In four states this November, an initiative is on the ballot to decriminalize marijuana, including the first effort of its kind to fully legalize pot in California. Supporters argue that legalization will raise revenue; opponents argue that legalization may lead to an increase in crime, but as HUSTLER Magazine’s Harvey Wasserman points out, George Washington, America’s first President, raised hemp and almost certainly smoked it. Likewise, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and virtually every other American farmer back when we beat the British.

Wasserman takes an historical look at the highly debated topic. Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs American taxpayers roughly $10 billion annually and results in more than 830,000 arrests a year.

Washington’s fellow farming fanatic, Thomas Jefferson, wrote that

“some of my finest hours have been spent on my back veranda, smoking hemp and observing as far as my eye can see.”

In this month’s feature story, Wasserman highlights detailed accounts from our forefathers’ Farm Journals. Pick up this month’s HUSTLER Magazine and learn more about the history behind one of this year’s most highly-debated topics.