Legalizing Marijuana Essay

Herb is the Healing of a Nation Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the sovereign rights of a man. This means every human should be able to live a fulfilling life as they see fit following dreams and aspirations until happiness and inner peace is achieved. From the dawn of human time expanding one’s conscious was the known path to enlightenment, self actualization, and ultimate happiness. People take all different routes whether it is through religion, meditation, knowledge, or even the use of psychedelics like marijuana. Whichever way a person finds happiness; it should not be obstructed by humans genetically no different as marijuana is today by the government. Current marijuana laws violate not only human rights but constitutional

Anslinger as the first director of The Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930. Anslinger unique position allowed him to define the problem and solution. Anslinger’s reason for targeting marijuana is unknown but his tactics involved racism, fear, and falsified statistics. “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. 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 (Brecher 4).” William Hearst is an effective business partner with Anslinger and big name in marijuana prohibition. As the president of a major newspaper chain heavily invested in timber industry, Hearst had more than one reason to prevent competition from hemp. Together the two flooded American society with propaganda and newspapers demonizing marijuana, even going as far as distorting statements by the American Medical Association to favor their cause. The two would later approach congress for a complete ban of Cannabis. After much debate and a file of lies, marijuana was made illegal through the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 (NORML 10). This law would remain intact up until World War II as Cannabis was legalized and cultivated for the wartime effort. Farmers were encouraged to grow hemp and process rope, cloth, cordage, and other products. After the

The truth of the matter is, the proponents against marijuana include very few people without a hidden agenda. The money funding the movement against marijuana comes mainly from lobbyists of pharmaceutical, timber, alcohol, and tobacco companies (Cotts 2). All would lose revenue from the legalization of marijuana. They resort to methods not much different from the racism, violence, distortion once used to scare citizens. Mounds of research and studies add up to discredit every accusation. For example the infamous Gateway Theory, claiming the use of marijuana leads to harder drunks was disproven by Institute of Medicine and The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse among many others ( Joy Watson and