Hemp was always used as a good source to make cloths, ropes, sails, and various other
products that used the abnormally strong fibers from Hemp plants.
The American production of hemp was encouraged in the 17th century to support the
different changes in supply and demand of cotton. In 1619 the Virginia Assembly passed
legislation requiring every farmer to grow hemp. Hemp was allowed to be exchanged as legal
tender in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. Domestic production flourished until after
the Civil War, when imports and other domestic materials replaced hemp for many purposes.
In the late nineteenth century, marijuana became a popular ingredient in many medicinal
products and was sold openly in public pharmacies. In 1906, The Pure Food and Drug Act
required labeling of all products that were over the counter to have labels for marijuana.
People always smoked it recreationally, it wasn't quite mainstream but you get the picture.
It wasn't until the Mexican Revolution of 1910 when immigrants flooded America for it to
become heavily popular and become mainstream in it's use to smoke recreationally. The drug
became associated with new comers to America. The prejudices that came with the Spanish-speaking
immigrants influenced the prejudice of marijuana to a degree. Anti-drug campaigners warned
against the encroaching Marijuana Menace, and terrible crimes were attributed to marijuana
and the Mexicans who used it. This was the start of the hatred towards marijuana. The chinese
also had their prejudices from America but it wasn't as strong as the Mexican prejudices.
There were suddenly anti-drug campaigners blaming the crimes that the immigrants, that was
already in bad light, on the marijuana. Thus the hatred started to grow.
During this time Marijuana was still a major cash crop bringing in major money for independent
farmers. Cotton was at a low. People who were behind Cotton used alot of their money to fuel
the propaganda of marijuana to help out their crop sellings.
During the Great Depression, massive unemployment increased public resentment and fear of
Mexican immigrants, escalating public and governmental concern about the problem of
marijuana. They also used the current uprising of hate of marijuana to fuel the hate of
black people. Saying when a black dude was on marijuana he looked at white women twice, and
raped white women more. This made people very angry about marijuana and it's so called affects
on people. Never mentioned the health factors of smoking marijuana.
Creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN), in 1930 which had Harry J. Anslinger for the
first Commissioner. This guy hated marijuana with a passion I'll talk about him more later.
Around this time the government started making it illegal in all of it's ways. All of the medical
stuff that the over the counter places had was destroyed and pound after pound was burned.
The greatest movie in history to change so many people's view about something was this crazed
funny little movie called "Reefer MADNESS". It was a propaganda film produced by the French
director, Louis Gasnier. This influenced the government to ban any film with these narcotics
in them.
Marijuana Tax Act. After a national propaganda campaign against the evil weed, the Govermernt
issued the Marijuana Tax Act which affectively criminalized weed in the year 1937. Restricting
possession of the drug to individuals who paid an excise tax for certain authorized medical and
industrial uses.
During this time the crime rate flourished. Drug Lords were formed and gangs were formed to
transport and make money off of marijuana illegally. Pretty crappy.
In 1944, La Guardia Report finds marijuana less dangerous than alcohol. New York Academy of
Medicine issued an extensively researched report declaring that, contrary to earlier
research and popular belief, use of marijuana did not induce violence, insanity or sex
crimes, or lead to addiction or other drug use. Yet it still was plenty illegal.
However, during World War II, imports of hemp and other materials crucial for producing
marine cordage, parachutes, and other military necessities became hard to find. In response
the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched its Hemp for Victory program, encouraging
farmers to plant hemp by giving out seeds and granting draft deferments to those who would
stay home and grow hemp. By 1943 American farmers registered in the program harvested
375,000 acres of hemp. Kind of contradictory dontcha think?
The use of the drug became superly popular during the 1960s in the upper and middle class.
All of the rich people were smoking marijuana recreationally even though it was illegal.
However, more lower-class people were getting arrested for it even though the middle and upper
class was doingit on the rise. But of course the rich folks ain't get arrested that much.
Oh well.
Oh ya just a quick trivia fact. 1974, High Times was founded.
In 1976, there began a parents movement against marijuana. A nationwide movement emerged
of conservative parents' groups lobbying for stricter regulation of marijuana and the
prevention of drug use by teenagers. Which proved to be kind of not that helpful since
marijuana use is still crazy these days. Some of these groups became quite powerful and,
with the support of the DEA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),
were instrumental in affecting public attitudes which led to the 1980s War on Drugs.
There began to be mandatory sentences for marijuana possesion. It was basing the amount
of the drug. Possession of 100 marijuana plants received the same penalty as possession
of 100 grams of heroin. Alot of times if you had ALOT ALOT of marijuana you could be tried
for man-slaughter. Getting caught with 100 plants meant a very long time in jail my friend.
A later amendment to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act established a three strikes and you're out
policy, requiring life sentences for repeat drug offenders, and providing for the death
penalty for drug kingpins. Kingpins can be anything, a person who is found growing many many
plants is found more heavily than a person caught with the same amount in already dried plants.
It's been all down hill from there. Many states legalized medicinal use of the drug under
supervision. However, Bush is heavily against this and actually arrested many people that
used medicinal marijuana that was legal then found illegal later. The use of marijuana is higher
than ever. And you notice that the problems came when Marijuana became illegal? Would drug
lords transport something that is totally legal? Would huge gangs kill other people for something
that was totally legal and they couldn't make hardly any money off of it? No. Yet Marijuana
is still Illegal.
Marijuana has close to the same lung health problems that ciggerettes have. Marijuana can
hurt people if they let it. If they let it become too much a part of their lives like ANYTHING
could do, sex, guns, money, WHATEVER it can control your life and harm it. However should we
harm little kids that are found with just a little weed. My parents went through crap when
I was arrested for weed, same as me. So much stress over something I quit a week before. Crazy.
So many other people are ruined by it. Going to jail for forever over a plant. Come on, I hate
to sound potheaderish but ITS A PLANT. If it is made legal we would get BILLIONS. We are already
spending billions for the War on Drugs. Only reason it's so prevalent is because ciggerette
companies who promote this War on Drugs to keep their ciggerettes number one get's money off
of all the donations that they get. So crazy. Make billions we wouldn't be in such a deficit.
We could give every person in america like 400 dollars a year if we tax the heck out of it.
People are going to smoke it anyways. So why not get it out of drug lords hands and criminals
hands and put it in the government's. There is no age limit for the drug dealers. When i was
a smoker I was hitting a blunt with a freakin 9 YEAR OLD!!!! A 9 YEAR OLD COME ON. He bought
it easily from the same dealer I use to buy from. That's just not right.
The whole gate-way theory. My God. I can make a whole nother thread for that. You know why it's
a gateway drug? hmm? Because kind of when you go to buy marijuana from criminals they usually
are criminals. They sell other things like coke and herione. Drug Dealer "Hey kid you got
your nick sack of that killa like you wanted right? Hey umm I got some other stuff. That's
even BETTER than weed." Kid, "I don't know I want to stick to weed." Drug Dealer, "Hey man this
stuff gives you an even better high and it lasts longer than weed. And I'll break you off a
deal since you'll be a beginniner." Kid, "Well ok." Future Crack head. They are freakin criminals
that sell weed AND the other stuff. Do you think weed would be such a gateway drug if they
never even get into contact with the illegal biz. Make it legal take it out of criminals hands
and put it in responsible store clerks, at least. Come on how can you not agree with taking it
out of criminals hands and putting it in the governments'.
I suggest the age limit should be 18, same with ciggerettes. No smoking in public ANYWHERE.
Only in hookah bars and smoke shops.
Another thing I agree with is LEGALIZE WEED TO USE IT AS CLOTHING AND ROPE AND DIFFERENT THINGS!
Hemp is one of the strongest fibers ever. and it last a very long time. Books that were made
from Hemp lasted longer than books that are made with the paper used today. Books from LONG LONG
time ago were made of hemp and is still in good condition today. This country always complains
about money yet they can make so much money and jobs from this one thing alone.
It is a Schedule 1 drug meaning it has no medicinal use. YET!!! the government freakin administered
it to hundreds of patients personally to help with their glaucoma and cronic headaches. Alcohol
has no medicinal use yet it is still legal. Marijuana helps alot with symptoms of
cancer chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, glaucoma, AIDS, and depression,
as well as symptoms of such less common disorders as Crohn`s disease, diabetic
gastroparesis, and post-traumatic stress disorder in many different ways.
Please people give me a good reason to keep it illegal because I really REALLY!! don't see
one.
Thank you for your time.