In a small middle-America town in 1936, a group of parents have been gathered by a mysterious Lecturer for an assembly. The ominous Lecturer informs the parents that he has come to warn them about the evils of
marijuana on their youth
("Reefer Madness") through the tragic tale of one boy's struggles with the demon weed in a film titled
"Tell Your Children". Throughout the film, the Lecturer stops to detail a political point or to condescend anyone questioning his credibility. Jimmy Harper and Mary Lane, a joyful teen couple, blissfully enjoy each other's company
("Romeo & Juliet"), unaware of the seedy goings-on in The Reefer Den across town. This is the residence of Mae, who is abused by her boyfriend, Jack, a street tough who supplies her and others with dope
("The Stuff"). Mary, Jimmy and their schoolmates head to Miss Poppy's
Five and Dime, ''("Down at the Ol' Five and Dime")''. Jack arrives at the hangout to corrupt more young people, offering Jimmy swing lessons to impress Mary. Jimmy is taken to the Reefer Den, where Jack, Mae, college dropout Ralph, and neighborhood prostitute Sally pressure him into smoking his first joint, leading him to a hallucination of an insidious bacchanal.
("Jimmy Takes a Hit/ The Orgy"). Jimmy turns into a crazed addict and neglects Mary, leading her to pray for him
("Lonely Pew"). While breaking into a church to steal collection money, Jimmy has a vision of
Jesus Christ in a Vegas-esque Heaven, telling him to change his ways or be sent to
eternal damnation ("Listen to Jesus, Jimmy"). Jimmy refuses to heed the word of God and continues to spiral into sin. One night, Jimmy and Sally take a joyride in Mary's stolen Packard while buzzed, running over an old man. Jimmy runs to Mary, debating whether to continue being under the influence or repent
("Mary Jane/ Mary Lane"). Jimmy returns to Mary romantically, but he realizes that he is putting her in danger and tells her that he must leave town without her. Jack brings him back to the Reefer Den with a
pot-brownie, putting him in a
cartoonized trip
("The Brownie Song"). Mary follows Jimmy to the Den where Ralph seduces her by convincing her that Jimmy has joined his "
fraternity". He suggests that they celebrate with a smoke, which turns out to be a toke. This intro to reefer immediately turns Mary into a sadistic
dominatrix who terrorizes Ralph for pleasure
("Little Mary Sunshine). Jimmy enters and a fight ensues. Jack stops the fight, knocks out Jimmy and accidentally shoots Mary. He frames an unconscious Jimmy for the crime. Jimmy gives Mary his class ring, and comforts her as she dies in his arms ''("Mary's Death")''. Jimmy is taken away by police. Racked with guilt, Ralph has pot-induced hallucinations of Jimmy as a ghost, Mary as Satan's sodomy pal and the children who got hooked on the Reefer Gang's dope as the living dead. Ralph gets an extreme case of the munchies and ends up killing and cannibalizing Sally. Jack shoots Ralph to stop him
("Murder!"). Seeing similar visions, Mae realizes the error of her ways and implores Jack to do the same. He rejects her pleas and she bludgeons him to death with a garden hoe, gaining her much-needed empowerment
("The Stuff (Reprise)"). Mae pleads to the visiting
President about Jimmy's case, earning the boy a presidential
pardon. Jimmy, Mae, the President and Jimmy's fellow prisoners, Ralph, Jack, and Sally (reincarnated as
Uncle Sam,
George Washington, and
Lady Liberty respectively) raise the American justice system and patriotism ''("Tell 'Em the Truth")''. Jimmy burns down the Reefer Den's weed garden, freeing Mary from both Hell and
Satan before everyone's eyes. The Lecturer's film ends with Mary entering Heaven, greeted by Jesus and other Holy souls. The entire audience joins the suddenly real film cast to hold a huge anti-reefer
book burning, pledging to join the fight against marijuana, sex, racial and ethnic minorities, and other things harmful to their dear country
("Finale"). The Lecturer drives off, pleased that he has succeeded in exploiting everyone's biases. ==Cast==