How was marijuana illegalized?
I'm wondering about the history - it was some sort of tax law or something if I recall
I'm just boggled why it wouldn't be a good idea to legalize it, regulate it as alcohol is, and just tax it's sale - I would guess that the money raised in taxes would easily do wonders toward funding a universal healthcare system in America
not to mention how legalization would castrate the power that drug cartels have now from obese cash flow
and gov't oversight would also be able to assure a safer product- the FDA, USDA to give some examples
not to mention prison over-population and the sapping of the resources of law enforcement whose energies could be then focused on truly dangerous transgressors, instead of otherwise benign, safe and law-abiding citizens
Answers:
I believe it started in the 1930's, but marijuana drug enforcement really didn't gain momentum until the 60's and the hippies.
I agree, legalize it, regulate it, tax it, just like alcohol.
The drug warriors use all kinds of illogical, childish arguments for not legalizing it:
-we will ALL start smoking it
-airline pilots will be high (they think the airlines are too stupid to test pilots for drugs, I guess)
-children will start smoking it (but childen are smoking it now, aren't they?)
-people will smoke and drive (they do that already, and it is a crime, but that still doesn't stop them)
Then listen to the warriors say something like: Oh, you WANT people to smoke and drive, huh?
No, Mr. Warrior, grow up and argue like an adult about this, OK?
I've never smoked it, but don't really care if others do.
It started with a tax that ended it as a viable commercial crop (industrial hemp). From there, it was classified as the worst type of narcotic (worse than opium/opiates) based on 'expert' evidence.
You wanna know the real reason? It had something to do with discouraging Mexican immigration and was a means to put police control on the African-American music scene. The only doctor on the Congressional panel recommended that it remain legal and be studied further as a potential medicine.
in 1937 they passed the marijuana tax act. it basically said to buy marijuana you had to buy a tax stamp but these were not made available. hence you cannot legally possess marijuana. and you are right the advantages of legalization far out way the disadvantages.
I am not sure of the dates, but I think it was in the 1920's.
The drug companies realized the benifits and lobbied to get it outlawed.
The members of Congress who pushed the hardest for it walked into jobs with the drug companies after leaving office.
It was perceived as a threat to the cotton industry.
illegalized is not a word.go to norml.org
it was made illegal because the paper lobbyists held power with the gov and hemp was seriously effected the paper bussiness.
and a 'study' stated that white women would have sex with black men if they smoked marijuana. during the time of segregation this caused panic.
with marijuana and cocain the media provided good propaganda for criminalizing them - most were racially based (I believe it was cocain that said black men, not white, would go on angry rampages if they got high)
then someone made a bill, it went before congress, and it passed. thus marijuana became illegal and the production of hemp was virtually stopped. even today hemp is under-used even though it is a better resource and safer/less harmful for the environment.
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