2017-04-19 Guide to the K. Austin Kerr Research on the Marijuana Legalization Debate, 1951-1987, 2004, bulk 1969-1971 SPEC.RARE.CMS.0257 Finding aid prepared by Audrey Wimbiscus Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2018 April This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2018-04-12T13:34-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard K. Austin Kerr Research on the Marijuana Legalization Debate SPEC.RARE.CMS.0257 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 0.6 Cubic feet Bulk, 1969-1971 1951-1987, 2004 The K. Austin Kerr Research on the Marijuana Legalization Debate contain collected clippings, notes, and essays on both sides of the debate to legalize the use of marijuana in the United States, dating from 1951-1987, and 2004; the bulk of items date from 1969 through 1971. Kerr, a former professor of history at the Ohio State University, was gathering these documents for publication in a book. A marijuana plant contains the chemical THC, which is a mind-altering substance often consumed for recreational or medical use; legalization of marijuana was hotly contested in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, and inspired much legal debate. (1) 2.5" letter document box; (1) 5" letter document box English Kerr, K. Austin, (Kathel Austin) Arrangement of Materials

Materials in this collection maintain the original folder titles given by K. Austin Kerr, which describe the contents or topic of each folder. These folders are arranged in alphabetical order by folder title. At the end of the container list are eight folders that begin with "V." and another letter. Kerr labelled these folders with Roman numerals followed by letters, and they appear to be a rough outline for his book; as a result, this order and the Roman numerals have been preserved in the folder titles.

 Acquisitions Information

Donated by K. Austin Kerr, date unknown

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], K. Austin Kerr Research on the Marijuana Legalization Debate, SPEC.RARE.CMS.0257, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2018 April; Finding aid written by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2018 April

 Historical Note

K. Austin Kerr gathered this group of documents on the topic of the legalization of the drug marijuana in the United States during the 1970s; he was gathering documents on both sides of the debate for future publication in a book. Marijuana is a plant that contains the chemical THC, a mind-altering substance often consumed for recreational or medical use. Users smoke, eat, drink, or inhale marijuana in several different forms, leading to a temporary "high" that can cause altered senses, mood changes, pain relief, difficulty thinking, and impaired body movements. Legalization of marijuana was hotly contested during the 1960s and 1970s, and inspired much legal debate. In the United States as of 2018, marijuana has been legalized for medical use in 29 states, and for recreational use in 8 of those states.

As of 2018, K. Austin Kerr is an Emeritus Professor of history at the Ohio State University; his areas of focus were business history and United States history since 1877. He had published several other books on the abuse of alcohol and drugs, including The Politics of Moral Behavior: Prohibition and Drug Abuse, Organized for Prohibition: A New History of the Anti-Saloon League, and The Dynamics of International Brewing Industry since 1800.

 Scope and Contents

The K. Austin Kerr Research on the Marijuana Legalization Debate contains collected clippings, notes, and essays on both sides of the debate to legalize the use of marijuana in the United States. The bulk of items mostly date from 1969 to 1971, with other items dating from 1951 through 2004. These papers were collected for the purpose of eventually being published together as a book presenting both sides of the marijuana debate.

 Related Materials The following collection also contains historical research conducted by Kerr: K. Austin Kerr Collection of Railroad Timetables and Ephemera Amorphia (Organization). National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (U.S.). New York City LEMAR. Articles Essays Marijuana abuse--Government policy--United States Marijuana--Government policy--United States--History Marijuana--Law and legislation--United States--History Alcohol and temperance history group 1 1 1980-1987 Background information: National Commission on Marihuana (sic) and Drug Abuse (NCMDA) 1 2 1971 Columbus Free Press, volume I, numbers 6, 8 1 3 circa 1971 February-March Congress: Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act 1 4 1970 Correspondence: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) 1 5 1971 May-June Drug debate: Congressional testimony and documents 1 6 1968-1970 "Drugs and youth" report of the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence 1 7 1969 Drunk driving and drinking age clippings file 1 8 1983-1986, 2004 Gusfield (Joseph R.) "On legislating morals" 1 9 1969 May Jablonski: "The Hippie trip" 1 10 circa 1967 LeDain Drug Inquiry Commission: Canada 1 11 1970 June 18-24 Legalize Marijuana (LEMAR): "The Marijuana Newsletter, issue #1" 1 12 1965 January 30 Leon Wurmser, M.D.: Marijuana drug use papers 1 13 1969-1971 LSD: Art Linkletter 1 14 circa 1969 "The Marijuana Review," Legalize Marijuana (LEMAR) origin history 1 15 1968-1971 Meet the Press: National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (NCMDA) 1 16 1972 April 9 National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (NCMDA) 1 17 1971 May-June National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) documents 1 18 1971 Neo-prohibition: Clippings 1 19 1984-1987 Nixon (Richard): American Medical Association (AMA) speech 1 20 1971 June 22 Nixon (Richard): "Drug abuse prevention and control" 1 21 1971 June 17 "Pot: A rational approach" by Joel Fort, M.D. 2 1 1969 October Slater (Philip E.) "Cultures in collision" 2 2 1970 March "Teen-age dope addicts: New problem?" 2 3 1951 Zankel (Stanley) "The diplomatic offensive against narcotic drugs under the Nixon administration" 2 4 circa 1971 Zinberg (N.E.) Marijuana Commission testimony 2 5 after 1970 V. B. Contrast of two drug scenes 2 6 1962-1969 V. C. Critics of legal moralisms 2 7 1970-1971 V. C. Origins of federal legislation of 1937 2 8 1970 V. D. Marijuana is harmful (1) 2 9 1970-1971 V. E. Differences marijuana/hallucinogenic; V. D. 2. Marijuana is not harmful (unused folders) 2 10 undated V. F. Present status 2 11 1970 November 21 V. I. Recent philosophic arguments; Wolfenden; blue laws 2 12 circa 1960s-1970s V. I. B. Devlin and legal moralism 2 13 1962 March