By Sky Croeser

How does an educational movie funded by a church group become a cult classic? In 1936 a church group funded production of a film called Tell Your Children, which was meant to educate parents about the dangers of marijuana. It's a ridiculous movie. As public education films go it's right up there with Duck and Cover, which advises you to 'duck and cover' in the case of nuclear war.

The opening sequence begins by warning parents about “the frightful toll of the new drug menace”, “Marihuana”. It goes on to describe marijuana as “a violent narcotic” that is “more vicious, more deadly” than even heroin and opium. Marijuana, according to the film, causes “dangerous hallucinations” and “emotional disturbances” followed by “the loss of all power to resist physical emotions”, leading to “acts of shocking violence” and “incurable insanity”. The film continues in a similar vein, depicting marijuana as causing murder, suicide and rape, not to mention untidiness.

It's difficult to take the film seriously today, but in the 1930s there was considerable concern about marijuana. It was commonly blamed for causing users to “go crazy and become violent; men would rape and kill under the influence, and women would become  promiscuous”  (Goode in Isralowitz 2005, 105). Some audiences, at least, must have taken Tell Your Children at its word when it claimed that “the dread Marihuana may be reaching forth next for your son or daughter... or yours... or YOURS!”

Today, attitudes towards marijuana have changed. By 1995, only 29 per cent of survey respondents thought that marijuana was “part of the 'drug problem'”, while 42 per cent  thought possession of marijuana for personal use should be legal  (Makkai & McAllister 1997, 74 & 77). Anti-marijuana campaigners still invoke the threat of insanity, at least in the form of schizophrenia, but on the whole the focus has shifted to looking at the effects of marijuana on school or sporting performance, or to arguing that marijuana is a 'gateway drug' that will lead users to take other drugs.

Tell Your Children was bought by another producer in the 1970s, re-cut, and re-named Reefer Madness. It's become a cult classic, and I'm willing to bet that a good proportion of people who watch it today watch it stoned. Once, it might it have been convincing. Today, when around 33 per cent of Australians have smoked marijuana (AIHW 2004, 4), most people realise that it doesn't lead to 'incurable insanity', 'dangerous hallucinations', or 'acts of shocking violence'. Tell Your Children tried so hard to scare viewers into avoiding marijuana use that it became a joke.

What's the lesson in all this? At the beginning of Tell Your Children, an anti-marijuana campaigner claims that “only through enlightenment can this scourge be wiped out”. That's half right. People need to hear the evidence on drug use: the real facts, not horror stories. Unfortunately, even though anti-drug campaigns have been toned down they still rely on claims that taking drugs will ruin your life. After all, it's difficult to design posters and tv ads that begin by saying “It'll mostly be okay if you smoke pot, but there are some risks...”

It may not be as catchy, and it certainly doesn't make for hilarious viewing, but unless anti-drug campaigns get more realistic there will always be stoners watching them and giggling.

References

2009, 'Australian Anti-Drug Ad Campaigns' Daily Motion viewed 27 June 2009.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2004, 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey: first results”, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, viewed 6 July 2009. 

Erceg-Hurn, D 2008, 'Drugs, money and graphic ads: a critical review of the Montana Meth project', Prevention Science, Vol. 9, pp. 256 – 263.

1951 'Duck and Cover', viewed 6 July 2009

Isralowitz, R 2003. 'The use of marijuana in the United States:  reflections ', Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, Vol. 3 (4), pp. 105 – 107.

Makkai, T & McAllister, I 1997, 'Marijuana in Australia: patterns and attitudes',  Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services, viewed 6 June 2009.

Murray, R, Morrison, P, Henquet, C & Di Forti, M, 2007, 'Cannabis, the mind and society: the hash realities', Nature Reviews, Vol. 8, pp. 885 – 895.

1936 'Reefer Madness' viewed 6 July 2009.