Common Sense and Compassion Overcome Marijuana Propaganda
Americans for Safe Access is reporting that 72 million Americans live in states with access to legal medical marijuana. Given the 100 years of hysterical propaganda generated by the “drug wars”, is this an indication that common sense and compassion are finally overcoming the mis- and disinformation distributed by the “all drugs are ‘bad’” crowd? Let us hope so, then society can move on and focus on our real problems: hunger, poverty, climate change, homelessness, and redistributing wealth and resources for the benefit of all, not just for some. Marijuana Policy Project’s Bruce Mirken even dares to speak of the dam breaking regarding medical marijuana’s legalization.
For those of you that always bring up the “what about the children?” and “marijuana is a ‘gateway’ drug” nonsense, the decades-long social acceptance and de facto decriminalization of responsible adult marijuana use in The Netherlands bluntly refutes these fallacious assumptions, as it is documented that the use of hard recreational substances among underage youth is diminishing there due to their attitudes and laws regarding marijuana. Dump the common erroneous assumptions about marijuana and educate yourself with accurate information, as much of popular knowledge about marijuana is highly biased with incorrect information. There is a growing body of scientific research that solidly supports the medicinal use of cannabis and cannaboids – but you would not know it if you believed anti-marijuana misinformation.
American beliefs and laws regarding marijuana were based on hysteria generated by the Catholic Church in league with other ideologues in the 1920s and 1930s. Salon.com’s article,”Why is Marijuana Illegal?”, reports that authorities at the time were concerned about Mexican immigrants and migrants and demonized both them and the use of marijuana, mostly on the West Coast and in the Southwest, while at the same time African Americans were linked to marijuana in the Midwest and East Coast. These racist authorities successfully linked miscegenation, violence, and immorality with marijuana use, an idea and strategy that is fundamentally racist and that was historically highly successful. Check out the remake of Reefer Madness for a wildly entertaining take on this period in American history: it is rife with examples of the racist hysteria generated to outlaw marijuana. This also partially explains why the American Constitutional amendment that created Prohibition of legal alcohol was overturned, but why anti-marijuana beliefs have percolated through the American psyche for a nearly a century: racist ideology. As well, laws for liberalization of marijuana use will afford the cultivation of very eco-friendly hemp farming, which can be used to make clothing, industrial rope, paper, food, and bricks for housing. Hemp clothing is soft and exceptionally durable. Early American currency and drafts of the American Constitution and Declaration of Independence were printed on hemp, as well.
These extremists beliefs and irrational assumptions have literally prejudiced the known facts about marijuana use and hemp farming and manufacturing.
Here’s a brief digest of recent happenings around the USA to legalize medical marijuana and to decriminalize or legalize responsible adult marijuana use.
- Hawaii, Montana, Vermont, and Washington are following California’s lead and introduced bills to decriminalize marijuana
- Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York are working on bills to legalize medical marijuana
- Rhode Island is preparing to license medical marijuana dispensaries
- Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated that the DEA nasties will no longer raid medical marijuana dispensaries
- Check out Aaron Smith’s Tapping Into California’s Forgotten Cash Crop Makes Sense for facts regarding this estimated $13.8 billion underground, untaxed economy – it is enlightening
- Check out Harvard economist, Jeffrey Miron’s, short video on why marijuana should be legalized
Let us look forward to the day when harm reduction principles can be applied to these aspects of personal health and wellness. Harm reduction recognizes that recreational substances will be used, whether legal or not, and encourages active practices to reduce their harm. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) has created Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use, which is rational and practical. Let us cultivate attitudes based on science and sound health practices to minimize risks and optimize wellness with the use of medical marijuana and the responsible adult use of marijuana.
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“Common Sense and Compassion Overcome Marijuana Propaganda”