Former Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger claimed, âReefer makes darkies think theyâre as good as white menâ â using an offensive slur in an already flagrantly racist remark. During his tenure at the Federal Bureau of Narcotics from 1930-62, Anslinger employed racist and xenophobic ideas like this to justify an effort he spearheaded to criminalize cannabis throughout our nation. Though a century separates our lives, Harry J. Anslinger and I share a common background. We were both born in Altoona, Pennsylvania. We both studied at Penn State. Yet, our views on this issue are starkly different. In 1929, Anslinger took charge of the Bureau of Prohibition. When the United States ended its failed policy of alcohol prohibition only a few years later, Anslingerâs department faced the prospect of extinction. Enter his push to criminalize cannabis.