always tell us the same thing--

Weed's gonna kill us, it's a gateway drug.

Lying isn't funny.

Oh, no, for most people, weed is essentially harmless.

Whoa-kay, no way, Jose.

Look, I know this stuff

is a little overboard, but...

you can't tell kids weed isn't bad!

Of course I can. It's true.

And we've known it for decades.

Counting deaths from the substance alone,

alcohol kills 88,000 people a year.

Tobacco kills 480,000.

And marijuana kills absolutely no one.

(buzzer)

Uh, according to curriculum,

marijuana can get you hooked on harder substances.

It's a gateway drug.

Yeah, educators have been saying that for years,

but it's not true.

Most people who try marijuana

don't even continue smoking marijuana.

This dude knows what's up.

Now, that doesn't mean that it's perfectly safe.

Dude, I thought you were cool.

Oh, I wish! If you're under 25,

smoking weed can lead to memory problems

and poor cognitive functioning.

But if you're an adult,

and your brain has finished developing,

it's really your choice.

Adam, wrong way. Also, not in a school.

Sorry, I usually only smoke at parties,

and I'm rarely invited to them.

Yeah, wonder why.

The truth is, if you know the risks

and you use it in moderation, weed is no big deal.

And, in fact, humans have been using it for millennia.

Humans started growing cannabis as a crop

over 8,000 years ago.

This crop will feed our family for a year,

and this crop will make movies way funnier.

(Adam) In 440 BCE, Herodotus wrote about

the ancient tradition of cannabis steam baths.

Fellow citizens, as a wise man

once told me, VapeLife! (laughing)

And in America, for many years

marijuana was available

in over-the-counter medications.

Step right up and try

Professor Horkorium's Rejuvenating Tincture!

Now with the Arab hashish.

For most of America's history,

weed was legal. No one cared about it.

All right, so what changed?

I mean, there must be some reason we banned it.

Oh, there is. And it's real weird.

Enter Harry Anslinger, commissioner of

the Federal Bureau of Narcotics

and a staunch prohibitionist.

Our funding has been cut! They'll shut me down

if I don't find a new chemical to demonize.

Let's see, what are people scared of for no good reason?

A-ha! Mexicans!

And Mexicans smoke marijuana!

That's it! Hey, racist mob...

(all) Hmm?

Marijuana makes Mexicans thirst for white blood.

Spread the word!

(mob shouting)

Anslinger used that racism to fuel

a propaganda campaign against the drug,

testifying before Congress...

Marijuana is an addictive drug

which produces in its users

insanity, criminality, and death!

(Adam) Soon, the "Marijuana causes violence" meme

was everywhere, from newspapers to movies...

Just a young boy. Under the influence of the drug,

he killed his entire family with an axe.

...to subtle political cartoons.

(man) Nazi propaganda.

What does that even mean?

Why would he just say the words, "Nazi propaganda"?

Honestly, no idea. But, it worked.

In 1937, Congress banned marijuana

and later, with Anslinger's help,

they passed the first

mandatory minimum sentencing laws

which made it so that your first time

getting caught with this

could put you away from two to ten years.

Mm, thank you, that's what I thought.

(Adam) And the true irony is,

the government knew Anslinger's claims were false.

Scientists proved marijuana wasn't connected to violence

or insanity in the '40s.

And in 1973, a bipartisan commission

recommended Nixon decriminalize it.

But, Nixon being Nixon...

Mr. President, literally everyone agrees,

marijuana is safe.

Out! Get out! I have zero chill!

The war on drugs begins now!

I don't understand. If he knew it was safe,

why would he be so tough on it?

Well, why don't you ask

Nixon's aide, John Ehrlichman.

He said, in 1994...

We knew we couldn't make it illegal

to be either against the war or black,

but by getting the public to associate the hippies

with marijuana and blacks with heroin...

Did we know we were lying about the drugs?

That's a real quote? Yeah.

That's a real quote.

Nixon started the war on drugs

to bully his political enemies and minorities.

His own aide admitted it.

I can't believe I've been teaching this to children.

At least it's better now, right?

You wish.

Despite laws being loosened in a few states,

mandatory minimums are still in effect

all across the country, and marijuana still accounts

for nearly half of all drug arrests.

And, despite the fact that white and black people

smoke at basically the same rate,

black people are four times as likely

to be arrested for marijuana.

Look, we know for a fact that weed isn't dangerous,

but we're still following racist old laws

and throwing countless people of color

in prison for no reason.

(car approaching, distant music)

(tires screeching)

Listen up!

Everything this barf-boy told you is wrong

and will kill you!

Well, we actually have fact checkers, but--

Shut it, barf-boy! Before you barf everywhere.

Drugs aren't cool. D.A.R.E. says so.

Oh, the D.A.R.E. program!

That was a massive failure

that may have actually increased drug use.

(taser clicking)

Ooh!

(Adam coughing)

I told you he was a barf boy.