(1917) Herbert Payne - Smoke Clouds

Herbert James Mockford Payne (17 August 1866 – 26 February 1944) was an Australian politician. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, he was educated at state schools before becoming an investor and grazier. In 1903, he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Burnie, transferring to Darwin in 1909. He was Treasurer, Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Railways 1912-1914. In 1919, he left the Assembly and was elected to the Australian Senate as a Nationalist Senator for Tasmania. In 1931, together with the rest of his party, he joined the United Australia Party. He held his seat until his defeat in 1937. Payne died in 1944.[1]Source

Cannabis and the War of 1812 by Dana Larsen

For centuries, Russia was the world's largest producer of cannabis textiles. Despite Canada's growing number of cannabis farms and mills, in the early 1800's Britain's mighty navy was still mainly dependent on cannabis rope and sails made in Russia.

As Napoleon rose to power in France, Britain blockaded Europe with their superior navy, cutting the whole Continent off from Atlantic trade by controlling the English Channel and the Straits of Gibraltar.

Unable to win at sea, Napoleon tried to beat Britain's navy by banning all European trade with Britain, to cut off their cannabis supply and isolate them economically.

To get around the trade ban, Britain sometimes captured American ships and forced them to buy Russian cannabis and deliver it to England.

Russia didn't abide by the embargo for long, because the cannabis industry was too important to their economy. Napoleon needed to stop Britain's navy from getting their cannabis sails and ropes, so he launched his disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812.

America's navy was built on domestically grown cannabis processed by slave labour. Annoyed by Britain's impressment of their ships and their blockade of Europe, and seeing an opportunity to expand their territory, the United States declared war on Britain and tried to invade Canada in 1812, which was still scaling up cannabis production to meet British demand.

posted in wrong thread.

Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931)

A lot of Jazz swing musicians smoked reefer for inspiration, to play "hot". Bix Beiderbecke was no exception. The book Remembering Bix has many examples. Here are just a few:

In Chicago we found George Johnson, Bix and Vic Moore in a hotel room, all primed for a big night. Bix sleepy-eyed said "We got the mixings." "A couple of quarts of gin and a package of Muggles. It's enough to start" said Gene Fosdick. - page 90

As I'd anticipated, they sounded much better in person than on the record. For half an hour or more they continued warming up their chops, Muggles were rolled, lighted, and passed around; some of the guys were drinking and blowing gage, and were soon feeling no pain. - page 120

They played on, tune after tune; in between they drank alcohol & orange juice, or homebrew, or passed a joint around. - page 124
Someone had lit up a joint. Bix handed it to me in my turn remarking "Hell he's usually with the band anyhow, he might as well get high!" - page 275

Between sets, also, they would meet outside the pavilion, usually out back behind the dunes leading down to the beach, to pass a joint around. I should add parenthetically that the "tea" available in those pristine days, at fifteen cents a joint was of such quality and vigor that five or six souls could pass just one of those around, each getting perhaps four good pokes out of it before it reached the tweezers stage, and all five or six be flying like kites within five or six minutes- and stay stoned and flying like that for a couple of hours, sometimes longer, depending on circumstances. By the way my recollection is that grass wasn't even illegal in Chi when I was a boy, only because the fuzz hadn't caught on yet to its existence among us- I don't know that any body knew about or smoked it then except musicians and their friends. I believe it all came from Mexico, and it was dynamite. but friendly dynamite, giving you usually a laughing high. - page 247

Remembering Bix also has references to Bix smoking Marijuana on page 276, Page 3 and Page 389 have references to Louis Armstrong's arrest for Marijuana.

Remembering Bix
Ralph Berton
© 1974 Harper & Row

NICE one.

No publication info

http://www.bl.uk/search/og/search?q=1195...c_onlinegallery

It's a hand-written manuscript from North England - about 400 years before paper was made in England so they had to buy their paper from Spain, the Arabs or the Orient. It's written in Latin. It's probably one of a kind as it is hand-written and predates English printing by over 250 years. Aside from that it's difficult to figure out the Book title given the lack of info on the website. I wonder if there is a way to ask them?

It appears so.

http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/contact/index.html