Marijuana laws are based on racism and bigotry.
For those of you that don't know, "As the AMA's Dr. Woodward had asserted, the goverment's testimony before Congress in 1937 had in fact consisted almost entirely of Hearst's and other sensational and racist newspaper articles read aloud by Harry J. Anslinger, direct of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics(FBN). (This agency has since evolved into the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Prior to 1931, Anslinger was assistant U.S. Commisoner for Prohibition. Anslinger, remember, was hand-picked to head the new Federal Bureau of Narcotics by his uncle-in-law, Andrew Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury under President Herbert Hoover. The same Andrew Mellon was also the owner and largest stockholder of the sixth largest bank (in 1937) in the United States, the Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, one of only two bankers for DuPont from 1928 to present.
In 1937, anslinger testified before Congress saying, "Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."
This along with Anslinger's outrageous racist statements and beliefs, was made to the southern dominated congressional commitee and is now an embarrassment to read in it's entirety.
For instance, Anslinger kept a "Gore File", culled almost entirely from Hearst and other sensational tabloids-e.g., stories of axe murderers, where one of the participants reportedly smoked a joint four days before comitting the crime.
Anslinger pushed on Congress as a factual statement that about 50% of all violent crimes committed in the U.S. were committed by Spaniards, Mexican-Americans, Latin Americans, filipinos, African-Americans, and Greeks, and these crimes could be traced directly to marijuana. Not one of Ansliger's marijuana "Gore Files" of the 1930's is believed to be true by scholars who have painstakingly checked the facts...."
"...However, from 1948 to 1950 Anslinger stopped feeding the press the story that marijuana was violence-causing and begun"red baiting", typical of the McCarthy era.
Now the frightened American public was told that this was a much more dangerous drug than he originally thought. Testifying before a strongly anti-Communist Congress in 1948-and thereafter continually to the press-Anslinger proclaimed that marijuana rendered it's users non-violent at all, but so peaceful-and pacifistic!-that the Communists could and would use marijauana to weaken our American fighting men's will to fight." here are some direct quotes from Mr. Anslinger to congress."...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."
"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others."
"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."
"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men.
"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."
"Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing."
"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."
we need to realize that these laws are antiquated and have done nothing to stem the flow of drugs in our country,
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Nice that you are using 1948 quotes to justify your position. LOL!!
And what exactly do you use to justify yours? could it be the decline of drug usage in this country as a result of our drug laws ? Wait... that isnt happening? is it because incaration is working? Wait... its not ! the US has the largest prison population to go along with some of the highest drug use rates. maybe its because people who use Marijuana cannot achieve the goals they set in life? Wait... the last 3 presidents of the US admitted to smoking marijuana! can you think of a higher goal to set for ones self?
Realist - you missed the point. The quotes are from 1948 because that is around the time that cannabis was deemed illegal, did that really go right over your head? This actually answers a question I had - when did it become illegal and why? Everyone just accepts the fact that it is, but how many have given any thought to what precipitated it. If this is true, than I'd say it's pretty disgusting, but not that surprising considering the attitudes of those times. If there was ever a good reason to revisit this and right a wrong, this makes it pretty clear!
Again, we know the effects of numerous pharmaceuticals, alcohol, tobacco, all of which cause more damage, yet I don't hear any of you calling for banning it or preventing people from making a choice in their own home to use it. Alcohol results in more problems for law enforcement and the public than marijuana. If it was decriminalized, we'd see numerous issues that do result because of it's illicit status disappear.
truthfinder - thanks for bringing this up. The myths surrounding marijuana are entrenched and it's time to lift the blinders off. Perhaps no one is willing to discuss it because all they can bring are attacks, no facts. OR maybe what some people have been saying is true, this site has become so clique-y we just have to listen to the same people (no offense tho, you know I love ya) over and over again decide what will be discussed.
most people in favor of prohibition either cant or wont make the connection between alcohol prohibition and marijuana prohibition. a little reading and research can do wonders.http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/nc/ncmenu.htm ..http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/nc/nc2a.htm the first is about the national commision on marihuana and drug abuse commisioned by president Richard Nixon in march 1972 that found marijuana's anti cancer properties but did not report those findings
truth, playing the race card is asinine, my brother in law, a world class stoner is lilly white as are all the others i know.
BTW, the three Pessidents you quoted as having been users are a very poor example. One, screwed everything that came within arms lenght, the other , well, did he ever quit smoking pot, his actions sometimes made me wonder if he was stoned and this one is too early to tell, the jury is still out.
Light up and have a great day.
I have to admit that I go back and forth on this issue. Clearly, what we’re doing now isn’t working. Using the fact that the last few Presidents admitted to “trying” marijuana doesn’t add any credence to the debate, however. I do appreciate the manner in which you bring this issue to the forefront, Truthb.
patrick50 : thank you very much, also many more presidents other than the last three have smoked cannabis, which shouldn't matter anyways its a safer alternative to alcohol and if we put alcohol or tobacco under the same scrutiny as marijuana they both would banned!
[b]Marijuana could lead to pacifism! But, on the other hand, postwar studies after the Korean War of POWs found that the prisoners most resistant to brainwashing were religious freaks and cannabis smokers (who found it growing wild within the prison compounds in North Korea. So Anslinger was full of nonesense (as we all know anyway!).
I'm all for using cannabis by white women as a sex aid. With whom is their business, but hopefully, with me. :P
This country has outgrown racism (mostly) since 1950. The current President is proof of that. He's also proof that non-whites can be as "good" (or as popular) as whites.
But I have to disagree with the premise of this article. I think racism had a relatively small role to play in the decision to ban cannabis; I think FASCISM had everything to do with it. The reason I think this is that the cannabis ban was not limited to the non-whites. It was extended to everyone in a time when laws WERE aimed solely at non-white races, such as the miscegenation or segregation laws. Cannabis prohibition was meant to repress EVERYONE, and its contribution to brainwashing resistance may well have been the reason it was banned for everyone, including whites of both sexes. It is politically convenient for liberals, who constitute the vast majority of pro-cannabis activists, to blame cannabis prohibition on racism, a favorite bugaboo of liberals. But the truth lies elsewhere, and FASCISM, which would certainly recoil in horror …