Chronic, blow, Gage, grass, weed, ganja, hash, hemp, Mary Jane, pot, joint, roach. All these terms narrow down to one thing Marijuana. There are many different feelings and opinions that come up with any one of this word. To a smoker of this plant, the response is positive, but to a non-smoker the responses could range from only losers smoke that or I would never... all the way to I fully support it and I think it should be legal everywhere. One thing is for sure, there are more positive uses and effects for marijuana than there are negative. I just have one question for those who are biased against Marijuana and its use. Do you really believe that nature got it wrong and in 1937 a bunch of corrupt politicians got it right? Mother nature is never wrong, never has been, and never will be. Hemp could save this economy as well as this planet, if the government allows it. What's more, If WE THE PEOPLE enforce it.
The Rise and Fall of Marijuana
It has only been a hundred years that Marijuana has plummeted from grace. When did it start? Well here is a history lesson. Marijuana was first used in the U.S. for medical purposes in the 1800's, though the cannabis (hemp) plant fiber had been in use for thousands of years, being the main ingredient of the first woven fabric, as well as rope and other, like, products. Also the sheets that powered ships of old were made of hemp and so were the wagon covers for pioneers, because the sun and salt water rapidly deteriorated cotton fabrics. Cannabis (Canvas) sails were extremely durable and could withstand the elements. The original Levi's Jeans were made of old Cannabis sails. The Constitution and the two drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper
During this time there was a widespread use of marijuana as a recreational drug, but it did not become so until alcohol was banned during the Prohibition Era (1920 - 1933). Prior to that, marijuana had been used in America or hundreds of years as a medicine. After Alcohol was banned that's when marijuana became the recreational drug of choice and its use soared. However after alcohol was legal again, use of marijuana sharply declined. In the 1800's through the early 1900's, tincture of cannabis was used in a majority of tonics and (over-the-counter) medicines to relieve headaches, muscle aches, and pain. In 1935, over 116 million pounds of hemp see were used for paint or varnish and in 1938, hemp production was poised to become a billion dollar renewable energy corp.
Side Note: Little Known Fact
"Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?" - Henry Ford
Marijuana Outlawed
State governments were the first to limit recreational marijuana use. The first significant cannabis regulation appeared in 1906 n Washington and California were the first to outlaw "preparations of hemp or loco weed" as it was know in 1913. It was not long before other states were on the same wagon. Wyoming in 1915; Texas in 1919; Iowa, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arkansas in 1923; and Nebraska in 1927. By 1930 marijuana, except for medical purposes was banned by sixteen states. Everywhere else, it was legal for recreation.
During The Great Depression (1929 - 1941) prejudice played a role in the banning of the non-medical use of marijuana primarily in the south and south west. This occurred when migrant workers from Mexico were no longer needed (nor welcome) in the United States. Since many of the migrant laborers smoked marihuana (as it was spelled then), it was thought that banning marijuana would encourage them to go back home, thus freeing jobs for unemployed Americans. Other states such as New Orleans, which banned non-medical marijuana usage in 1924, blaming cannabis for its high crime rate.
Marijuana Criminalized
There were futile attempts to ban cocaine and opium (and later marihuana) at the federal level, but the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, to to the people." So basically there was no constitutional authority which would allow the federal government to override state laws and the right of American citizens to ingest whatever they wanted. But of course the government found a way around the constitution and used its power to "tax" ' and thus regulate - possessing and use of whatever it wanted.
The Harrison Ace of 1914, which "taxed" cocaine and opiates was the federal government's first attempt to criminalize and outlaw narcotic drugs like opium, heroin, morphine, and cocaine. The proponents of the Harrison Act played on populace fears of "drug-crazed, sex-mad negroes" and made reference to negroes under the influence of drugs murdering whites, degenerate Mexicans smoking marijuana, and Chinamen seducing white women with drugs. Medical doctors testified that drugs mad blacks uncontrollable, gave them superhuman powers, and caused them to rebel against white authority. One doctor, Dr. Christopher Koch, State Pharmacy Board of Pennsylvania, was even so reckless at a congressional hearing to say that "most of the attacks upon the white women of the South are the direct result of a cocaine-crazed Negro brain."
As a result of the governments determination to make marijuana illegal the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was established in 1930, with Harry J. Anslinger as its director. This began yet another war on marijuana. Magnate, William Randolph Hearst, Anslinger, began the campaign to make marijuana illegal at the federal level, with the help of the newspaper.
The same methods of fear, prejudice, racism, and false stories of violence to tax cocaine and opium products like heroin and morphine in 1914, used by the government, were now used my the newly formed Bureau of Narcotics (FBN). They continued to use the same methods to demonize marijuana with movies and advertisements ran in theaters and newspapers around the country warning of the evils and dangers of its use: calling it the Killer Drug "Marihuana" - a powerful narcotic in which lurks Murder! Insanity! Death! They even went as far as to tell stories of people who became insane and uncontrollable criminals as a result of smoking marijuana. It was repeatedly referred to as "The Devil's Harvest" or "Devil's Weed.:
A government financed movie called "Reefer Madness' was released in 1936. among other things, it showed "evidence" of how the lies of four high school students, lured to try marijuana by a drug pusher, spiraled out of control. The movie included a hit and run accident, suicide, homicide, rape, and a rapid descent of the marihuana users into madness. The so called 'evidence' was later proven to be utterly false. This movie was thought to be lost, but was discovered in the Congressional Archives in the 1980s and is available to purchase or view through Netflicks and other movie rental companies.
Finally after a two hour committee hearing and a 92 second debate on the house floor marijuana was de facto criminalized by Congress with passage of The Marihuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937, signed into law by President Roosevelt. A violation of the Tax Stamp Act was a felony with a maximum fine of $2,000 and/or 5 years in prison.
Like the Harrison Act passed twenty-three years earlier, the 1937 Act did not make possession or use of marihuana illegal (as this would run afoul of the Constitution's limitations on the power of the federal government), but instead required that the person possessing it have a "tax stamp." In a classic Catch-22 situation, it was a legal impossibility to obtain a marijuana tax stamp. In order to obtain a tax stamp, you had to have the marijuana in hand - which was a five year felony (his same tactic was used during Prohibition to ban machine guns). Not surprisingly, there was not a single recreational marihuana stamp tax ever issued.
First Offense
Among the first casualties of the new act on October 2, 1937, exactly one day after the Marihuana Tax Stamp Act became law, laborer, Samuel R. Caldwell, age 57, was arrested for selling three marijuana cigarettes to a Mexican worker named Moses Baca. FBN Director Harry Anslinger arrived in town for this historic event three days later. Both Baca and Caldwell were indicted and both pled guilty for violating the Marihuana Tax Stamp Act (clearly without legal advice). Baca received an 18 month prison sentence in Leavenworth for possessing a quarter ounce of weed. The sentencing judge's statements are indicative of the swill that the propaganda machines had been churning out. "I consider marijuana the worst of all narcotics, far worse than the use of morphine or cocaine. Under its influence men become beasts. Marijuana destroys life itself. I have no sympathy with those who sell this weed. The government is going to enforce this new law to the letter." Samuel Caldwell was given four years hard labor in Leavenworth and fined $1,000. In the time frame of 1980 to 2003 the number of incarcerated Americans for drug crimes jumped from 41,000 to 493,000.
Marijuana Criminalized
There were futile attempts to ban cocaine and opium (and later marihuana) at the federal level, but the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, to to the people." So basically there was no constitutional authority which would allow the federal government to override state laws and the right of American citizens to ingest whatever they wanted. But of course the government found a way around the constitution and used its power to "tax" ' and thus regulate - possessing and use of whatever it wanted.
The Harrison Ace of 1914, which "taxed" cocaine and opiates was the federal government's first attempt to criminalize and outlaw narcotic drugs like opium, heroin, morphine, and cocaine. The proponents of the Harrison Act played on populace fears of "drug-crazed, sex-mad negroes" and made reference to negroes under the influence of drugs murdering whites, degenerate Mexicans smoking marijuana, and Chinamen seducing white women with drugs. Medical doctors testified that drugs mad blacks uncontrollable, gave them superhuman powers, and caused them to rebel against white authority. One doctor, Dr. Christopher Koch, State Pharmacy Board of Pennsylvania, was even so reckless at a congressional hearing to say that "most of the attacks upon the white women of the South are the direct result of a cocaine-crazed Negro brain."
As a result of the governments determination to make marijuana illegal the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was established in 1930, with Harry J. Anslinger as its director. This began yet another war on marijuana. Magnate, William Randolph Hearst, Anslinger, began the campaign to make marijuana illegal at the federal level, with the help of the newspaper.
The same methods of fear, prejudice, racism, and false stories of violence to tax cocaine and opium products like heroin and morphine in 1914, used by the government, were now used my the newly formed Bureau of Narcotics (FBN). They continued to use the same methods to demonize marijuana with movies and advertisements ran in theaters and newspapers around the country warning of the evils and dangers of its use: calling it the Killer Drug "Marihuana" - a powerful narcotic in which lurks Murder! Insanity! Death! They even went as far as to tell stories of people who became insane and uncontrollable criminals as a result of smoking marijuana. It was repeatedly referred to as "The Devil's Harvest" or "Devil's Weed.:
A government financed movie called "Reefer Madness' was released in 1936. among other things, it showed "evidence" of how the lies of four high school students, lured to try marijuana by a drug pusher, spiraled out of control. The movie included a hit and run accident, suicide, homicide, rape, and a rapid descent of the marihuana users into madness. The so called 'evidence' was later proven to be utterly false. This movie was thought to be lost, but was discovered in the Congressional Archives in the 1980s and is available to purchase or view through Netflicks and other movie rental companies.
Like the Harrison Act passed twenty-three years earlier, the 1937 Act did not make possession or use of marihuana illegal (as this would run afoul of the Constitution's limitations on the power of the federal government), but instead required that the person possessing it have a "tax stamp." In a classic Catch-22 situation, it was a legal impossibility to obtain a marijuana tax stamp. In order to obtain a tax stamp, you had to have the marijuana in hand - which was a five year felony (his same tactic was used during Prohibition to ban machine guns). Not surprisingly, there was not a single recreational marihuana stamp tax ever issued.
First Offense
Marijuana Laws Today
Marijuana has been illegal since 1937, the federal government continues to spell it "marihuana", and classifies it as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, alongside heroin, opium, morphine, LSD and ecstasy. The federal government by fiat determined that marijuana had no medicinal use, of course, numerous studies have proven this assertion wrong. Since the 50's each study conducted has concluded that marijuana has medicinal qualities and is not physically addictive, unlike narcotics.
In 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state laws that allow medical marijuana cannot overrule the federal laws that prohibit it. So basically, Congress can ban its possession or use even where state law allows it. Which did absolutely nothing to resolve the growing conflict between state and federal laws. Recently, the Obama Administration's Department of Justice issued a letter indicating that it would not actively prosecute those who are authorized to grow, possess, and use marijuana under state medicinal laws.
Now on to the Benefits...
Industrial Benefits
The Cell fluid in Cannabis have abrasive chemicals, which can be used to clean, grind or polish a hard surface The whole plant can be used as boiler fuel, pyrolysis feedstock. The seeds can be used as a seed cake providing animal feed and protein-rich fiber as well as foods like granola, salad oil, margarine, food supplements(vitamins) cooking oils, and birdseed. The seed can also be turned into hempseed oil, which can be used to make personal hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, bath gels, cosmetics, lotions, balms, as well as industrial products like oil paints, varnishes, printing inks, fuel solvents, lubricants, putty, coatings. Cannabis, of course has agricultural benefits, such as weed suppression, less need for pesticides than most crops, pollen isolation, soil improvement in crop rotation, deep roots are natural soil aerator, etc.
Medical benefits
The answer is NO!!! If anything it is a terminus and it is not addictive. It is the most popular illegal drug in America today. Most marijuana users never use any other illegal drugs. People who use less popular drugs like heroin cocaine, and LSD, are likely to have also used marijuana. The vast majority of those who try another drug while being a user of marijuana never become addicted or go on to have associated problems. Most people who use marijuana do so occasionally and increasing the usage does not reflect rates of dependence. In fact, fewer than 10 percent of those who try marijuana ever meet the clinical criteria for dependence, while 32 percent of tobacco users and 15 percent of alcohol users do. Marijuana treatment admissions referred by the criminal justice system rose from 48 percent in 1992 to 58 percent in 2006.
Marijuana is the only entity labeled as a drug by the federal government, that can be taken with actual drugs and there will be no side effects caused by the marijuana. It can be taken with over the counter or prescription drugs as well as alcohol. One may have a reaction to it but no side effects. Yes there is a difference between the two. Reactions is how that particular person reacts to the concoction and a side effect is more generalized meaning it could happen to anyone and side effects are usually a negative effect. You know like the side effects in the "medicine" commercials... "Effect of this medicine my include, suicidal thoughts, dementia, diarrhea, etc. As I stated above. There is a difference.
Marijuana is not toxic
The average THC in domestically grown marijuana - which comprises the bulk of the US market - is less than 5 percent and has remained so for nearly a decade. THC is virtually non-toxic to healthy cells or organs. It is incapable of causing a fatal overdose. Doctors prescribe Marinol, an FDA- approved pill that contains 100 percent THC. FDA found THC to be safe and effective for the treatment of nausea, vomiting, and wasting diseases. When consumers encounter unusually strong varieties of marijuana, they adjust their use accordingly and smoke less.
Marijuana and Mental Illness
Okay. For those of you looking for the negatives in marijuana use. Some effects of ingestion may include feelings of panic, anxiety, and paranoia. Such experiences can be frightening, but the effects are temporary. This is not to say that there may not be some correlation (but not causation) between marijuana use and certain psychiatric ailments. Use of marijuana can correlate with mental illness for many reasons. People often turn to the alleviating effects of marijuana to treat symptoms of distress. One study demonstrated that psychotic symptoms predict later use of marijuana suggesting that people might turn to the plant for help rather than become ill after use.
Marijuana has not been show to cause any long - term negative effects. It causes short - term effects which only last for the duration of the intoxication. These effects include cognitive impairment such as immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing. The cognitive process most clearly affected by marijuana is short - term memory. There is no trouble remembering things that were learned previously. however there may be a diminished capacity to learn and recall new information. Again this effect only lasts for the duration of the intoxication. Even with long-term use of marijuana there are no long term negative effects.
Marijuana is the only entity labeled as a drug by the federal government, that can be taken with actual drugs and there will be no side effects caused by the marijuana. It can be taken with over the counter or prescription drugs as well as alcohol. One may have a reaction to it but no side effects. Yes there is a difference between the two. Reactions is how that particular person reacts to the concoction and a side effect is more generalized meaning it could happen to anyone and side effects are usually a negative effect. You know like the side effects in the "medicine" commercials... "Effect of this medicine my include, suicidal thoughts, dementia, diarrhea, etc. As I stated above. There is a difference.
Marijuana is not toxic
The average THC in domestically grown marijuana - which comprises the bulk of the US market - is less than 5 percent and has remained so for nearly a decade. THC is virtually non-toxic to healthy cells or organs. It is incapable of causing a fatal overdose. Doctors prescribe Marinol, an FDA- approved pill that contains 100 percent THC. FDA found THC to be safe and effective for the treatment of nausea, vomiting, and wasting diseases. When consumers encounter unusually strong varieties of marijuana, they adjust their use accordingly and smoke less.
Marijuana and Mental Illness
Okay. For those of you looking for the negatives in marijuana use. Some effects of ingestion may include feelings of panic, anxiety, and paranoia. Such experiences can be frightening, but the effects are temporary. This is not to say that there may not be some correlation (but not causation) between marijuana use and certain psychiatric ailments. Use of marijuana can correlate with mental illness for many reasons. People often turn to the alleviating effects of marijuana to treat symptoms of distress. One study demonstrated that psychotic symptoms predict later use of marijuana suggesting that people might turn to the plant for help rather than become ill after use.
Marijuana has not been show to cause any long - term negative effects. It causes short - term effects which only last for the duration of the intoxication. These effects include cognitive impairment such as immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing. The cognitive process most clearly affected by marijuana is short - term memory. There is no trouble remembering things that were learned previously. however there may be a diminished capacity to learn and recall new information. Again this effect only lasts for the duration of the intoxication. Even with long-term use of marijuana there are no long term negative effects.
In case you're wondering about the children or people who become dependent at an early age on "medicine"... Well... Because they are young and still have some "kick" in their immune system their immune system will eventually becomes immune to the medicine and become sicker than ever and more than likely the cells from the disease/sickness have possibly gotten stronger making the patient sicker. And what is recommended when that happens?... THAT'S RIGHT!!! MORE DRUGS!!! AND STRONGER TOO!!! This vicious cycle continues until the death of the patient. Even in their final hours to "prevent suffering", they dump even more poison, AHEM, "medicine" into the patient through an I.V. and wait for them to die or for the family to give them permission to pull the plug. All for money power and control.
Take cancer for example. Marijuana can cure or help cure all types of cancer. As stated earlier, it helps reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments and medicines. Still. It is illegal to ingest it without the governments say so. Why? Because the Uncle Sam wants his cut first, before you go off making yourself healthy and potentially saving your own life. They want people dependent on their man made poison so they can maintain that thing called a life expectancy rate. They can't let too many of us live too long because it's not in their budget.Our bodies are designed to live for 150 years but we continue to poison and allow ourselves to be poisoned by man made food, medicine, and beverages. Just think about it. 150 years of "life expectancy" to 70-75 years of life expectancy. Devastating. Nature is here to help us with our life span. Why else would all of our resources come from the earth? One of the main entities with the most industrial potential is a plant and not one of those science experimented hybrid plants either. It's just plain marijuana. Used since before the 1800's and more than likely before humans started to record it. The movie Reefer Madness was made to demonize marijuana when in reality the ones who try to criminalize and demonize it are the real criminals.
The government could legalize marijuana and tax it BUT.... they would profit a lot less from it and there would be too many loopholes to any system they put out to monitor it. PLUS, they already make money in several ways off of marijuana with their current system. Namely, jail. It is easier to catch citizens who just want to smoke for recreation which is harmless, with marijuana and fine them as well as, tax the citizens who don't even smoke marijuana to keep them in jail, as well as build more jails and tax the citizens even more for the same types of "offenders". All for something people want to put into their bodies that is perfectly healthy. In fact, it can increase their health and prevent possible future illnesses. Freedom of choice? Well, I guess if it's a choice between waiving your freedom of choice or going to jail then, YES! We do have a freedom of choice.
Think about it. Would the government be able to make a decent amount of profit by legalizing something people can grow in their own back yards? If the could, just imaging how difficult it would be to keep track of who is growing what and how much so they can tax it. Perfect examples are one, the man who was jailed for building reservoirs to collect rain water, because it is a violation of Oregon state law of 1925, that states that all water is publicly owned. Well if that's the case, then why do we have to pay for it? Why was he jailed for rain falling on HIS property? Why are humans the only species on this planet who pay to live here? Why is it that they want to enforce this law but take away our second amendment? Just because they take away the weapons doesn't mean there won't still be people to commit crime. As with marijuana just because they take away the right doesn't mean the law won't be broken and people won't find other ways to get itIf marijuana were to become legal. The government would save at least 20 billion a year. 8.7 billion could be saved on law enforcement and another 8.7 could be generated by taxing it. Accounting for inflation that would add up to about 20 billion now. I can only speak for myself but I would think that being taxed for marijuana is much better than the paranoia and possible jail time for a blunt I haven't even lit yet, that comes with buying it in a state where it is illegal. Also there will probably be less accidents and less violence due to marijuana's calming effects.
So once again in conclusion and in my opinion nothing that comes from earth should have to be paid for and anyone who criminalizes nature is the real criminal. Nature should always be legal and free. And even though I wouldn't try it, Cocaine included. Which is obtained from the leaves coca plant. Only you can overdose on Cocaine. Just like you can drink too much water or eat too much food. Know your limits. But that is another possible blog. Marijuana has many health, industrial and financial benefits and is one of the most efficient and useful entities on this planet. It is criminalized by the money and power hungry 1% to keep the minds and bodies of this nation enslaved by exercising that power, with threats and stories of jail time, fines, taxes, interest rates, social status, class, and sometimes even death. Everything on earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, every person a mission. I am not asking anyone to think like me. I am just asking people to think. Do research and use logic. The government plays off of the laziness and emotion of people and it could very well be the downfall of this once great nation.
Be strong enough to stand alone, be yourself enough to stand apart, but be wise enough to stand together when the time comes.
This IS the Holy Land. We are ALL the Chosen Ones.
Thank you for reading. Comments, suggestions, requests and criticisms are welcome and appreciated.
