Reefer madness
Mar 20th, 2013 by houghtonmodern
This post is part of an ongoing series featuring items from the newly acquired Santo Domingo collection.
The Santo Domingo Collection gathers together publications ranging from the 16th century to the present day, and from the mass-market to the obscure. Obscure indeed is this week’s feature: a selection of issues from Hawkfrendz, a British fanzine for the science-fiction-tinged space-rock band Hawkwind. Trevor L. Hughes produced Hawkfrendz, one of his several fanzine titles, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. While Hawkfrendz generally dedicates itself to discussion of the band, several of its issues take a different tack: they consist entirely of marijuana propaganda, comic strips, and advertisements, recollected and reprinted. Bearing the cover title Reefer Madness, these issues make no reference to Hawkwind beyond Hawkfrendz copyright statements. Much of the material is propaganda: some is anti-drug, here used to celebrate marijuana use by satirizing its critics, while some argues for legalization. To ease any doubt about his own position on recreational marijuana, Hughes describes Reefer Madness #2 as “compiled and collated entirely under the influence of the Devil’s Weed”.
Reefer madness issues from Hawkfrendz. [Wallasey, England : Trevor L. Hughes, 1989-1990]. HV5822.M3 H84 1989.
Thanks to rare book cataloger Ryan Wheeler for contributing this post.