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HOT TAMALE |
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YOUR CHILDREN ARE AT RISK
From the evil of the
HOT TAMALE PUSHCART PEDDLER
What else besides Ice Cream, Frankfurters and Hot Tamales is that pushcart peddler selling? Could it be 'reefers," those funny little cigarettes with, "an extra kick" to them? But known to narcotic police officials as "the Assassin of Youth," "the Killer Drug," or simply as the "Weed of Madness."
Yes, Those HOT TAMALE pushcart peddlers, lurking just around the corner from your child's local schoolyards, these ghoulish peddlers may, YES JUST MAY, be selling Medical Marihuana to YOUR VERY OWN CHILD. After all, would the narc's lie to you?
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Lincoln Star 12-5-1937
“Narcotic Problem Grows” -- Traffic in Marihuana Product Said Common. Newark, N.J. Marihuana growing in school yards, “goof butts” concealed under the buns and frankfurters of the “hot dog” wagon for sale to high school students established traffic in the drug as the United States’ biggest narcotics problem. Speakers at the opening session of the interstate commission of crime told almost unbelievable stories of the growth of “reefer” smoking. Brain McMahon, Assistant U.S. attorney general, reported the weed had been found growing not in a few but in may schoolyards; that school students in Denver, St. Paul, Chicago and New Orleans had been introduced to “reefer” smoking by “hot dog” and tamale peddlers parked at the school curb. MORE |
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WHAT THE NARC'S WERE CLAIMING
In Birmingham, Ala., a hot-tamale salesman had pushed his cart about town for five years, and for a large part of that time he had been peddling marijuana cigarettes to students of a downtown high school. His stock of the weed, he said, came from Texas and consisted, when he was captured, of enough marijuana to manufacture hundreds of cigarettes. --American Magazine "Marijuana, "assassin of youth" By H.J Anslinger - July 1937
What is the effect of this drug that has been the excuse offered for atrocious attacks, for robberies, thefts, and murder? Here we have the reaction of an eighteen-year-old boy: --- "While walking up around the curb market in Atlanta, Georgia, I passed the stand of the hot tomale man who asked me: 'Do you want any hot tomales?' I said, 'Don't you have anything stronger?' He said, 'Yes,' and sold me two marihuana cigarettes for twenty-five cents. I had never seen this kind of cigarette before. I smoked one of them and it gave me a headache. Then I smoked the other one and began to feel it. My mind changed in a queer sort of way. I craved some more of the cigarettes, and, not having any money, I pawned my shoes for one dollar and bought a bag of dried leaves to roll my own. --- "After a couple more cigarettes, I began to feel like I was on top of the world. I would walk up to anyone and ask them for anything without any hesitancy. Then I felt like I would do something desperate. --- "However, I was very tired and fell asleep. I stayed asleep for two whole days and nights." --National Parent-Teacher (PTA) - May, 1938
An Atlanta boy who robbed his father's safe of thousands of dollars in jewelry and cash. Of high-school age, this boy apparently had been headed for an honest, successful career. Gradually, however, his father noticed a change in him. Spells of shakiness and nervousness would be succeeded by periods when the boy would assume a grandiose manner and engage in excessive, senseless laughter, extravagant conversation, and wildly impulsive actions. When these actions finally resulted in robbery the father went at his son's problem in earnest - and found the cause of it a marijuana peddler who catered to school children. The peddler was arrested. --Marijuana, assassin of youth By H.J Anslinger - July 1937
The reactions of a beginner are shown in this STENOGRAPHIC COPY of a report from the police of Atlanta, Georgia, who found a youth wandering about the streets, barefooted: "While walking up around the curb market in Atlanta. I passed the stand of the hot tamale man, who asked me: "Do you want any hot tamales? "DO said: Don't you have anything stronger? He said: Yes, and sold me two marihuana cigarettes for twenty-five cents. I have never seen this kind of a cigarette before. I smoked one of them and it gave me a headache. Then I smoked the other one and began to feel it. My mind changed in a queer sort of way. I crave some more of the cigarettes, and, not having any money, I pawned my shoes for one dollar and bought a bag of dried leaves to roll my own. After a couple more cigarettes, I began to feel like I was on top of the world. I would walk up to anyone and ask them for anything without any hesitancy. Then I felt like I would do something desperate. However, I was very tired and fell asleep. I stayed asleep for two whole days and nights." --Inside detective Nov 1937
A high school boy in Atlanta, Georgia, stole thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry from his father's safe. Prior to this act of base ingratitude it had been noticed that the boy was subject to rapid and seemingly inexplicable changes in temperament and conduct. Periods when he manifested an exaggerated ego, characterized by a grandiose manner and extravagant conversation, were followed by spells of shakiness and despondency. When the robbery of his father's store finally climaxed his peculiar actions, an investigation traced the cause of the crime to a marihuana peddler who catered to school children. --Moloch Of Marihuana (1945) Robert James Devine
Weird Comics #17 - [The Pushcart Drug Pusher] 1941THE LEGEND OF THE HOT TAMALE(et al), PEDDLER
As can be seen from the following quotations, the Hot Tamale Pushcart peddler was not the only threat facing your children during the Reefer Madness Era:
- In Chicago a school supply store was discovered selling reefers to boys and girls, some of whom had become temporarily blinded by the weed. --American Mercury - Dec 1935
- In Chicago, according to newspaper reports, a school-supply house sold marihuana to high-school boys and girls for five cents per cigarette. --- The Truth About Narcotic Drugs 1943
- The marihuana, in cigaret form, had been procured in this case, from the man who kept a school supply store just around the corner from the school. (If any of my readers wish to locate any the source of supply of marihuana ciqarets in his or her city let him look first within a block of the high school! This storekeeper sold chocolate bars and gum; milk and school supplies. The children initiated into the "reefer" group pooled the candy and milk money given them by fond parents, and purchased a supply of "Mary Warners". The lower-than-skunk storekeeper in this case, supplied them with a basement room, which he had furnished with a couple of old mattresses and other needed pieces of furniture. Here he could guarantee them freedom from interference for hours at a time. He had even sent his wife and family away on an extended visit to make sure that his illicit operations would not be discovered.
Here the youngsters played at being married. Rings stolen from the ten-cent stores served to bind the mock ceremonies which permitted unbridled lusts to have full sway. Probing by the juvenile judge resulted in shamefaced girls sobbing out sordid stories disclosing many nights of debauchery and degradation. Sometimes these young girls would be too drunk to leave the basement where they had staged their "parties" and so had to stay all night. Each party was a continuous round of dissipation, drunkenness and drugs.
The stories of the girls varied according to the number of marihuana parties they had attended. Some of them said they had started their wrongdoing because they lost control of themselves after smoking a few "Mary Warners". One said she had gone ahead even though she knew it was wrong, because she "loved" her boy friend and was afraid that some other girl would take him from her. --Religious Digest Dec. 1937 - “The Menace of Marihuana” By Robert James Devine
- "Investigation of the sale of drugs to, school children in the M----- school district was ordered last night after a boy of fifteen had attacked his father, a music teacher, with a knife while crazed with marihuana cigarets. Only the father's quick action in wresting the weapon from the youth saved the parent from death or serious injury. After hearing the boy's story the officers arrested the owner of the school store and the clerk from whom the boy said he bought the cigarets." -- The Union Signal (WCTU) Feb 1935
Perhaps these two versions (I suspect plagiarism) of what seems to be the same story [1938, 1952], respectably, best detail the legend. The Story of Baptiste, the New Orleans Marihuana Peddler, taken from “Science Speaks to Young Men” [1938], and of Johnny C., taken from “The Narcotic Menace” [1952], provided a relatively good write-up of the popular belief of the time.
[Click to View]
WHAT WAS THE TRUTH?
Today even the narc’s now grudgingly admit that most Medical Marihuana Addicts were first introduced to Medical Marihuana via friends or (in the case of Cancer patients) via their physicians.
However, according to newspaper accounts there were indeed pushcart peddlers (hot tamale or otherwise) who did peddle reefers during the 1920’s and 30’s. So what is the truth, was the legend of the pushcart peddler all a myth or was it a fact? As ‘Elvira, the mistress of the dark’, would say; ‘Tell me and we'll both know.”
MAD #4 - April/May 1953
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