Why is marijuana illegal?

Question

I've often wondered how a non deadly substance like marijuana was illegal. But tobaco & alcohol kill millions and is legal. Does anyone understand this?

Someone mentioned it can kill you...they've ran studied over the last 40 years that prove it has little to none long term effects on the brain. And NO it can NOT kill you. Or both of my parents and probably yours would have died in the 60s.

Oh my some people are so brain washed. It's not addicting, I say this from personal experience. It afftects the mood by making you de stress...completely. I'm getting frustrated by this...there is no logical reason basically for it to be illegal

Answer 1

Because alcohol and tobacco are already in place and have been giving the government money forever, where as the government did not know that it would be such a good commodity. Check out the difference between using paper and hemp. Hemp is better all around, for environment, cost, everything and why is it they use paper and not hemp, that is right money!!! It is crazy, but the government does not put laws in place (like alcohol and tobacco) to look out for you, so the fact that it has never caused a death is unimportant to them, the important fact is that it would be easy for people to grow their own and then the government would not make any money with it so it has to be illegal. Sucks right, you have to love our for the money by the money government!!!

Answer 2

Well alcohol used to be illegal. It was called Prohibition. During that time, people smuggled liquor and made lots of money. The were called bootleggers. Secret clubs sprang up around cities where people would go to drink. People souped up their cars just so they could outrun the police when they were bootlegging. Organized crime also got involved in this business. The government saw what was happening and decided to make alcohol legal and tax it. As far as marijuana, it's a bit harder to track. Alcohol have been made by companies for hundreds of years. They use bottling and marketing to sell their products. With marijuana, it's a bit different. There are some cases where marijuana is legal for medical purposes. However if weed was legal, it would be difficult for the goevrnment to regulate and tax it. There are no real companies growing marijuana so it will be difficult. It may also be that they think it could lead to harder drugs. Marijuana sales also fund other illegal activities and so it has remained illegal.

Answer 3

because of the religious zealots in this country keep it that way, but because in the roaring 20's when they had prohibition nobody could stop people from drinking so instead of fight it they made it legal and taxed it. smoking was the in thing to do and people have been smoking in one form or another for a very long time and the government also realized that they could not stop it and taxed this as well. when it comes to pot it is much more profitable to get funding to stop it than make it legal because if they did pot farms would pop up over night and the government won't be able to tax something just about anyone can grow..... so the bottom line it is all about the benjamins baby

Answer 4

Like the man said. The gov. can't control it. They can't tax you for growing a plant in the basement and selling a bud to your neighbor. It's a controlled substance that they can't control. Last poll showed something like 80+ percent of the nation's citizens support the legalization of marijuana. So much for our elected officials following the wishes of their constituents. And no. I don't understand why I can write this with a cigarette in the ash tray, and a b-52 on the coffee table next to it, but if I load a bong, I'm going to jail... Makes NO sense to me.

Answer 5

Marijuana is illegal because our lawmakers seldom bother to actually study the scientific research about a controversial controlled substance (and apparently, neither do most of the posters on this forum). The short answer to your question is: ignorance of the facts. If laws were actually based upon reality rather than opinion, hearsay, paranoia, ignorance and fear, we just might have a much happier culture.

Answer 6

Marijuana may not be deadly in your world, but when using it you are disabled and do not have full control of your actions. Haven't you heard of any accidents caused by marijuana? In some cases people died from the person who used marijuana because they were careless.

Answer 7

Hearst and his newspapers helped Harry Anslinger, head of the FBN (Federal Bureau of Narcotics), push stories of how Mexicans and Negroes were hopped up on pot and took an axe to kill people.

People, being the sheep that they were, clamored for Congress to criminalize marijuana, which they did in 1937

Answer 8

Dear !
Marijuana has a strong effect on behaviour/mood, More than cigarete or alcohol. A person addict to it can behave strange and can harm him/herself or others more severly . this is the reason of declaring it illegal

Answer 9

Simply put...its too much of a risk to the public welfare. If the entire country turned into pot heads what would we do? I have smoked my fair share of pot and I know it can HIGHLY limit you. As for johngrobmyer's comment, the government can control it, medical marijuana is a government product.

Answer 10

well if u think about it the government does not want to make something legal that is imported and will be bought and sold at such a high commodity. there goes the governments tax money. if it was made in ameirca in abundence and grew to its full potential here in america i am sure they would legalize it.