Wild Weed / She Shoulda Said No! (1949)

She Shoulda Said No! (also known as Wild Weed; The Devil’s Weed; Marijuana, the Devil’s Weed; and The Story of Lila Leeds and Her Exposé of the Marijuana Racket) is a 1949 exploitation film that follows in the spirit of morality tales such as the 1936 films Reefer Madness and Marihuana. Directed by Sam Newfield (using the pseudonym “Sherman Scott”) and starring Lila Leeds, it was originally produced to capitalize on the arrest of Leeds and Robert Mitchum on a charge of marijuana conspiracy.

Director – Sam Newfield

Writers – Richard H. Landau (screenplay), Arthur Hoerl (based on a story by)

Cast –
Alan Baxter as Markey
Lyle Talbot as Captain Hayes
Lila Leeds as Anne Lester
Michael Whelan as Treanor
Mary Ellen Popel as Rita
Doug Blackley as Lieutenant Mason
David Holt as Bob Lester
Don Harvey as Lieutenant Tyne
David Gorcey as Ricky
Jack Elam as Raymond
Dick Cogan as Edmunds
Knox Manning as Narrator

Watch “Wild Weed” (1949) – Colorized version

Watch “Wild Weed” (1949) – Original black and white version

Plot

Leeds’ character is “Anne Lester”, a young orphan trying to pay for her brother’s college education. After meeting Markey, a drug dealer, Anne begins to believe that she must smoke marijuana to fit in with her friends. She then goes to a “tea party”, where she tries the drug for the first time. She is unaffected by the initial experiment, and loses her fear of drugs as she continues to use it willingly.

Anne’s drug use results in the loss of many of her inhibitions, and the film shows her actions under the influence, including scenes implying sexual promiscuity. As the film progresses, she is fired from her job and begins selling drugs for Markey. Her brother hangs himself when he learns of her new job, and she is arrested and given a tour of the various psychiatric wards and jails in which drug users end up. Finally, after 50 days in jail, she is released, cleaned up and ready to cooperate with the authorities regarding Markey.