Before 1960, use of MARIJUANA in the United States was generally confined to drug-using subcultures in the inner cities or in rural areas. Sale and use of the drug were prohibited both by federal law and by the laws of every state. Because marijuana was classified in 1937 as a "narcotic drug," along with COCAINE and OPIATES, penalties were severe; simple possession for personal use was a felony in most states. During the 1960s, marijuana smoking suddenly became prevalent on college campuses—for the first time among white middle-class youth of the baby-boom generation. Marijuana use also became associated, as a protest behavior, with dissenters (both adults and youth) against the war in VIETNAM, and by the U.S. MILITARY serving in Vietnam, especially from 1963 to 1973. As use of the drug increased, so did the number of arrests and so did the...