United States News
See other United States News Articles
Title: Why Is Marijuana Banned? The Real Reasons Are Worse Than You Think
Source:
What in The World is Going On?
URL Source: https://followingworldchange.wordpr ... sons-are-worse-than-you-think/
Published: Feb 13, 2016
Author: Johann Hari
Post Date: 2016-02-13 12:34:56 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 1211
Comments: 15
By Johann Hari Across the world, more and more people are asking: Why is marijuana banned? Why are people still sent to prison for using or selling it? Most of us assume it’s because someone, somewhere sat down with the scientific evidence, and figured out that cannabis is more harmful than other drugs we use all the time — like alcohol and cigarettes. Somebody worked it all out, in our best interest. But when I started to go through the official archives — researching my book Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs — to find out why cannabis was banned back in the 1930s, I discovered that’s not what happened. Not at all. In 1929, a man called Harry Anslinger was put in charge of the Department of Prohibition in Washington, D.C. But alcohol prohibition had been a disaster. Gangsters had taken over whole neighborhoods. Alcohol — controlled by criminals — had become even more poisonous. So alcohol prohibition finally ended — and Harry Anslinger was afraid. He found himself in charge of a huge government department, with nothing for it to do. Up until then, he had said that cannabis was not a problem. It doesn’t harm people, he explained, and “there is no more absurd fallacy” than the idea it makes people violent. Harry J. Anslinger, commissioner of the Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics, poses for a photo on September 24, 1930. (AP Photo) But then — suddenly, when his department needed a new purpose — he announced he had changed his mind. He explained to the public what would happen if you smoked cannabis. First, you will fall into “a delirious rage.” Then you will be gripped by “dreams… of an erotic character.” Then you will “lose the power of connected thought.” Finally, you will reach the inevitable end-point: “Insanity.” Marijuana turns man into a “wild beast.” If marijuana bumped into Frankenstein’s monster on the stairs, Anslinger warned, the monster would drop dead of fright. Harry Anslinger became obsessed with one case in particular. In Florida, a boy called Victor Licata hacked his family to death with an axe. Anslinger explained to America: This is what will happen when you smoke “the demon weed.” The case became notorious. The parents of the U.S. were terrified. What evidence did Harry Anslinger have? It turns out at this time he wrote to the 30 leading scientists on this subject, asking if cannabis was dangerous, and if there should be a ban. Twenty-nine wrote back and said no. Anslinger picked out the one scientist who said yes, and presented him to the world. The press — obsessed with Victor Licata’s axe — cheered them on. In a panic that gripped America, marijuana was banned. The U.S. told other countries they had to do the same. Many countries said it was a dumb idea, and refused to do it. For example, Mexico decided their drug policy should be run by doctors. Their medical advice was that cannabis didn’t cause these problems, and they refused to ban it. The U.S. was furious. Anslinger ordered them to fall into line. The Mexicans held out — until, in the end, the U.S. cut off the supply of all legal painkillers to Mexico. People started to die in agony in their hospitals. So with regret, Mexico sacked the doctor — and launched its own drug war. “The scientific evidence suggests cannabis is safer than alcohol. Alcohol kills 40,000 people every year in the U.S. Cannabis kills nobody.” But at home, questions were being asked. A leading American doctor called Michael Ball wrote to Harry Anslinger, puzzled. He explained he had used cannabis as a medical student, and it had only made him sleepy. Maybe cannabis does drive a small number of people crazy, he said — but we need to fund some scientific studies to find out. Anslinger wrote back firmly. “The marihuana evil can no longer be temporized with,” he explained, and he would fund no independent science. Then, or ever. For years, doctors kept approaching him with evidence he was wrong, and he began to snap, telling them they were “treading on dangerous ground” and should watch their mouths. Today, most of the world is still living with the ban on cannabis that Harry Anslinger introduced, in the nation-wide panic that followed Victor Licata’s killing spree. But here’s the catch. Years later, somebody went and looked at the psychiatric files for Victor Licata. It turns out there’s no evidence he ever used cannabis. He had a lot of mental illness in his family. They had been told a year before he needed to be institutionalized — but they refused. His psychiatrists never even mentioned marijuana in connection to him. So, does cannabis make people mad? The former chief advisor on drugs to the British government, David Nutt, explains — if cannabis causes psychosis in a straightforward way, then it would show in a straightforward way. When cannabis use goes up, psychosis will go up. And when cannabis use goes down psychosis will go down. So does that happen? We have a lot of data from a lot of countries. And it turns out it doesn’t. For example, in Britain, cannabis use has increased by a factor of about 40 since the 1960s. And rates of psychosis? They have remained steady. In fact, the scientific evidence suggests cannabis is safer than alcohol. Alcohol kills 40,000 people every year in the U.S. Cannabis kills nobody — although Willie Nelson says a friend of his did once die when a bale of cannabis fell on his head. Mason Tvert on Thursday, May 6, 2010. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) This is why, in 2006, a young man in Colorado called Mason Tvert issued a challenge to the then-mayor of Denver and eventual governor, John Hickenlooper. Hickenlooper owned brew-pubs selling alcohol across the state, and it made him rich. But he said cannabis was harmful and had to be banned. So Mason issued him a challenge — to a duel. You bring a crate of booze. I’ll bring a pack of joints. For every hit of booze you take, I’ll take a hit of cannabis. We’ll see who dies first. It was the ultimate High Noon. Mason went on to lead the campaign to legalize cannabis in his state. His fellow citizens voted to do it — by 55 percent. Now adults can buy cannabis legally, in licensed stores, where they are taxed–and the money is used to build schools. After a year and a half of seeing this system in practice, support for legalization has risen to 69 percent. And even Governor Hickenlooper has started calling it “common sense.” Oh — and Colorado hasn’t been filled with people hacking their families to death yet. Isn’t it time we listened to the science — and finally put away Victor Licata’s axe? Cross-posted from The Influence. Follow them on Facebook here. Johann Hari is a British journalist and author. This article is adapted from his New York Times best-sellling book Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. To find out why Glenn Greenwald, Noam Chomsky, Bill Maher, Naomi Klein and Elton John have all praised it, click here. CORRECTION: This post has been updated to clarify that John Hickenlooper was the mayor of Denver in 2006. He became governor of Colorado in 2011.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Deckard (#0)
The author answers that question by telling us why it was banned (taxed) in 1929. What a clown.
Yes - it was banned based on lies, false testimony, lack of research, hysteria and the fact that Anslinger was a disingenuous and emotionally unstable prick. What evidence did Harry Anslinger have? It turns out at this time he wrote to the 30 leading scientists on this subject, asking if cannabis was dangerous, and if there should be a ban. Twenty-nine wrote back and said no. Anslinger picked out the one scientist who said yes, and presented him to the world. The press — obsessed with Victor Licata’s axe — cheered them on. In a Cop Culture, the Bill of Rights Doesn’t Amount to Much Harry Anslinger was involved with the creation of a no longer existing tax, not a ban. How many times have you been reminded?
The narrative is all that matters. For them, facts are nothing more than obstacles to be overcome.
One of my favorite T-shirts says God made Marijuana, man made alcohol, and on the back says Who do you trust?
God also made Poison Ivy.
The reasons for banning it are more important than you think. Marijuana is an insidious psychosis and neurosis enabler. When cannabis use goes up, psychosis will go up. And when cannabis use goes down psychosis will go down. So does that happen? We have a lot of data from a lot of countries. And it turns out it doesn’t. For example, in Britain, cannabis use has increased by a factor of about 40 since the 1960s. And rates of psychosis? When cannabis use goes up, psychosis will go up. And when cannabis use goes down psychosis will go down. So does that happen? We have a lot of data from a lot of countries. And it turns out it doesn’t. For example, in Britain, cannabis use has increased by a factor of about 40 since the 1960s. And rates of psychosis? They have remained steady. When cannabis use goes up, psychosis will go up. And when cannabis use goes down psychosis will go down. So does that happen? We have a lot of data from a lot of countries. And it turns out it doesn’t. For example, in Britain, cannabis use has increased by a factor of about 40 since the 1960s. And rates of psychosis? They have remained steady. They have remained steady because forms of severe mental illness have been deleted from the record. There are people out walking the street now who should be institutionalized. Some of them, occupy high public office, as well as those who vote for them.
1. Man also makes good things and bad things. 2. You have to be really stupid to try to get high from ingesting poison ivy. 3. And if you have to drive, you drive slower. I've never heard of one wreck being attributed to Marijuana. After 2 DWIs and two 30 days in the hole (not to mention the lawyer's fees and fines), I've made the switch to God's drug.
God's trying to tell you something. And it's not "Switch to marijuana".
God used me in jail. I became the best jailhouse preacher in history. In my second gig, they started letting me preach on Sunday mornings, and attendance grew from 2 the 1st Sunday to 4 the 2nd Sunday, then to 8 the 3rd Sunday, and then to 16, and then 32, and then the powers that be got wind of it, and said it was illegal for an inmate to be the Sunday preacher, and forced the designated preacher to resume his duties. It didn't stop me. In the daily exercise period, guys came up to me and asked me a lot of questions about the Bible and the things I said in Church. I converted a lot of hardened criminals, including a lot of murderers. I said if they still wanted to kill somebody, join the armed forces and kill some enemies of Jesus, as we are commanded to do in Luke 19:27.
A dubious honor. The best preachers I know talked in terms of "Do as I do" and stayed out of jail.
Were you high at the time? If so, it might not have been God. It might have been LeRoy. Obama has played at being a president while enjoying the perks … golf, insanely expensive vacations at tax-payer expense. He has ignored the responsibilities of the job; no plans, no budgets, no alternatives … just finger pointing; making him a complete failure as a president
Most preachers only get to preach to the choir, while I got to preach to those who need it the most. Besides, I only blew a 0.08% both times which is basically two beers and not a sin in my book. I am very mad at MADD for lowering the limit.
This month, Discover has an excellent article on marijuana called "20 Things You Didn't Know About Marijuana." Turns out that marijuana did not originate in Mexico, but in China. It was first grown there in 4000 BC, and was the first cultivated crop which led to the first civilization in Asia, much like the cultivation of barley and hops {for beer) led to the first civilization in the Garden of Eden, also in 4000 BC. So the discovery of beer and marijuana is what separates modern man from prehistoric man. Marijuana is actually a variant spelling of the Chinese word for cannabis, "maren-mahua."
"Why Is Marijuana Banned?"
#2. To: misterwhite (#1)
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Americans who have no experience with, or knowledge of, tyranny believe that only terrorists will experience the unchecked power of the state. They will believe this until it happens to them, or their children, or their friends.
Paul Craig Roberts
#3. To: Deckard (#2)
What evidence did Harry Anslinger have?
#4. To: misterwhite (#1)
The author answers that question by telling us why it was banned (taxed) in 1929.
#5. To: Deckard (#0)
In fact, the scientific evidence suggests cannabis is safer than alcohol. Alcohol kills 40,000 people every year in the U.S. Cannabis kills nobody — although Willie Nelson says a friend of his did once die when a bale of cannabis fell on his head.
#6. To: interpreter (#5)
One of my favorite T-shirts says God made Marijuana, man made alcohol, and on the back says Who do you trust?
#7. To: Deckard (#0)
Why Is Marijuana Banned? The Real Reasons Are Worse Than You Think
#8. To: A K A Stone (#6)
God also made Poison Ivy.
#9. To: interpreter (#8)
"After 2 DWIs and two 30 days in the hole (not to mention the lawyer's fees and fines)"
#10. To: misterwhite (#9)
God's trying to tell you something. And it's not "Switch to marijuana".
#11. To: misterwhite (#9)
#12. To: interpreter (#11)
"I became the best jailhouse preacher in history."
#13. To: interpreter (#11)
God used me in jail
#14. To: misterwhite (#12)
A dubious honor. The best preachers I know talked in terms of "Do as I do" and stayed out of jail.
#15. To: Deckard (#0)
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]