Christina Mancini grew up hearing that drugs were something to fear. Her grandmother cautioned her against using “dope,” while the school-based D.A.R.E. program presented drug use as a clear path to trouble. Marijuana, like other substances, was generally portrayed as harmful.
Years later, Mancini, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, began examining how Americans form opinions about crime, offenders, and criminal justice policies. Her research has covered attitudes toward people convicted of crimes against kids and sexual offenses, including cases involving college communities. Recently, she has focused on cannabis and the changing public attitudes that have influenced marijuana laws.
Her latest book, “Weed for the People: Pot, Public Opinion and Drug Policy in the US,” examines the long history of cannabis policy. Mancini follows the substance from an era when it was widely available through periods of prohibition and aggressive drug enforcement, before turning to the growing movement toward legalization.
The shift represents a major change in American attitudes. Mancini argues that dissatisfaction with traditional drug enforcement helped weaken support for the punitive approach that dominated previous decades.
Cannabis was not always treated as a criminal substance. During the 19th century, hemp production received government support, while cannabis appeared in medicinal preparations commonly sold through pharmacies. Federal regulation expanded during the early 1900s. The 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act introduced labeling requirements, followed by the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, which imposed federal controls on opium and related substances.
A major turning point came in 1937, when Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act. The legislation imposed significant taxes and restrictions on cannabis and helped establish a nationwide prohibition framework. Federal controls became even broader with the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, which created the scheduling system still used today.
During the 1980s, the war on drugs reinforced a tougher criminal justice strategy, including stronger penalties and greater social stigma surrounding drug use.
Public attitudes began changing more noticeably during the 1990s, particularly after California approved medical cannabis legislation in 1996. Support for marijuana reform subsequently expanded, with recreational legalization gaining momentum in numerous states.
Voters have played a direct role. Washington and California became the first states to approve recreational marijuana through ballot measures in 2012, and roughly half of jurisdictions that later legalized recreational use have relied on similar public votes.
Still, the shift is not irreversible. Recent failed legalization measures in South Dakota, Florida, and North Dakota indicate continued opposition. Public concern over impaired driving, effects on children, or possible increases in crime could also strengthen calls for tighter controls.
At the federal level, cannabis remains prohibited, although officials have pursued a possible move from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3. Such a change could ease research and financial restrictions, but it would not amount to nationwide recreational legalization.
Even with those uncertainties, cannabis has become increasingly normalized, and more than half of Americans now live in states where marijuana is legal in some form and enterprises like Curaleaf Holdings Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) are licensed to sell products to adults.
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