Marijuana prohibition: Who is responsible? (Congress, illegal, drug, FBI)

[bawac34618]

Most Americans support legalization and an overwhelming majority support at least medical marijuana. Who doesn't? Republicans.

Question is, why? Is it a conspiracy between Big Pharma and the private prison industry? Or, is it the Christian Right's insistence on imposing their morality? Or, do both share equal blame?

[BBMW]

Neither.

[metalmancpa]

It's a general lack of understanding of weighing the benefits of marijuana to the stigma of it as a drug, many who call it a gateway drug.

[bawac34618]

Originally Posted by metalmancpa

It's a general lack of understanding of weighing the benefits of marijuana to the stigma of it as a drug, many who call it a gateway drug.

This is the the narrative you hear from the Christian Right in a nutshell.

[Raddo]

Originally Posted by bawac34618

Most Americans support legalization and an overwhelming majority support at least medical marijuana. Who doesn't? Republicans.

Question is, why? Is it a conspiracy between Big Pharma and the private prison industry? Or, is it the Christian Right's insistence on imposing their morality? Or, do both share equal blame?

The roots of prohibition is based in racism and money (hemp and hemp-based paper threatened some VERY large industries back then). The Christian Right didn't become involved in it's continued prohibition until later.

The answer was to demonize cannabis. All of it. That way hemp could be locked down too.

[LordSquidworth]

It's not just a drug though. Hemp has huge industrial uses. Instead of taking 15-20 years to grow a tree to wipe your butt with that can be done with hemp in a few months.

[Fifty Seven]

This is an invalid poll. The choices indicate more of a desire to make partisan accusations than to survey opinions and lead to honest discussion.

[GregW]

Criminalizing marijuana was promoted by J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI with the goal of maintaining the FBI status and oppressing the Negro and other minority populations after alcohol Prohibition was eliminated. Maintaining his ability to blackmail and control most of Congress was even more important to this weird little tyrant.

Poster RADDO also has a valid reason. Western timber industrialists could never compete with Midwestern farmers in producing cellulose so they made Hemp illegal. We could import enough hemp for rope from the same investors near slave plantations in the Philippines.


This problem started a long time before the Kristian right or the deplorable idea of private prisons.

[EvilEyeFleegle]

Neither....I suggest reading this for a look at the issue:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Em...ars_No_Clothes

[Raddo]

During the hearings to determine whether it should be prohibited, testimony was actually given in front of congress as to how "Marihuana causes young white women to sleep with black jazz musicians".

I kid you not.