It’s no secret that the public attitude towards marijuana is shifting rapidly. Professor Emily Dufton guides you through the evolution of American attitudes concerning marijuana, starting with the iconic “reefer madness” movement to today’s changing laws, which are moving in favor of recreational and medicinal use. You’ll see how the public perception of pot has shifted from thinking it is one of our most troubling issues to viewing it as a solution to many different issues.
Pilot Lecture: Marijuana and the United States
Trace the tumultuous history of marijuana from the height of the counterculture to getting it over the counter.
01: Marijuana and the United States
Professor Emily Dufton guides you through the evolution of American attitudes concerning marijuana, starting with the iconic “reefer madness” movement to today’s changing laws, which are moving in favor of recreational and medicinal use. You’ll see how the public perception of pot has shifted from thinking it is one of our most troubling issues to viewing it as a solution to many different issues.
32 min
Overview Course No. 90129
About
Emily Dufton received her PhD in American Studies from George Washington University. She is the author of Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America (Basic Books, 2017), which traces the effects of grassroots activism on 50 years of shifting state and federal cannabis laws. She is a writer, historian, adjunct professor, and co-owner of Takoma Writers, LLC, a speechwriting and ghostwriting workshop for officials in Washington, DC, and beyond. She highly recommends the following books on marijuana history in the United States: Can't Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, 1945-2000 by Martin Torgoff (Simon & Schuster, 2004), High in America: The True Story Behind NORML and the Politics of Marijuana by Patrick Anderson (The Viking Press, 1981), and Craft Weed: Family Farming and the Future of the Marijuana Industry by Ryan Stoa (MIT Press, 2018).
