1970's

Highs Time or Low Times

In the 1970’s the strict sentencing laws of the 1950’s were repealed. They seemed to do nothing to control or lessen usage and were unreasonably harsh. During this time “The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act categorized marijuana separately from other narcotics and eliminated mandatory federal sentences for possession of small amounts.” The Shafer Commission under the Nixon administration determined that marijuana used for personal reason should be decriminalized. Nixon rejected the recommendation but throughout the 1970’s eleven states followed the recommendations and others reduced their penalties.  Such a climate allowed for the foundation of “High Times,” a magazine which focused primarily on marijuana. Although penalties associated to marijuana use were becoming more relaxed and its use more socially acceptable, in the late 1970’s a parent’s movement began to gain momentum. They desired to see stricter regulations and prevention measures taken to avoid the drug’s use among teenagers. This movement had an effect on the public a help lead to the 1980’s war on drugs. Society definition of marijuana use in terms of deviance seemed to be moving in two different directions.