While the Roaring Twenties are famously remembered for flappers, jazz, and bathtub gin, there's a lesser-known twist to America's Prohibition era: the unexpected rise of cannabis. From 1920 to 1933, as alcohol was driven underground, cannabis found its own illicit spotlight. 'Tea pads'—clandestine spots where cannabis was smoked—popped up in cities, becoming cultural hubs, especially in jazz-filled neighborhoods like Harlem. It was in these smoky, vibrant scenes that cannabis, often rolled into 'reefers,' found a new audience among musicians, artists, and those seeking an alternative high. This era, ironically, helped cement cannabis's place in counter-culture lore, even as its public image began to be unfairly demonized, laying the groundwork for future prohibition of a different kind.