Marijuana's cousin Hemp

Everyone has heard of Marijuana and its properties, yet not many people have hear of Hemp. Even thought it comes from the same family of plants, Hemp has almost no THC, 0.3%. So why am I bringing this up if basically has no properties that could make someone high, well the United States does not distinguish between Marijuana and Hemp. This wouldn't a big problem, except Hemp is one of the most versatile plants in the world. It can be used for paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food, fuel, and medical purposes. Another little known fact is that Hemp was one of the cash crops that helped build the American Nation. After its introduction in Jamestown, the Virginia Assembly in 1619 passed legislation requiring every farmer to grow hemp. This has to to with its many purposes, such as sails, rope and clothing. The founding fathers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson also grew Hemp. If it wasn't for Hemp, America might now have been able to succeed from British Rule. Even in 20th Century, America still relied on Hemp. During WWII, the US created the Hemp for Victory which encouraged Farmers to grow Hemp because of the need for durable cloth for clothes. So why is it illegal then if its so versatile, and the nation relied on for such a long time? Thats because in the government's eyes its still Marijuana. So instead of benefiting from the economic wealth it could bring, like so many European nations have already done, the US turns away from. Another simple plan that could re-ignite the US economy, all the while congress is busy throwing money away on businesses that are failing.

So why is Marijuana illegal?

Being the world's most widely used illicit drug has a lot of connotations to it. Since the world is a "completely rational" place, there must be real logical facts that make it illegal. Well in reality the legality of Marijuana has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it’s dangerous or bad for people. Since technically both Cigarettes and Alcohol have both killed millions more then that of cannabis. If the government was worried about the public’s health it would make those illegal as well. Yet in reality the government is influence by big business and racism then thought. As many Mexican immigrants came to the U.S after the Mexican revolution, they introduced the idea of smoking cannabis for recreational use. As racist attitudes increased against these people during the depression, many states began passing laws against Marijuana because of the racist attitudes. Even the Head of Narcotics Department, Henry Anslinger, was quoted saying “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers," he said. "Their satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.” Nothing in there has to do with the dangers of its effects on health, or the economy. Instead, it was made illegal because of racial prejudice. Yet when all the other laws made from racial prejudice was repealed, including the Jim Crow laws, one was left out. Why, one might ask, was it not repealed, because the stigma behind smoking marijuana stuck, and it grew to encompass a wide range of people from “hippies” to “dead-beats”. In reality there is no real proof that marijuana is worse for people then cigarettes. What is true is that there is a huge market for it, and since the government is just a business, it is just stupid to pass up an opportunity for a new item to tax. It could easily bring the country out of the depression, since around 42% of Americans have at least tried it. So instead of keeping a law made from racial prejudice, both the people and the government should wise up and let marijuana bring this country back from this depression.

The Fight for Change

The Need for the Freedom of Weed

Marijuana, the most widely used illegal drug in the U.S. has been since 1914 when it was made illegal. Pharmaceutical companies saw it as a competitor and proposed a bill be passed to illegalize it. Many argue it is dangerous, and leads to irrational decisions, but in reality, marijuana causes less deaths each year than alcohol or tobacco! Marijuana has had no recorded deaths due to overdose in its history because of the simple fact that in order to overdose, a human would have to smoke 1,500 pounds of it, in about fifteen minutes. Alcohol poisoning can occur much more quickly and do much more damage, yet, although marijuana is clearly less dangerous, it has been illegalized. Not only is it less dangerous, but marijuana is helpful to those who have serious illnesses such as Alzheimer’s or AIDS. While it has extreme medical value and has been proven to reduce the risk of certain cancers, and helps with Epilepsy and Anorexia, doctors and officials refuse to recognize it as a legitimate medicine except for in very severe cases. Instead, doctors continue to turn to drugs that are less effective and unable to help with the sickness caused by chemotherapy. Not only would legalizing marijuana help in the medical field to many suffering patients, but it would also reduce the number of crimes related to drugs and, some argue; it would make it more difficult for minors to obtain. While it is illegal to all ages, minors can obtain it as easily as anyone else can, simply because dealers do not care about who they are selling to. By legalizing marijuana, minors would be unable to buy it until they are 18 or 21. This would lead to less use simply because the minors would lose dealers due to the commercial sales of marijuana. Like alcohol, marijuana would be harder to obtain once it was legalized for certain ages. Crime would go down as well because supply of marijuana would go up, making the plant lose some of its rarity and value. And while supply would grow due to farms that are able to grow the plants, demand would also grow due to the legalization and stimulate the economy. Marijuana is less harmful to the lungs than cigarettes and is non-addictive, making it less harmful than most tobacco products on the market. In conclusion, the legalization of marijuana would lead to only good things for our country and the people in it.