why is it against the law to smoke marijuana?
What federal or CA state law makes it illegal to smoke marijuana?
Who (individual, corporation, interest group) worked to get this law passed, modified, or stopped?
Why were they interested in the passage or modification of the law?
Is this law evidence of the political process working effectively or an example of government not serving the public interest?
Any information or relative links would be greatly appreciated! I’m having trouble finding information.
it impairs people’s thinking. just like being drunk. cept yeah. it’s pot. not alcohol. then it causes things like driving under the influence, and stuff like that. then you get fugged up babies, and other things.
There is NO public interest in smoking marijuana. Most people don’t care at all.
of course its illegal its pot
Marijuana was outlawed in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma and Utah back in the early 1920’s to better deal with Chinese and Mexican migrant farm laborers. It was widely known that the Mexican and Chinese cultures used cannabis medicinally and recreationally. Making pot illegal made it easier to deport this “surplus” population during times when the economy was tight.
Marijuana was outlawed at the federal level back in 1937 this time under political pressure from the paper, timber and cotton industries because they didn’t want to compete with hemp industry. Remember the United States Constitution is written on paper made from hemp and at one time George Washington owned the largest known hemp aka (marijuana) plantation in the known world.
Of course in order to do so the American people had to be convinced that marijuana was the “worst drug in the history of mankind”. Thanks to folks like Harry J. Anslinger and William Randolph Hurst many people still have the same mindset.
EDIT: Sparky… just last spring a stoned out driver with a prescription for cannabis rear ended a CHP car parked on the shoulder of I-10 in Los Angeles County killing the officer seated inside.
According to the article in the newspaper the driver of the car that killed the officer had one of the highest THC readings ever recorded. Dude was seriously injured but survived. He was charged and convicted of driving under the influence of a controlled substance and vehicular manslaughter. Man got like 16 years in prison.
The clinic the man legally purchased the pot at was later raided and shut down by the DEA. Yes prop. 215 passed in California but marijuana is still illegal according to federal law so even in California you can still get busted for pot even if you have the prescription… And also remember this, even when you have a prescription for medical marijuana for a valid medical reason your narrow minded employer can still fire you for failing a drug test. I KNOW a couple people that’s happend to.
Gotta be careful out there.
Uh. Like, I had a good answer. But then I…, uhhhh. What were we talkin about?
DuPont and Hearst publishing lobbied congress in 1937 to ban restrict Marijuana. Canabis was used to make rope and paper products, textiles. They didn’t like the competition because they wanted exclusive use of wood pulp products (more expensive). Long story short one senator held a midnight session while congress was out on vaction break. Passed the Marijuana tax act with no opposition. Claimed it made people insane and commit murder. And the other guy here said “no public interest in it” Yea right buddy, thats why it’s a multi billion dollar business. Find one case, just one, of a auto accident fatality caused by a stoned driver. It impairs you and its bad. Alcohol is perfectly heathy, why is that because its legal? I know so many people whos life was ruined by drinking. BTW its perfectly legal in California with a perscription. So it even has health benefits. What benefits does tobacco have? How about Ethyl Alcohol?
Edit:” Halsca” Ok you found ONE. But you failed to metion what else he was on.I wonder how many alcohol related accident deaths for evry one stonedUI. 100,000 to 1? 500,000 to 1? If someone is driving drunk and smoking a cigarette, then crash, the cigarette didn’t cause it.
I actually checked out your links, some of those LAPD files are too funny. So if someone is a thief, and happens to be a pot smoker (among other things) its the pot that causes the person to be a thief? Besides those studies are from 1966.You know how many tobacco related deaths per. year. 2 just died while I added this edit.
It is legal in California, I know several people who get perscriptions including a Teacher, firemen, mechanical engineer, electrical inspector. Not always losers like you want it to be.
The passage of all the controlled substance laws before Regan’s “War on Drugs” actually have their roots in racism and corporate greed, and were fueled by yellow journalism.
Marijuana, in particular, is illegal because, starting in the early 1900s, bad feelings grew between illegal and legal Mexican immigrants and the white settlers in the southwest. Partly because of the Mexican civil war spilling over into conflicts in the southwest, and also over the competition for agricultural jobs. The Great Depression finally brought this competition to a head. The fact that Mexicans brought marijuana from Mexico (and grew it at a huge profit) was seized upon as leverage against them. One Texas state senator actually said on the senate floor, “All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff is what makes them crazy.”
Around the same time (early 30’s to mid 40’s), in the east, marijuana made it’s way onto the the jazz scene, and stories of violent, “marijuana-crazed [blacks] and Mexicans” attacking white women and enticing white children to smoke marijuana, were spread by otherwise reputable newspapers. (Mainly those controlled by William Randolph Hearst, father of yellow journalism, who also fueled the public frenzy that began the war with Spain in 1898.) Obviously, no evidence of this has ever been found, not even an accusation.
Big businesses like DuPont lobbied for the passage of these laws in their states for their own financial gain. By eliminating the competition from hemp, they drove up the demand (and the price) for their wood-based paper processing.
During the hearings on the Marijuana Tax Act (1937), Harry J. Anslinger, commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, testified to all sorts of outrageous lies, including, “Smoke a joint, and you’re likely to kill your brother,” and calling marijuana the “deadliest drug ever known.” (His motive was partly racism, and partly ambition. He, like Hearst, was willing to exploit anything for political and/or financial gain.) Anslinger testified that fifty percent of all violent crimes in the US were committed by blacks, Mexicans, etc., and could be traced directly to marijuana, when, in fact, 65 to 75% of all violent crimes committed in the US were (and still are) alcohol-related.
An actual medical doctor, Dr. James Woodward, testified on behalf of the American Medical Association, that “there is no evidence that marijuana is a dangerous drug,” and calling the whole fabric of federal testimony “tabloid sensationalism.” However, when the bill came up on the floor of Congress, one pertinent question was asked: “Did anyone consult with the AMA and get their opinion?” Rep. Carl Vinson replied, “Yes, we have, a Dr. Wharton [a mispronunciation of Woodward] and the AMA are in complete agreement.” And with this bold-faced lie, the act was passed.
No, it’s not serving the public interest. For one thing, prohibition doesn’t work. Second, the economic benefits of deciminalization are far-reaching. The government could save the cost of prosecuting and incarcerating some 800,000 arrests per year (about $7.7 billion). Plus, marijuana could be subject to “luxury tax,” much like alcohol and cigarettes, generating $6.2 billion annually.