Fiorello LaGuardia was Mayor of New York for three terms.
During his third term he commissioned an inquiry into the actual effects of the marijuana plant on New Yorkers using independent money, not the States.
In his own words he wanted to find out why the plant had been used by humans for thousands of years but ‘in the last 20 years it was now portrayed as dangerous and addictive.’

The 1944 report concluded that the plant was harmless and not worth the time and effort the New York police department put into it’s prohibition.

1. “Under the influence of marihuana the basic personality structure of the individual does not change but some of the more superficial aspects of his behavior show alteration.

2. With the use of marihuana the individual experiences increased feelings of relaxation, disinhibition and self-confidence.

3. The new feeling of self-confidence induced by the drug expresses itself primarily through oral rather than through physical activity. There is some indication of a diminution in physical activity.

4. The disinhibition which results from the use of marihuana releases what is latent in the individual’s thoughts and emotions but does not evoke responses which would be totally alien to him in his undrugged state.

5. Marihuana not only releases pleasant reactions but also feelings of anxiety.

6. Individuals with a limited capacity for effective experience and who have difficulty in making social contacts are more likely to resort to marihuana than those more capable of outgoing responses.”

Download the LaGuardia report: La Guardia report 1944