Reefer Madness - Vintage Propaganda Poster

1936-1950  Anti-weed film poster.

The film "Reefer Madness" was released 1936 and was initially a story of morality, cautioning parents against the dangers of cannabis. The movie was re-edited and became a film of exploitation film, a vulgar melodrama about a group of dope-smoking teenagers who descend into madness brought on by the “Reefer-Madness, Public-Enemy No 1”.

The first acknowledged paper, made from hemp, dates back 2000 years. Recycling isn’t a new idea, it was a concept well understood for many centuries; Hemp woven clothing, rags and fishing nets were used as contribution for paper production. Hemp was grown by pioneer American colonists, and cannabis was used as a component in medicines throughout the 19th century. Recreational cannabis smoking first took on a negative undertone in the America when people began to associate it with Mexican immigrants arriving in the country after the 1910 Mexican Revolution.

Many Mexican labourers smoked marijuana as an inexpensive substitute to alcohol during Prohibition in the United States. Dogma spread in society as the drug became associated with immigrants and xenophobic fears and bitterness developed during the Great Depression. The US Government appointed experts claimed baseless links between marijuana use and antisocial behaviour, crime, murder, insanity and the states one at a time, passed legislation outlawing the drug.

Today’s demand for hemp fibre is still comparatively low, even though new uses continue to be developed. The global energy crisis is focusing energies on renewable crops such as hemp as a source of energy. The value of the cellulose rich hemp as a source of paper, building materials and fuel is universally acknowledged. Nevertheless, with the inherited conditioning, hemp will never be as valuable to humanity as it once was if we don’t make intelligent decisions.

Details:

• The "Reefer Madness Public Enemy No. 1" Poster is a reproduction of a vintage poster.
• This poster is digitally printed on high quality paper with vivid colour and exceptional detail.
• We use Australia Post and your print will be delivered in a postage tube for extra protection.
• Our online images are electronically watermarked, the actual purchased prints are not.

Dimensions:

• Available Poster sizes: A4 [210 × 297mm], A3 [297 × 420mm], A2 [420 × 594mm], A1 [594 × 841mm] and A0 [841 × 1189mm] 
• Click here to for the Print Size Guide for details.