Why is marijuana still illegal?

Question

1930s christian conservatives lobbied the passing of laws that made pot a Schedule I drug (means that addiction potential is up there with the likes of cocaine and heroin). We recognize now that pot is not the "deadly drug" that fearmongers pushed on the uninformed so why do we continue to parole rapists and child molesters to make room for some guy with pot in his car?

Answer 1

Keeping drugs illegal hardly makes money for the government. We spend billions each year and have little to show for it. Instead, the reality is that it is very politically unpopular to come out in favor of legalization. actually there are even several conservative thinkers who despise addicts and addiction and drugs in general nonetheless favor legalization (including legendary but controversial conservative economist Milton Friedman who died last week) as a policy. Until these voices can convince the general public that legalization would save money and lives and not constitute society's tacit approval of what is generally destructive behavior (yes, even marijuana can have dire consequences for its abusers) there will be little political impetus for change. Thus, right now, the issue is simply a nonstarter for any politician who wants to keep his or her job.

Answer 2

I always thought it was because we are a country founded by pretty joyless Puritans.
However, recently I saw a History Channel documentary about the time before it was illegal. It seems the government was content to leave the matter up to the individual states the southern states which bordered Mexico (especially Texas) were having problems, even then, with men coming over the border and looking for work. The complaint was that they would hang out while they waited, smoke pot, even sell to Americans. Pressure was put on the federal government to make Marijuana illegal on the federal level so that there would be more money and resources for arresting those Mexicans who possessed Marijuana, thereby discouraging them from crossing the border.

Go figure!

Answer 3

that is a real interesting question I suffer from severe migraines and have numerous aneurysms and smoking weed really helps reduce the pressure in my head it actually relaxes the blood vessels to where they can maintain blood flow easier.........I have looked into medical marijuana I have read all the information about californias proposal 215 which makes weed legal for medical reasons but the DEA keeps busting people for weed because it violates federal law even though the state has it legal WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CANT FIGURE OUT HOW TO TAX IT how many violent crimes have been commited by a person high on weed the only one I know of is simple assault because somebody ****** with my bag of doritos

Answer 4

I have a simple, though controversial explanation: prison guards. In the state of California, for example, prison guards make up the largest interest group in state affairs. They have the highest payrolls of any public officer, and they get more funding than the school system. Yet, who fills the prisons? The vast, vast majority: drug users and dealers. While possession of marijuana does not typically entail a sentence such that one would be locked up for any extended period of time, having just enough marijuana to be deemed as having "intent to sell" would. And I can assure you, there are plenty of people filling up those prison cells for just that reason.

Answer 5

I don't know. If all the people who smoked pot in the '60's advocated making it legal, it would be. I, too, wonder what made so many people change their mind.

Answer 6

You make good points. it is a way for the gov to make more money. And if weed became legal crime would go way down. There are a lot of weed busts

Answer 7

people can easily grow pot themselves thus negating any government tax. look at cigarettes and why they are still sold knowing all the health costs.High tax is the answer and the same for alcohol.