Why hasn't the U.S. legalized marijuana use yet?

Question

Or at least decriminalized it the way that Canada did? Why are we so stubborn and stupid?

And for all those of you that answered this by saying grow up or get a productive hobby, you are clearly the ones that stupidly think that this is a horrible habit that ruins the nation. You are the ones that can't see how non-threatening this really is. YOU SHOULD OPEN YOUR EYES.

Answer 1

I am going to answer this by posting an answer that I got, and gave best answer to, when I asked a kind of similar question!

Here it is!!!!

Yes. As for the reasons for it being made illegal:

Same reason everything else happens. Money. Now, who profits directly from hemp being made illegal? Logical first thought would be pot dealers, but they dont have very much lobbying power or influence, so we can rule them out.

Think in the context of the time. Hemp became illegal in 1937. Who back then, and by extension still today stood to profit from it being made illegal? Let me give you a hint. Popular Mechanics, in the '30s reported that hemp was the first crop with the business potential to exceed one billion dollars. In the 1930's that was one hell of alot of money. That much would have to come at the expense of some other industry right? What are the logical industries that a massive hemp industry would damage?

Paper and logging: One can get the same amount of paper from 4.1. acres of trees as they can get from just one acre of hemp. Not to mention that its higher quality paper and more durable than the wood-pulp paper we have today. Naturally without the need to make paper from wood, the logging industry would be threatened as well as the wood-pulp paper industry.

Petrochemical and synthetics: With hemp you can make fuel, and natural, biodegrable plastics. Ford's first Model-T was made from hemp plastics and was made to run on hemp oil. So naturally, with Dupont, in 1937, having just patented the way to make plastics from oil, felt incredibly threatened by the potential of the huge potential of hemp.

Tobacco and alcohol: Who wants to get drunk and throw up everywhere when you can get high and relax right? Same thing with cigarettes. Most people I've seen smoking their first cigarette hate it. By contrast, most people I've seen smoking pot for the first time like it. Right off the bat thats a threat to the tobacco industry, not to mention that the effects of pot are more pleasant than those of tobacco or alcohol.

So now you have some very rich, very powerful industrialists threatened by this plant. How long do you think its going to take for it to disappear somehow? They lobbied in the government, pushed stories of how bad "marihuana" was in newspapers they owned, and of course, movies like "Reefer Madness" and "Marihuana: The Devils Weed" helped push popular opinion against it.

William R. Hearst owned several newspapers, not to mention the Hearst Paper Manufacturing Division of Kimberly Clark. They owned considerable amounts of forests to be used for paper. They would have lost incredible amounts of money with the industrialization of hemp.

The American Medical Association, ironically testified in Congress against the law making hemp illegal, because they hadnt realized until that point that what the media was talking about when they said "marihuana" was the same thing as hemp. Movies like Reefer Madness told stories of people killing their entire families with an ax under the influence of marihuana, and so virtually no-one made the connection between hemp and marijuana until after the law was passed.

Theres lots of irony and inconsistencies in the propaganda that played a part in making it illegal. Its an interesting story, and an even more interesting look at the power corporations wield to this day in this country. Alot of people seem to have this idea that corruption began with Bush and Halliburton, but this kind of thing has been going on for decades now.

Anyway thats it, basically summed up. Theres lots of other details I could go on for hours with, but I wont.



*sm*

Answer 2

1. There are a lot of right-wing conservatives who are tight-assed and want to meddle into everybody else's business.
2. Keeping marijuana illegal is big business. If marijuana were legal, there would not be near as many people in prison. Prisons are big business in the US.
3. Discrimination. Most people who are arrested and/or incarcerated for marijuana possession are minorities. Welcome to America.
4. The right-wingers hype that marijuana leads to the use of heavier drugs, such as heroin, crack, etc. This is not true. Actually, if marijuana were legalized and controlled as alcohol is currently, the pot-smokers would not have the immediate contacts to the pushers who try to get them onto more serious drugs.

Answer 3

Do you really want the truth .
Would you want to get stoned and have to take care of your kids is why .

Since if you got stoned you would just tell them to do whatever they wanted .

Getting stoned was suppose to be a relaxing carefree experience without the hassle of kids around .

When your friend does something stupid on pot and cracks his head open you laugh your but off but if your kid splits his head open on the coffee table it kind of spoils it .

So your friends tell you not to come over if you are high and laugh at their kids falling out of trees .Soon you have no place to hang out and get lonely and your old party pals call you offer for diner and a glass or two of wine to meet another friend .
its more fun then being alone so you have given up getting stoned and now you get married and who wants to laugh at their own kid breaking his leg on a half pipe you built in the back yard to relive the glory days of your youth .
Before you let your kid on the half pipe you insist on helmets knee pads and elbow pads and any other injury preventing protection you can think of .

If you where stoned you would just say have at it . Then the wife would yell at you for letting the kid get hurt and soon you would be divorced .

So you see its all about keeping the American family together cause if you were stoned you would never even bother to get married and go from woman to woman and maybe start a harem of women who liked getting stoned and having sex with you and the other women .

Then you would be having sex with two or three women and old stiff limp ***** like Bush and the other law makers would be jealous of all the fun you would be having with their daughters ..
Life is not about fun its about serving the lord and creating the next generation of responsible people .

Answer 4

Once the hard-core ignorant far-right conservatives are rousted from Washington in 2008, I am guessing you will see some changes and common sense applied to marijuana use in the United States.

Answer 5

"The War On Drugs" is quite profitable

When it becomes certain that the legal sale of marijuana will be more profitable than "The War On Drugs"

Halliburton will officially change their name to Marijuana Incorporated and they'll merge with the makers of Pop Tarts & Cheetos to corner the market on marijuana profits.

Answer 6

Because there is not an overwhelming outcry from citizens to do so and nobody is a dumb enough politician to fight for legalization. It would be career suicide. The bigger question would be, "Why the hell is it illegal in the first place?" It's less harmful than alcohol.

Answer 7

Because the damn government doesnt realize that pot is no where near as bad for you as they play it out to be. As long as tobacco is legal, I think marijuana should be legal.

Answer 8

Poohpoohhead said it quite well !
I'll see ya all at the SEATTLE HEMP FEST !
200,000 FRIENDLY FOLKS, 2 Days !

Answer 9

Why has Canada legalized marijuana all of a sudden?

Have they given up so readily to the druggies? Why are they so stupid and naive?

Answer 10

why havent people grown past the need for wanting pot to be legalized???

If you need a mind altering substance, cant you see your thinkings alittle off to begin with?

Or wait, maybe you cant. Already lost one too many brain cells.