2006-09-17 00:15:24 · 5 answers · asked by GOOCH 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
wazza heard there some church of hemp or something can someone hookus up..kuchunca
2006-09-18 00:31:56 · update #1
If we go back and examine the original illegality in America, and all that surrounds it, we discover that It was made illegal as part of a tax law, by a small group of politicians in an all-night session where very few members were present.
It appears that The Treasurer, Andrew Moran, had recently bought an oil company, and his friend the publisher, Hearst had recently bought a few forests.
Henry Ford had made a proposal to modify his engine so that it would run on the oil from the hemp seed.
Moran and Hearst realises that they would protect their investments if hemp was made illegal.
So Hearst started publishing stories about crazy Mexicans using a drug called marijuana (the first time the word was used in the English language), and committing atrocities. He didn't mention that they were also drunk.
Of course nobody knew what marijuana was, so there was no objection to illegalising it. When everybody found out it was hemp, it was too late.
From America, the illegality went to the United Nations, and hence around the world.
2006-09-17 22:40:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It used to be, well not "legal", but not criminal. There has been no concrete research that cannibas is addictive or any more harmful than other "legal" intoxicants. However, temperence movements in the early part of the 20th century, the same folks who gave us prohibition, decryed the negative impact of pot and its harmful affects on the society. Then came the movie "Reefer Madness". If you have never watched it, find a copy and enjoy. It portrayed the fate of a young, vibrant gentleman turning into a morally bankrupt, fiendish criminal, all because of a puff from a "reefer". Public outcry caused political action. The 50's beatniks and the 60's hippies gave marijuana an even worse reputation. Biker movies showing joint-smoking ruffians beating up town mayors and raping nuns helped fortify the misconception regarding pot in the minds of mainstream America. Today most of the elected representatives either smoked it or has intimate friends who did, but they all lack the courage to change the laws. Why? As a result of all the negative connections to pol, pot enjoys the same status as bootleg liquor in the roaring 20's. Distribution is largely controlled by organized crime, and the government does not know how to decriminalize its use without suffering politically and submitting to the criminals who distribute it. Unlike alchohol, the dosage of THC in any one joint varies significantly, so it would be impossible to regulate. Then the government would have to come up with a way to tax it, of course...then consider all the people incarcerated for smoking or selling pot. If the government decriminalizes it the resulting lawsuits from these prisoners would probably fatally damage an already precarious legal system. Perhaps the next generation of leaders will have more courage.
2006-09-17 08:45:56 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because it is a controlled substance. It is a controlled substance because of it's potency, and it's potency can lead to injury, not only of the user, but to those around him/her. It would be to easy to distribute without using a legal, measurable means.
Fr. Abad A. Perez
http://www.alphaandomegadiocese.org/
2006-09-17 07:46:25 · answer #3 · answered by Reverend Abad 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because the government cannot get enough tax revenue from it unlike alchohol which is just as harmful.
2006-09-17 09:00:06 · answer #4 · answered by malcy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because the alcohol lobby has successfully branded it as a drug and made it illegal.
2006-09-17 08:06:06 · answer #5 · answered by Chuck N 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋