The man who taught America how to grow weed

A secret history — In the ’70s, Mel Frank wrote the definitive guide on growing your own Marijuana, offering back-to-basics lessons on indoor and outdoor cultivation.

The year was 1967, the city: New York. At the age of 23, Mel Frank had completed four years of service in the Navy before settling into an apartment on the Upper West Side (a room formerly occupied by Nico of the Velvet Underground).

“It had beautiful eastern light,” Frank recalls. “Not having much money, I filled it with plants. I built a stereo cabinet and within that, I put up fluorescent lights and grew smaller plants.”

He started smoking marijuana and purchasing nickel bags on the street. “In those days, Mexican or Colombian marijuana came packed with seeds – it didn’t take me long to start growing it.”

“The only thing I knew was the plant was field crop so I could treat it like corn. I had a small room and put down plastic, made a big box, filled it with sand and manure, and hung fluorescents over it, then eventually moved to pots, which made it easier to control the light intensity on top of the plants.”

Sativa Landraces, Sierra Nevada Foothills CA 1978

In 1971, while looking for work, a journalist suggested Frank write an article to make ends meet. He wrote about what he knew: how to grow marijuana. It was later published as a two-part story in the New York Flyer, an insert found in local copies of Rolling Stone. Once this seed was planted, a new world began to bloom.

“At the exact same time, Ed Rosenthal was trying to sell an article to Rolling Stone – except his was a promotion for his company that would set up planters in your home,” Frank says. “The publisher put him in touch with me, and within five minutes of meeting me, he said we should write a book together. I didn’t really want to write a book with him but he was very persistent. Within a year, I relented.”

Their first effort was a 94-page book with what Frank describes as “an incredibly long name,” published in 1974. “When it came out I was studying biology at City College and I realised the little guide was embarrassing,” he remembers.

Inspired to do better, Frank moved to California and spent two years researching marijuana in botanical libraries where he made five cent photocopies of more than 300 scientific papers. The result was the 1978 publication of Marijuana Grower’s Guide Deluxe, which was unexpectedly given a glowing review by The New York Times.

Afghani Congolese backcrossed Afghani NY 1982

“Suddenly everyone was reviewing the book and all the stores were carrying it,” Frank shares. “The book set out the basics for how to grow indoor or outdoor. It put into the heads of the general public that they could grow their own. The book really started a revolution.”

In order to illustrate the book, Frank taught himself photomicrography. He also documented the guerilla growers who went out into remote areas to farm, creating a phenomenal archive of work now on view in Mel Frank: When We Were Criminals. (“Mel Frank” is a pseudonym, used in order to publish his work without placing himself in danger of persecution from the law prior to the 2016 passage of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act in California.)

“To me, it’s really criminal what the government has done for the last 80 years, which is lie about all of this,” Frank says. “If you see the posters for movies like Reefer Madness, they were serious. This is what they told you it was. They completely tried to erase the entire history of cannabis in this country.”

“All of the government funding that goes into cannabis is to find something wrong with it.”

Seeded Colombian Landrace Backyard Oakland CA 1979

Afghani Landrace, Sonoma County CA 1979

Cazadero Sonoma County CA 1977

South Indian Landrace, Oakland CA 1980

Mokelumne Hill Calaveras County, CA 1978

Backyard Berkeley CA 1977

Nigerian Landrace Greenhouse, Oakland CA 1979

Mel Frank: When We Were Criminals is on view at Benrubi Gallery, New York, through November 20, 2018.

Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Crowd of silhouetted people at a nighttime event with colourful lighting and a bright spotlight on stage.
Music

Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists

We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Indoor skate park with ramps, riders, and abstract architectural elements in blue, white, and black tones.
Sport

In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme

Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Black-and-white image of two men in suits, with the text "EVERYTHING IS COMPUTER" in large bright yellow letters overlaying the image.
Culture

Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?

Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.

Written by: Emma Garland

A group of people, likely children, sitting around a table surrounded by various comic books, magazines, and plates of food.
© Michael Jang
Culture

How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography

The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Silhouette of person on horseback against orange sunset sky, with electricity pylon in foreground.
Culture

The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth

Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Couple sitting on ground in book-filled environment
Culture

The British intimacy of ‘the afters’

Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to stay informed from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, with personal takes on the state of media and pop culture in your inbox every month from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.