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"I consider marihuana the worst of all narcotics----far worse than the use of morphine or cocaine. Under its influence men become beasts, . . . Marihuana destroys life itself. I have no sympathy with those who sell this weed." -- Judge J. Foster Symes, Denver, Co. 1937
"EDWARDSVILLE INTELLIGENCER - Edwardsville, Illinois Nov. 28, 1931 pg. 2
MUSEUM COMMENTS:
Obviously most, if not all, of the Encyclopedia editors (who for years and years had been writing nothing but glowing praises about Hemp for its Industrial as well as its medical uses) knew the truth. In fact, given the vast array of consultants and professional historians available to them --- it would have been all but impossible for them not to have known. So what should one make of them, what should one call them, Liars, Sellouts, Conspirators . . . . . .
But perhaps it would be unjust for us to pass judgment too quickly, without first walking a thousand footsteps in their moccasins. We must never forget that this was the middle of the great depression, when people were literally going hungry. And let's face it, even today, most of us are only seven or so paychecks away from total bankruptcy. How many of us would really be willing to risk loosing our jobs given the times.
Today (now looking back with 20/20 hindsight), it is easy to see that those who sought to outlaw Medical Marihuana, had made (the control of all) encyclopedia definitions a high priority. And these were the kind of men who had no qualms about using whatever means it took to accomplish their goals. If gentle persuasion and beguiling words (given under the badge of governmental authority) were not enough, subtle and sometimes not so subtle threats were soon to follow. It is even rumored that the sexual preference of at least one of the editors' was threatened with exposure should he not fall into line. And as the owners of some of these encyclopedias were (in all likelihood) in on the fix, the pressure to cooperate must have been intense.
So if the early definitions for Marihuana, almost all of them sound like they came from the then bureau of narcotics------that's because in all likelihood they did.
PRICE GUIDE:
No doubt many of you out there are asking; "Where can I find some of these encyclopedic (Golden Wonders) of history” and "How much do they cost?" The answer to the first, is “Just about everywhere.” In junk stores, at garage sales, in old bookstores, at Salvation Army thrift stores, you name it. And granted, they aren’t printing up any more, still there were thousands and thousands of them that were. And now (courtesy of the Wikipedia and the Internet), not to mention the fact that houses (and thus storage spaces) have gotten a lot smaller now a days, it seems that no one wants them any more.
As for the prices, it’s still possible to pick up a whole (1930’s) encyclopedia for less than $20 dollars. However, it seems that many antique store owners are reading up on the novelty factor of these things now so expect to pay more -- about $35 for an old dictionary, and about $75 for a whole encyclopedia. I’ve even been to one antique store that actually had the encyclopedia turned (with a permanent bookmarker) to one of the Reefer Madness quotations. The idea being obvious – sell the product; get a higher price.
BEST BET’S:
Just do what you do naturally, and any time you see an old dictionary/encyclopedia, simply look over the following words:
- MARIHUANA or MARIJUANA
- ASSASSIN
- HEMP
- CANNABIS
[MUSEUM NOTE: The museum has religiously photocopied selected pages from as many encyclopedias and dictionaries as we could find. For those interested, they are available on CD rom format. ]
ENCYCLOPEDIA'S OF EVIL
WANT TO KNOW MORE:
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Due to space / download time considerations, only selected materials are displayed. If you would like to obtain more information, feel free to contact the museum. All our material is available (at cost) on CD-Rom format.
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