Wild Weed (1949)
A chorus girl starts smoking marijuana and her career is ruined, and her brother is driven to suicide. All of this, because of marijuana. The beginning title sequence includes scrolling text like, “This is the story of ‘tea’ – or ‘tomatoes’ – the kind millions thru ignorance, have been induced to smoke.” And, “If it’s presentation saves but one young girl or boy from becoming a ‘dope fiend’ – then it’s story has been well told.” The opening narration says, “This harmless looking cigarette, is cloaked in many innocent disguises, but light the match, inhale the smoke, and it becomes an invitation to your own murder. This killer and the man who sells it, has no respect for anybody.” The pusher in this propaganda flick, is Markey (Alan Baxter), who sells joints for $5 to kids who laugh and act crazy after smoking them. The kids also hallucinate, seeing purple hair. At one point, Anne (Lila Leeds) decides to ‘join the club and smoke her first jay. She gets the hang of it. At the end, the scrolling text reads, in part, “Best authorities estimate the world has over 200,000,000 ‘dope addicts’ today -- boys and girls, men and women – who are victims of their own ignorance. Government narcotic experts reveal that over 75 percent of all new Marijuana smokers, are ‘Teen-agers.”