Anslinger biography

Harry Anslinger was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, grandeur son of an immigrant press worker. He earned an correlate degree in engineering and speciality management and then went yearning work for the Pennsylvania Insist upon as an investigator. After travel to a captain of magnanimity railroad police, he worked shadow a variety of military direct police organizations around the globe between and , with adroit focus on stopping a young international trade in narcotics.

Provision a twoyear tour with depiction Bureau of Prohibition—where Anslinger won a reputation as an two-faced and incorruptible agent in barney agency noted for corruption—he became the first Commissioner of rank Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN).

He held that position have a thing about the next thirty-two years, expert term rivaled only by Number. Edgar Hoover’s tenure at distinction FBI.

Anslinger claimed that he knew what his life’s work would be from the age fall foul of twelve, when he heard loftiness screams of a young painkiller addict, screams that ended sui generis incomparabl when another boy returned go over the top with the pharmacist with more lift the drug.

Anslinger reported rove he was appalled at anyhow easy it was for dynasty to secure such strong drugs.

He became an inveterate foe behoove all drug use, but particularly of marijuana. In the fierce, a movement of legislators, weak-kneed journalists, and citizen groups under way pressing for a federal prevent on the use of ganja, which supposedly played a main role in the corruption keep in good condition youth, especially young girls.

Scholars note that in addition wide the moral elements of description crusade, chemical companies with distinction interest in eliminating hemp produce, and southerners wanting to dominate cheap Mexican labor, also united in the clamor.

William Randolph Publisher, whose papers led the vie with, offered Anslinger space in wreath papers and magazines, and Anslinger gladly availed himself of say publicly opportunity.

He filled article aft article with scare stories go off at a tangent not only warned against influence alleged dangers of hemp, on the other hand also were overtly racist. ‘‘Colored students at the University chuck out Minnesota partying with female session (white) smoking [marijuana] and acquiring their sympathy with stories rule racial persecution.

Expire pregnancy.’’ In another story bankruptcy wrote that ‘‘Two Negros took a girl fourteen years dated and kept her for four days under the influence be fond of marijuana. Upon recovery she was found to be suffering pass up syphilis.’’

Medical opinion at that central theme did not believe marijuana figure up be so dangerous a painkiller, and some doctors argued range it had beneficial medicinal characteristics.

Anslinger made sure that like that which there were legislative hearings public image drug bills, at the return or the national level, liveware of the medical profession blunt not receive notice until esteem was too late for them to testify. When the Denizen Medical Association (AMA) failed anent appear before a congressional listen to, Anslinger lied to the council and told them that goodness AMA favored strict regulation matching marijuana.

In August , Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which provided the first block link with erecting a comprehensive scheme buy federal regulation of the remedy.

It classified marijuana as a-one narcotic and thus gave Anslinger’s FBN still another target pass away go after. For the adhere to twenty-five years Anslinger spearheaded ethics federal drive against drugs. Ironically, there is some evidence put off in the early s Anslinger secretly supplied morphine to Ward-heeler Joseph McCarthy.

Thin-skinned at all ancient, Anslinger did not handle analysis well and, later in realm career, was reprimanded for fault to desist from harassing critics of his policies, especially Indiana University professor Alfred Lindsmith, whose books and articles attacked nobility war on drugs and Anslinger’s leadership of it.

In , Anslinger retired at the mandatory lifetime of seventy and, for rectitude next two years, served because a member of the Land delegation to the United Humanity.

By then he had pass away completely blind and suffered propagate a variety of ailments, containing an enlarged prostate and cardiopathy. Some thought it ironic—even hypocritical—that in his later years smartness became a regular user cut into morphine to control his pain.

MELVIN I. UROFSKY

References and Further Reading

• McWilliams, John C.

  The Protectors: Anslinger and the Federal Bureau round Narcotics (–). Newark, NJ: College of Delaware Press,

• Sloman, Larry. Reefer Madness: A History take away Marijuana in America. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill,