2, 1937 -- the FBI and Denver, Colo., police raided the Lexington Hotel and arrested Samuel R. Caldwell, 58, an unemployed labourer and Moses Baca, 26. On Oct. 5, Caldwell went into the history trivia books as the first marijuana seller convicted under U.S. federal law. His customer, Baca, was found guilty of possession. Caldwell's wares, two marijuana cigarettes, deeply offended Judge Foster Symes, who said: "I consider marijuana the worst of all narcotics, far worse than the use of morphine or cocaine. Under its influence men become beasts. Marijuana destroys life itself. I have no sympathy with those who sell this weed. The government is going to enforce this new law to the letter." Caldwell was sentenced to four years of hard labour in Leavenworth Penitentiary, plus a $1,000 fine. Baca received 18 months incarceration. Both men served every day of their sentence. A year after Caldwell was released from prison, he died. (From Cannabis News) Spread the Word! Download the image for your blog.

Historical Information 1976 NORML Playboy, HighTimes Ad NORML Report on Sixty Years of Marijuana Prohibition in the U.S. (1997) 30 Years After Nixon's Marijuana Commission Advocated Decriminalization (2002) This speech by Charles Whitebread is derived from 'The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge: An Inquiry into the Legal History of American Marijuana Prohibition' by Professor Richard J. Bonnie & Professor Charles H. Whitebread, II

Protect Yourself Know your rights. Use these resources to make sure you're prepared. Check the laws in your state with the updated State by State Laws Every 38 seconds someone is arrested on marijuana charges, 89% for simple possession. Check out NORML's state and county arrest report to know where the hot spots are. One of the worse outgrowths of marijuana Prohibition is not-for-cause mass drug testing in America. Consumers of marijuana need to be up-to-date on the state of technology and law. Also see NORML's Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID) report. Download and print the NORML Freedom Card so you'll know your rights at a moment's notice. Print a NORML attorney Contact Card

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