reefer:::madness

I thought that watching Reefer Madness might enliven this afternoon's bit of methadone withdrawal -- but I haven't had the concentration (o-k-a-y, or mood!) necessary for that to happen. But that doesn't mean that you aren't primed for it!

The details behind my first viewing of this national treasure still boggle my mind.

I was in the hospital with a high fever. High enough that I had been put on a cooling blanket. Reefer Madness popped on the television and as I had been disconnected from the controls, it stayed on. It was a horrible night of chills, sweats, and confusion. Around 9 the next morning, a friend dropped in to see me. He was an engineering grad student at this illustrious university and so I didn't hesitate to enlist his aid -- because despite the reassurances of nurses, I didn't seem to be the least bit cooler from the cooling blanket. He coolly gauged the situation, grasped the cord emanating from the end of the thing, and followed it to the plug's final resting place -- on the floor, by the wall, not the least bit plugged in. So, basically, I had been baking between sheets of plastic all night long, my brain suitably entertained by the delerium of this short flick...

May you enjoy it with some friends, and in better circumstances.




film and notes are courtesy of the Internet Archive (something you MUST check out, iffen ya haven't yet!

Considered THE archetypal sensationalized anti-drug movie, but it's really an exploitation film made to capitalize on the hot taboo subject of marijuana use. Like many exploitation films of the time, "Reefer Madness" tried to make a quick buck off of a forbidden subject while skirting the Motion Picture Production Code of 1930. The Code forbade the portrayal of immoral acts like drug use. (The illegal drug traffic must not be portrayed in such a way as to stimulate curiosity concerning the use of, or traffic in, such drugs; nor shall scenes be approved which show the use of illegal drugs, or their effects, in detail.)


The film toured around the country for many years - often being re-edited and re-titled ("Tell Your Children", "Dope Addict", "Doped Youth", "Love Madness", "The Burning Question"). It was re-discovered in the early 1970s by NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) and screened again as an example of the government's demonization of marijuana. NORML may have been confused about the film's sponsorship since one of the film's distributors, Dwain Esper, testified to the Arizona Supreme Court that "Reefer Madness" was not a trashy exploitation film but was actually sponsored by the U.S. Government - a convincing lie, but a lie nonetheless.


That being said, the film is still quick enjoyable since it dramatizes the "violent narcotic's ... soul destroying" effects on unwary teens, and their hedonistic exploits enroute to the bottom.

Also, if you are interested in the rich, uniquely American history of exploitation films, there are two excellent books on the subject:

"Forbidden Fruit - The Golden Age of the Exploitation Film", Felicia Feaster and Bret Wood, Midnight Marquee Press, 1999.

"Bold! Daring! Shocking! True! A History of Exploitation Films, 1919 - 1959" Eric Schaefer, Duke University Press, 1999.

Director: Louis J. Gasnier
Producer: George A. Hirliman
Production Company: G and H Production