Transcends CBD Another big insight was the ways racism shaped drug policy in the U.S. For instance, the passage of the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 was fueled largely by the perception of Chinese- and African-Americans as perpetrators of moral decay, enabled by opium and cocaine. And the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was promoted by many Whites as an effective device for incarcerating undesirable Blacks and Mexicans.