This is one of the worst movies in American cinema: 88 years ago, it caused a wave of panic in the United States.

In the late 1990s, the Office of National Drug Control (ONDCP), the government agency responsible for drug enforcement in the United States, found that television spots warning against drug use and corruption were not enough. . The time when 1986 First Lady Nancy Reagan Sends Americans ‘Just Say No’ in Anti-Drug CampaignIt was already a distant memory.

After that, the decision was made to completely invade such successful TV series as Beverly Hills or Emergency, to organize the anti-drug discourse in a more or less subtle way, because it was directly the development of story arcs on this topic.

In fact, the US government has already addressed the drug problem on the screen decades ago. As early as the 1930s, in fact. This is how a curious commissioned film (propaganda) was created in 1938, entitled Referee madnessOtherwise known as ‘Tell The Children’, which will be released here under the eloquent title TDo not touch the food.

Here’s the trailer…

Directed by Louis Gasnier, a French-born director living in the United States, originally produced by a Catholic religious organization, this exploitation film revolves around the melodramatic events that occur when schoolchildren are tricked by salesmen who try to convince them. To try marijuana. After the act, they become addicted, which eventually leads to their involvement in various crimes such as hit-and-run, manslaughter, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and attempted rape.

Guaranteed Effect: The film caused panic in American homes, with parents logically horrified at the idea of ​​alleged drug dealers roaming the hallways of high schools selling drugs to their children.

Enough to please the man, Harry Anslinger, who became the first commissioner in August 1930. Federal Bureau of NarcoticsResponsible for the fight against drugs. Puritan and ultra-conservative, he makes the fight against cannabis his hobby horse. In 1937, Congress made possession of marijuana a federal crime Marijuana Tax Act.

Only in 1970 Marijuana Tax Act He leaves his place Controlled Substances Act after the case Timothy Leary. Sentenced to 30 years in prison in 1965 for illegal possession of marijuana, he appealed the 5th Amendment to declare the law unconstitutional, acquitting him.

An anti-drug movie revered by weed smokers

And the referee’s madness? Well, after a brief theatrical release, the film was forgotten for several decades. Before it was rediscovered in 1971, a man, Keith Stroup, founder of a group called NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), which advocates for the legalization of marijuana, bought a copy of the film for $297. and shown at various festivals.

It was a huge success, especially since it was broadcast on American campuses amid protests against the escalation of the war in Vietnam. He even made the bank account of a very young company founded in 1967 and responsible for its distribution prosperous: New Line Cinema, a future juggernaut that would play a major role in the film industry, since the studio would be the distributor in the United States. From Peter Jackson’s saga The Lord of the Rings.

Ranked among the worst films of the 1930s, the film inspired a musical comedy in 1998 in the US, which itself spawned Andy Fickman’s satirical musical comedy Reefer Madness in 2005. As posterity, we’ve seen a lot worse for such a unique piece. All the more delicious in light of the legalization of cannabis in many American states since 2012.

Nevertheless, the film entered the public domain in the United States. So you can easily find it if you want to watch it.