ORDER YOUR COPY
Mexico, 1519 CE.
During the Spanish conquests Cortés introduced hemp farming as part of his violent colonial campaign. In secret, locals began cultivating the plant for consumption. It eventually made its way to the United States through the immigrant labor force where it was shared with black laborers. It doesn't take long for American lawmakers to decry cannabis as the vice of "inferior races."
Enter an era of propaganda designed to feed a moral panic about the dangers of a plant that had been used by humanity for thousands of years. Cannabis was given a schedule I classification, which it shared with drugs like heroin. This opened the door for a so-called “war on drugs” that disproportionately targeted young black men, leaving hundreds of thousands in prison, many for minor infractions. With its roots in "reefer madness" and misleading studies into the effects of cannabis, America’s complicated and racialized relationship with marijuana continues to this day.
Author Box Brown delves deep into this troubling history and offers a rich, entertaining, and thoroughly researched graphic essay on the legacy of cannabis legislation in America.
ORDER YOUR COPY
Mexico, 1519 CE.
During the Spanish conquests Cortés introduced hemp farming as part of his violent colonial campaign. In secret, locals began cultivating the plant for consumption. It eventually made its way to the United States through the immigrant labor force where it was shared with black laborers. It doesn't take long for American lawmakers to decry cannabis as the vice of "inferior races."
Enter an era of propaganda designed to feed a moral panic about the dangers of a plant that had been used by humanity for thousands of years. Cannabis was given a schedule I classification, which it shared with drugs like heroin. This opened the door for a so-called “war on drugs” that disproportionately targeted young black men, leaving hundreds of thousands in prison, many for minor infractions. With its roots in "reefer madness" and misleading studies into the effects of cannabis, America’s complicated and racialized relationship with marijuana continues to this day.
Author Box Brown delves deep into this troubling history and offers a rich, entertaining, and thoroughly researched graphic essay on the legacy of cannabis legislation in America.
SEE BOX ON TOUR
March 22-24
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo
C2E2 Artist Alley Table: G-14
First Second Booth: #516
Wednesday, April 3
6:00 pm @ Northshire Books
Saratoga Springs, NY
Thursday, April 4
6:00 pm @ Kinokuniya New York
New York, NY
Friday, April 5
6:00 pm @ Solid State Books
Washington, DC
Saturday, April 6
4:00 pm @ Downtown Ann Arbor Library
Ann Arbor, MI
Sunday, April 7
3:00 pm @ Schuler Books
Okemos, MI
Tuesday, April 9
7:00 pm @ Third Place Books Ravena
Seattle, WA
Wednesday, April 10
7:00 pm @ Third Place Books Seward Park
Seattle, WA
Thursday, April 11
6:00 pm @ Old Town Library
Fort Collins, CO
Friday, April 12
6:00 pm @ Grandma's House
Denver, CO
April 13 & 14
DiNK: Denver Independent Comics & Art Expo
Denver, CO
Tuesday, April 16
6:00 pm @ UPENN Bookstore
Philadelphia, PA
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Box Brown is an Ignatz Award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and comic publisher from Philadelphia. His books include the New York Times-bestselling Andre the Giant: Life and Legend, Tetris: The Games People Play, and Is This Guy For Real?: The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman. Box Brown's independent comics publishing house, Retrofit Comics, was launched in 2011.