intends to pursue a relentless warfare -- >> we see the head of the federal bureau of narcotics, harry enslingerans, hounding louis armstrong and arrest him for his cannabis use. from its inception, marijuana prohibition was rooted in racism, steeped in xenophobia, and served no real public health or safety benefit. >> reporter: the passing of the controlled substance act in 1970 classified cannabis as a schedule 1 drug, on the same schedule as heroin. >> this n finasis in terms of the increasing use of drugs. >> that created an incentive for law enforcement to really target communities of color. we've had millions of people arrested for cannabis possession or sale. >> ten years of your life in the middle of your 20s. you miss a lot, man. you miss christmases, birthdays, people die. >> what did you miss? >> everything. everything, just the whole -- man. that's tough. hold up. >> reporter: the pain of lost time never truly goes away. >> man. >> what kept you going? >> oh, my mom. my mom came and saw me at least once a month the whole time. >> going to see him was -- i had to prepare myself. you g