Currents

Armistice declared in the war on weed. History: take two. Canadian soldier honoured in Belgium. Canada’s official languages. Brush Strokes: Peter Clapham Sheppard’s Arrival of the Circus.

Marijuana — it’s the burning weed with roots in hell, offering a moment of bliss but a lifetime of regret. At least, that’s what anti-cannabis films from the 1930s warned. Many of these films came from the United States, though Canada had its share of scare tactics. In 1922, Emily Murphy, the first female magistrate in Canada, published The Black Candle, warning people of the alleged dangers of marijuana and quoting a Los Angeles police chief who said the drug “has the effect of driving [people] completely insane.” Canada made marijuana illegal in 1923, though there’s not much explanation as to why — no parliamentary debate was recorded when marijuana was added to the list of illegal drugs. On October 17 — ninety-five years after banning marijuana use — Canada became one of the few countries where recreational use of the drug is legal.

Top: A poster for the movie The Devil’s Weed, which was also shown under the title She Shoulda Said No! Right: A selection of posters for other films warning against the alleged dangers of marijuana and listing possible side effects of using the drug.