Leary v. United States (1967)

Criminalization of cannabis in the United States began with the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act. Although the Marihuana Tax Act did not criminalize the possession of hemp, marijuana, or cannabis, it did impose a tax of approximately $1 on all who dealt commercially with the substance. Leary v. United States (1967) is a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit case that upheld Timothy Leary's conviction for violation of the Marihuana Tax Act. The U.S. Supreme Court later found the Marihuana Tax Act to be unconstitutional, thereby overturning Leary's conviction. The holding of this case was nullified by Congress's enactment of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.

Timothy Leary was a well-known American psychologist, academic, and advocate for psychedelic drug research. Leary ...