Rebranding Weed: The Implicit Associations of Cannabis

Written By Rudy Brown

The roots of cannabis criminalization come from racially charged narratives in the early 20th century. Back then, the plant was deliberately associated with communities of color to justify legal restrictions. In the 1930s and 1940s, media outlets like the New York Times published over 50 articles linking cannabis to violent crime, crafting a fear-driven narrative filled with harmful stereotypes. This stigmatization fueled harsh penalties, disproportionately affecting marginalized people and leading to the mass incarceration of nonviolent cannabis offenders.