Reefer Madness : The Film That Sparked Cannabis Propaganda

Still from Reefer Madness of youths casually smoking cannabis

In the 21st century, cannabis users are often seen as goofy, laid-back, or a little eccentric. Whether we're watching cartoons on the couch or using our favorite strain to make chores like dishes and laundry more tolerable, today's stoner image leans into the chill, unbothered vibe. But despite how normalized cannabis has become, outdated and harmful stereotypes still linger, making weed smokers look erratic, unpredictable, or even criminal.

One of the key forces behind these misconceptions was the infamous 1936 film Reefer Madness.

Long before legalization, and even before cannabis was officially banned, mass hysteria was already brewing. During alcohol prohibition in the 1920s, many Americans turned to cannabis as an alternative. Some did it for anxiety relief, others for fun, and many found it to be more enjoyable than alcohol. At the time, cannabis existed in a legal gray area, largely unregulated and overlooked by the federal government.

While modern audiences may laugh at Reefer Madness and its over-the-top dramatics, the film was originally produced as a serious public service announcement. Its goal was to provoke fear, moral panic, and outrage over marijuana use. For many Americans, it was their first introduction to cannabis, and it left a lasting and damaging impression. The film didn’t just criticize weed. It weaponized racism, classism, and social control to push a false narrative that still shapes cannabis stigma today. The film succeeded for all the wrong reasons. But yesterday’s stigmas are today’s satire. In the modern age, it has shifted from propaganda film to proper entertainment. What was once used to scare the public is mocked and laughed at for its hilarious inaccuracies.

What Is Reefer Madness About?

Originally titled Tell Your Children, this film was financed by a church group with the intention to make people fearful about cannabis. There had been increased use amongst the youth, which created a panic among parents and teachers. The film was then sold to Dwain Esper, an exploitation film maker. Esper had also directed the movie Marihuana, also a cautionary tale about cannabis released in 1936. He was known for emphasizing scandalous scenes in movies. He re-edited Tell Your Children to have a more shocking message rather than an educational tone. The film included hyper-sexual scenes, violence and extreme behavior. This was done not to inform the masses accurately, but to sell a lot of tickets with a sensationalist story.

The film was released under multiple names in different parts of the country. It was Tell Your Children when it first released in the South, and west of Denver it was called Doped Youth. In Pennsylvania, it was known as The Burning Question. But in New England, it was just Reefer Madness. It was released right in the middle of the Great Depression, which caused heightened concern with crime and moral decay. It was the perfect environment for this kind of propaganda to be extremely successful. It wasn’t just about the negative effects of cannabis, it was about finding something to blame during a time of turmoil. 

  The film opens with a foreword meant to warn viewers about the horrors of marijuana.

 The plot is very simple, and the cast of actors was basically unknown. A group of clean-cut American teens- Bill, Jimmy, Mary and Blanche are lured by seedy drug dealers and indulge in “marijuana cigarettes”, which cause them to commit a slew of crimes. The drug dealers, Mae and Jack, are an unmarried couple living together in sin. What horror! Don’t you wish a some people in business attire walked up to you at a party to give you good weed? Cannabis also, according to the film, gives you maniacal piano skills. Aside from the uncontrollable laughter, there’s little this film depicts correctly.

Although the teens really only smoke cannabis once, it still caused chaos. Hallucinations, sexual assault, mental breakdowns and even murder happen all due to the detrimental effects of the cannabis they consumed.T he film has a grim tone over it, and suggests that cannabis is an addictive substance that leads the youth to a lifestyle of crime, insanity and even death. The message was a call to action, to save your innocent children before it's too late. One puff of cannabis, and their whole lives could be ruined.

   In the 1930s, Hollywood was heavily influenced by the decision of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA). William H. Hays was the first president of the association, often referred to as the “Czar of Hollywood.” His mission was to cleanse Hollywood, enforcing the “Hays Code” that consisted of strict moral guidelines that ordered what could and could not be shown in movies. Many people thought actors and directors in Hollywood were obscene, and that they moved to the newly founded city to chase after stardom, sex and substance abuse. In Hays’ opinion, it was creating a bad example for the American lifestyle and it needed to be cleaned up. In our opinion, William H. Haze would be a great strain name.

The code led to censorship of profanity, drug use, and sexual content, or anything else they could deem as immoral. This heavily stunted creativity and open mindedness in Hollywood, as writers and directors were not allowed to show storylines and characters that went against the grain of conservative America.

 Although Hays didn’t direct Reefer Madness, he helped shape the political climate that allowed it to thrive. Under the Hays Code, films were strictly prohibited from depicting drug use, unless they were framed as educational. As long as the storyline aligned with the moral standards he enforced, these cautionary tales were not only permitted, but encouraged.Because it claimed to be educational and upheld a conservative moral narrative, it slipped past censors and was widely circulated in schools, churches, and civic organizations.

Why is Reefer Madness So Popular?

Although the film was never intended to be funny, Reefer Madness evolved into a cult classic that people interpret as satire. It is so over the top and exaggerated, that it actually has more negative depictions of the writers and directors than it does stoners. A lot of people have memories of it being used as educational material about drugs. One of the funniest things about it is how serious it's supposed to be.

In the 1970s, cannabis had become much more normalized and embraced by the American population, while still being taboo.The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana LAws (NORML) unearthed the film and began screening it at cannabis rallies and college campuses. What resulted wasn’t hesitance or fear, but comedy. Those who partook in cannabis understood that the film was completely absurd. People knew they didn’t feel fanatic, violent or freakish while high on weed. It was reclaimed by satire, poking fun at the screenwriters and producers who thought they were convincing the masses about the demonic weed plants. 

  We can view this film as hilarious, but it did have a longlasting cultural impact. People believed its delusions for decades, and proper cannabis education didn’t become normal until the past decade. Guests at our Salem dispensary still speak of being judged or ridiculed for using cannabis, because these stigmas permeated our culture for so long.

 Cannabis was made illegal a year after Reefer Madness debuted, under the Marihuana Tax Act. Many lawmakers and officials used the term “marijuana” instead of cannabis to attribute its use to Mexico, where a lot of it was trafficked from. Most of the first people jailed for cannabis use over the past century have been disproportionately Latino and Black Americans, and this was no mistake. Cannabis was often used as a scapegoat to deport immigrants and imprison minorities. Black jazz musicians were accused of smoking cannabis to inspire their “satanic” music, and Mexican immigrants were accused of trafficking the plant over the border. It was used as a tool for oppression as these groups of people fought valiantly for their equal rights.

The commissioner for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Harry Angslinger, claimed that pot would destroy the mind of anyone who used it, and caused the culture of America to rot. As years went on and studies for cannabis began to look extremely positive, it was framed as a “gateway drug” to worse substances. Its ironic that there was a fear mongering movie about pot smoking teens turned criminals when the real problem seeping into American communities was heroin.

Looking back, the government and media should have emphasized the harm of opioids, another very popular drug in the early 1900s. Morphine and opium had real applications in the medical field, and those who abused it were simply “misusing” medication rather than engaging with drugs. Those who suffer with opioid addictions have to fight severe withdrawals to overcome their detox, and many did not make it to recovery. Opioids had heavy use in America in the early 1900s, and many doctors prescribed them much too frequently. Patients gained dependence on opioid based medications, even when pharmaceutical companies assured there would be a slim chance of addiction. When doctors wouldn’t refill prescriptions anymore, many people turned to pure heroin to ease their pain and fulfill their addiction for a much cheaper cost. This took countless lives, and Massachusetts specifically was affected very badly. 

   We now have a modern crisis of fentanyl, which is a synthetic painkiller. Not only is fentanyl dangerous by itself, but it is very often laced into drugs like cocaine and ecstasy pills. This makes illicit substances more dangerous than ever before. In 2022, there were 2357 opioid related overdoses in Massachusetts,most of them caused by fentanyl.

  If Hollywood and the American government had the foresight of the the modern problems with drugs, perhaps they would have filmed a cartoonishly dramatic movie about the dangers of opioids and dependence on prescription drugs. The negative impact of opioid addiction on marginalized communities in America, and New England especially, is extremely grim. Addicts suffer severe discrimination, lack of housing and healthcare. To think that many of these people were prescribed this type of medicine to help with their pain is saddening, knowing it has only made it all worse. The public deserve to be educated about the risks of these manufactured substances, instead of be propagandized to believe a natural plant is demonic and addicting.

   In contrast, cannabis actually can actually help with addiction and withdrawal. There is still a risk of consuming too much, but there is almost zero risk of overdose with cannabis. CBD has been used on rehabilitated patients for pain relief in replacement, which is a challenging but effective route to recovery. Recreational dispensaries and medical cannabis offers a safe, secure and compassionate alternative for those battling drug and alcohol addiction.

“4:20pm at NORML 2009 Boston Freedom Rally” by Paul Weiskel, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Although cannabis is legal, accessible and safe in Massachusetts, that doesn’t mean our fight is over. Reefer Madness is a call to everyone that propaganda can be extremely effective. There are still advocates and government officials that want to repeal the liberal cannabis laws we enjoy. Even though retailed and regulated cannabis sales have brought tax revenue, jobs and secure options that undermine the illegal market, many aren’t convinced that it has a positive impact.

Furthermore, there are many people still in jail for cannabis related crimes. Even in states where cannabis is completely legal! This ridiculous predicament is the exact reason Starbird takes donations for the Last Prisoner Project. In 2025, nobody should be in jail for weed. Especially when dispensaries look more like pharmacies and boutiques. Thousands of people have risked their lives, families and freedom to provide accessible cannabis, a right that many of us still take for granted. 

   This is why it is vital to engage with your community and represent cannabis use in an optimistic light. The Boston Freedom Rally has been held annually since 1989, and has advocated for cannabis reform for decades. Had it not been for the constant organizing, educating and rallying, we would never have made such progress regarding cannabis. If you’re local, try to swing by on September 19th and September 20th in the Boston Common, where people light up, listen to each other and share ideas about cannabis. Although it might be a bunch of stoners getting high, at the center of it is a counterculture that thrives on community and connection. We have to make sure to continue supporting grassroots movements and small businesses, not just give our money to large corporations. We don’t have to buy dime bags on street corners anymore, we get delicious gummies, discreet vaporizers and curated flower options. This is all because of the dedicated work and disobedience of hundreds of thousands of people. 

Reject the Madness

One good thing about Reefer Madness is that it is public domain. So you can stream it, edit it, remix it all you want for free. It's one Google search away and a click if you want to laugh while you roll up. There’s no paid services required to enjoy such a ridiculous story, which was unintentional. The film carries an improper copyright notice, so anyone can access it.

Reefer Madness is so absurd, it has even inspired a Broadway musical! Reefer Madness : The Musical debuted in Los Angeles in 1998, and then Off Broadway in 2001. It emphasizes all the camp, comedy and crazy cannabis to the extreme, making it an absolutely hilarious show for any group of stoners or theater lovers. It even turned into a movie musical in 2005, with big names in Hollywood like Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming, and Neve Campbell. 

If you feel like you missed out on the Off Broadway production, you are in luck! Kristin Haggi, director of Rock of Ages, has a fresh production of the Reefer Madness musical returning to Los Angeles this year. It will be revamped for modern audiences, blazing its way back into the spotlight. There’s even rumors of it coming to Broadway after the LA shows. So if you love ridiculous, musical satire, this is definitely a ticket to book. Make sure you grab some gummies beforehand so you can really enjoy the show.

What’s great about Reefer Madness is that we proved it wrong. Cannabis isn’t dangerous or violence-inducing like it was portrayed. Over the past century, we’ve discovered that it’s not only a safe way to unwind, but also a powerful tool for managing countless ailments. If the propaganda had worked on everyone, we might never have uncovered its benefits for epilepsy, chemo-induced nausea, chronic pain, and so much more. Sometimes, it pays off to question authority and trust the results you’ve experienced yourself. And let’s be real,most of the people wagging their fingers at cannabis were doing it with a cigarette in one hand and whiskey in the other. Two things scientifically proven to cause bodily harm, yet still glorified by the mainstream.

The journey of cannabis in America has been nothing short of wild. It's gone from “devil’s lettuce” to bedtime tea, from public enemy to plant medicine. What was once criminalized as counterculture is now recognized as a multifaceted, healing herb. Between THC’s euphoric effects, the therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids like CBD, CBG, and CBN, and the eco-friendly power of hemp, the cannabis plant has shown time and time again that its potential is limitless.

Of course, pharmaceutical giants and industrial powers will resist its rise, because cannabis offers something they can’t patent: natural healing without dependency. So empower yourself with it. Roll a joint, fire up YouTube, and stream Reefer Madness. Laugh at its absurdity, but don’t forget its impact,and how far we’ve come in rewriting that story. Let’s keep fighting for progress, equity, and access, so every person,regardless of race, income, or zip code,can benefit from cannabis without stigma or risk.

We’re not just correcting history, we’re growing a better future, one puff at a time.

Fly high!