Many historians attribute the spread of popularity of marijuana in United States to Prohibition of 1920s. When it became illegal to consume alcohol many people flocked to marijuana clubs that started to appear in every major city. At that time Mary Jane was not considered a social threat simply because people who smoked did not bother anybody as much as people who drank, and also there was no law officially prohibiting marijuana.

Starting somewhere in the middle of 19^th century and all the way until 1942, marijuana was prescribed in US for various conditions, such as labor pains, rheumatism, nausea, and so on. It was listed in the US Pharmacopeia until the campaign conducted by US Federal Bureau of Narcotics that started to portray pot as potent addicting drug that leads people into getting addicted to other, more powerful drugs; that started to bring an end to legal marijuana use. Even now some consider marijuana as a “getaway” drug.

But still even then Mary Jane continued to be a part of some people’s life. It was an accomplice to beat generation in the 1950s; it became a symbol of rebellion for hippies and college students. Once it has been classified as schedule I drug in 1970 (along with heroin and LSD) the overall usage of marijuana started to decrease. However, the in the early 1990s it began to rise again. Right now, there are several states that had approved legal use of medicinal marijuana. We may not need to wait too much longer until complete legalization of marijuana all over the US.