Suppression and Sensationalism: How the Hearst Empire Helped Kill Cannabis

After almost a century, there are a lot of myths and conspiracies surrounding cannabis prohibition – especially in the United States. One of the most frequently told and well-known theories is those posed by the famous author and cannabis activist Jack Herer in his book The Emperor Wears No Clothes. Within his tale of how cannabis prohibition became what we know it today are the stories of people like William Hearst, whose media empire pushed the propaganda that led to the criminalization of cannabis.

Who is William Randolph Hearst?

Before we can really explore the story of the Hearst Empire and its influence on modern cannabis prohibition, we need to meet the man behind it all – William Randolph Hearst.

Born in San Francisco, California, in 1863, Hearst was the only child and son of gold mine owner and former Senator of California George Hearst. He didn’t have your usual childhood, traveling Europe and finding a love for the old English architecture styles, specifically castles. In his early adulthood, he attended Harvard College for all of two years before being expelled for numerous antics, which all displayed a feeling of superiority over others.

In 1887, after many requests, he was put in control of the San Francisco Examiner, a newspaper his father had once acquired for political reasons. Shortly after he was handed the keys to his first publication, he went on to purchase the New York Journal, which would be the beginning of his eventual media empire.

Failed Politician Turned Media Mogul

Like father like son, William Hearst made his attempts at being a politician, but it was quickly clear that it wasn’t meant to be. Though he attempted to go further, he served in a way frequently described as “inactively” as a New York Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1903-07. From there, he almost had enough support for a Democratic presidential nomination but lost out and went on to run unsuccessfully for both Mayor and Governor of New York before ending his time in politics.

During this time, Hearst continued to grow his communications empire with sensationalistic stories that would equate to modern clickbait meant to incite people (and it often worked then and still does today). By 1925, he had acquired or established a newspaper presence in every major part of the United States. At one point, 1 in 4 Americans got their news from a Hearst publication, and many still do. On top of the news outlets, he also owned magazines, published fiction works, and produced numerous motion pictures.

Eventually, each became part of an entity known still as Hearst Communications. At the height of his career in 1935, Hearst Communications consisted of 28 major newspapers, 18 magazines, and a multitude of news stations, movie companies, and even radio stations.

These media outlets were notorious over the years for pushing Hearsts’ own political agendas, extreme opinions, and even inciting wars. Toss in the fact that the man was a well-known supporter of legal alcohol and banning cannabis, and it’s not hard to believe his publications played a large part in getting cannabis criminalized in the first place.

“Users of marijuana become STIMULATED as they inhale the drug and are LIKELY TO DO ANYTHING. Most crimes of violence in this section, especially in country districts, are laid to users of that drug.” – William Randolph Hearst

While Hearst Communications continues to operate today, William found himself with a quick build-up and almost as sudden of a fall. He spent much of his accumulated wealth buying fine art and building Hearst Castle, which was modeled off the castles he loved in Europe as a child. However, in part because of the Great Depression he ended up selling off much of his art collection and his castle was never completed even after he passed away in 1951.

The Hearst Communications Propaganda Empire

While Hearst’s publications are by no means the originators of sensationalistic journalism – which dates back at least to the late 1700s – they did their fair share of normalizing such media.

The Era of Yellow Journalism

The Hearst Communications empire was the largest privately owned business of its kind. William Hearst used his publications to further his political beliefs and agenda, even without maintaining a seat in the U.S. government. During the early days of Hearst’s career in publishing, he infamously ended up in a war of sensationalism to sell papers to New Yorkers – covering crime, foreign affairs, and comics that all gave way to what is now known as yellow journalism.

The war between Hearst’s New York Journal and competitor Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World went on from at least 1895 to 1898, even publishing competing comics featuring the popular at the time Yellow Kid character. Even once the newspaper wars had ended, the techniques of slanted writing and misleading headlines continued, just with new agendas in mind.

Media Demonized Cannabis by Calling It Marijuana

At this point in history, cannabis was commonly found in household medications and was known to Americans as a medicine just as much as hemp was known for its versatile fibers – but this new drug, marijuana, was entirely foreign. For many people, the most they knew about it was that people (mostly minorities, according to the media) smoked it – and according to the news, it was extremely dangerous.

While today we know cannabis and marijuana to be two of many different names for the same plant, the Hearst Communications Empire used the word marijuana, which most Americans were unfamiliar with at the time. This all played a big role in demonizing cannabis, eventually leading to The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which was the first time the government put a federal ban on the cannabis plant.

There are theories that Hearst also wanted to see hemp made illegal because of his stake in the lumber industry – but there may not be as much to this as Herer thought according to some sources. However, it is clear that Hearst had a goal: sell as many papers as possible. And demonizing cannabis sure made for some sensational headlines that the working class simply couldn’t ignore.

Racism Fueled the Fire of Sensationalism Against Cannabis

As early as 1913, Hearst had dropped the use of the word cannabis among his publications and replaced it entirely with marijuana and publishing only stories that were misleading at least and outright lying at best. The earliest example is an article from The Salt Lake Tribune titled “Evil Mexican Plants that Drive You Insane.”

Later articles from the 1920s include stories about how marijuana was known as a “murder drug” in India, where those who smoked it ran the risk of running rampant in the streets, hacking away at others with a knife. Or how it was a “short cut to the insane asylum” and that one window box could grow enough marijuana to “drive the whole population of the United States stark, raving mad.”

It’s no secret that American history is filled with racism of all kinds, and because of that, it made a perfect catalyst to demonize the cannabis plant. All it took was calling it a less recognized name (marijuana) and suggesting that it was the reason behind the violent actions of people from these minorities, and suddenly, most of America believed it to be true.

Busting Cannabis History Myths: Hearst Empire and Cannabis FAQ

Because of the nature of news media at the time, there are few ways to separate fact from fiction when it comes to how marijuana prohibition came to be in the U.S. or around the world for that matter.

However, we have enough information at our disposal to at least answer some of the most common questions surrounding the Hearst Communications Empire and the end of legal cannabis for decades to come.

Did William Hearst really want hemp and marijuana banned because of his stake in the lumbar industry?

While these claims were made among many others by famous cannabis activist, historian, and author Jack Herer there is little in the way of physical evidence to back these claims. Yes, William Hearst had a stake in the lumbar and paper industry, but he also sold newspapers so theoretically hemp paper could’ve cut his costs and been an addition to paper mills for his entrepreneurship ventures.

However, it appears his love for selling papers via hard-to-believe stories with eye-catching (often misleading) headlines was the one that won out, as his publications helped create the Reefer Madness era.

Is William Hearst Behind the Reefer Madness Propaganda Film?

You might be surprised after everything you’ve read here that William Hearst actually took no part in the creation of the 1936 “comedy thriller” as Google lists it. In fact, Reefer Madness was produced originally by George Hirliman to be shown to churchgoing teens and families and Dwain Esper bought it and added additional salacious scenes before re-releasing it.

Fun Fact: Neither producer ever filed any copyrights on the Reefer Madness movie, making the entire movie public domain!

Were Harry Anslinger and William Hearst actually good friends?

There’s little to suggest that the two were necessarily close friends, however Hearst was known for hosting the elite of politics and Hollywood at his castle home. While Hearst always loudly opposed marijuana, Anslinger’s real interest in demonizing cannabis didn’t seem to come around until his position as Director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) seemed to be at risk of becoming irrelevant.

At this point, it is possible (but not proven) that he and Hearst collaborated to push sensationalistic stories featuring minorities going insane or becoming violent while attributing it all to marijuana.

Why did William Hearst hate marijuana so much?

There are dozens of theories as to why William Hearst hated cannabis and hemp and pushed so hard through his media outlets to demonize the plant in the eye of the American people. Some say it’s because of a stake in the lumbar and paper mill industry, but as discussed above, that may be unlikely.

Others will tell you it’s revenge against Pancho Villa’s army, which seized 800K acres from Hearst during the Mexican Revolution. Some say he just wanted to sell newspapers. While we may never know the real reason behind Hearst’s hatred for cannabis, the fact that he played a large part in its criminalization remains true.

The Impact News Media Had in Pushing Cannabis Prohibition

While it was the FBN that pushed and the government that passed The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, it’s clear that if people had a real understanding of what marijuana was at the time it things would have gone differently. The media used an unfamiliar name to describe a very familiar plant and it changed the course of that plant’s legality around the world, not just in the United States.

According to the Cato Institute, congress wasn’t even prepared to discuss, let alone vote on, The Marihuana Tax Act when it was passed:

The bill came up for a vote at the end of the day and Republican minority leader Bertrand Snell asked why it was “a matter we should bring up at this late hour of the afternoon? I do not know anything about the bill.” He was assured by Sam Rayburn of Texas that “[i]t has something to do with something that is called marihuana. I believe it is a narcotic of some kind.”

Even though William Hearst was no longer a “practicing” politician, his willingness to involve himself in political matters never faltered. Already outspoken against marijuana (believing his own hype no doubt), Hearst used his communications empire from newspapers and magazines to radio and film to further his own agendas.

The impact the Hearst Communications Empire had on influencing the early years of cannabis prohibition is undeniable, no matter what the reason behind it was. Whether that was to keep hemp from interrupting his lumbar industry holdings, to get revenge against Pancho Villa, to help his friend Anslinger at the FBN, or simply to sell papers will likely remain a mystery.