06/15/2026
On this date in 1937, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Ma*****na Tax Act (that's how they spelled it).
"Re**er Madness" (1936) is an American public service announcement and exploitation film about drug use and abuse. It was originally titled "Tell Your Children," and it has been known by the titles "The Burning Question," "Dope Addict," "Doped Youth," and "Love Madness" as well.
The film was produced in 1936 by mainstream independent filmmaker George Hirliman. It was financed by a church group and intended to be shown to parents as a morality tale about the dangers of cannabis use. Directed by silent-era pioneer Louis J. Gasnier, it featured a cast of mainly little-known actors. In 1938, exploitation film producer Dwain Esper purchased the film and recut it for distribution to exploitation houses, catering to vulgar interest while escaping censorship under the guise of moral guidance.
The concept of aftermarket films in film distribution had not yet been developed in the thirties, especially for films that existed outside the confines of the studio system, and were therefore considered "forbidden fruit," not fit for mainstream exhibition. For this reason, neither Esper nor original producer Hirliman bothered to protect the film's copyright; it thus had an improper copyright notice invalidating the copyright. More than 30 years later, in the spring of 1972, the founder of NORML, Keith Stroup, found a copy of the film in the Library of Congress archives and bought a print for $297. As part of a fundraising campaign, NORML showed "Re**er Madness" on college campuses up and down California, asking a $1 donation for admission and raising $16,000 (equivalent to $123,000 in 2025) toward support for the California Ma*****na Initiative, a political group that sought to legalize ma*****na in the 1972 fall elections. Robert Shaye of New Line Cinema eventually heard about the underground hit and went to see it at the Bleecker Street Cinema in New York. He noticed the film carried an improper copyright notice and realized it was in the public domain. Seeking material for New Line's college circuit, he was able to obtain an original copy from a collector and began distributing the film nationally, "making a small fortune for New Line." (Wikipedia)
