Ever wondered why marijuana is illegal in America?
Apparently so too does TruTV (a division of Turner Broadcasting) and writer Steven Kotler.
Growing Pot Arrests
Do you get high? If so, you have a lot of company. Although no country has yet legalized marijuana, almost half of the world’s 147 nations have, to some extent, decriminalized it. In the United States, according to an April 2009 Zogby poll, 52 percent of the population now favors legalization—the largest percentage ever.
Despite marijuana’s growing acceptance, most of our elected officials are still reluctant to advocate for the cause. As Rick Doblin, President of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)—a nonprofit that has advocated on behalf of medical marijuana since the 80s—points out: “Most politicians still won’t come out in favor of medical marijuana because they don’t want to appear pro-legalization. And they’re afraid of appearing pro-legalization, because they’re scared of being accused of wanting to give drugs to children.”
And it’s unlikely things will change anytime soon. Pot’s continued criminalization has been championed, sometimes overtly, often covertly, by powerful groups—among them law enforcement agencies, the alcohol and tobacco industries, pharmaceutical companies and the prison-industrial complex—who have repeatedly shaped laws and public opinion to reflect their views.
So weed remains a crime, albeit a very popular one.
Pot Arrest Statistics
Pot arrests are at a near-record high. According to FBI statistics, in 2009 more than 1.7 million people were brought in on marijuana-related charges—almost half of them (758,593 to be exact) for simply smoking pot (as opposed to growing or dealing it). According to “Lost Revenues and Other Costs of Marijuana Laws,” a report written by Drug Science public policy analyst Jon Gettman, enforcing America’s pot laws costs taxpayers an annual $10.7 billion. Not to mention the overburdening of our criminal justice system and disruption of the lives of those who find themselves with a criminal record for smoking an occasional joint.
Read the rest here.
As much as I appreciate seeing media look into this, I’m not sure it helps us much for a site that features such conspiracy theories as “the moon landing,” “9/11” and “2012: The World Is Ending.”
Still, it’s a start.
It’s time to get serious.
Legalize it!
I`m sick of these bungs using “the children” as part of there propaganga. Its getting stale. Find another lie.
@3 thats how you are kept in your little box, thinking this is a conspiracy “theory”, dude, there is no theory in criminal conspiracy.
i watched a clip on cnn about ron paul being the top straw poll candidate. i have no doubt his candidacy for president will receive more support than could be imagined simply because he has supported marijuana legalization. someone in the gary johnson and ron paul camps should get together and gear their team platforms for complete legalization, embracing the green technologies for paper, carbon sequestration, bio-fuels, clothing, and have a complete legalization guideline for medical marijuana with tax stamps for those who want to grow there own. they would win by a landslide with just this as there platform, i doubt they could believe the massive support from every citizen. what a concept, what an epiphany, a massive major landslide win, with more support by the greatest majority of victory in the history of our nation. ron paul and gary johnson as a team, creating an avalanche of new jobs and industries while saving billions in law enforcement and prison costs. what a dream team. i can’t believe they haven’t thought of it themselves.
TruTV has really gone down hill in terms of integrity. They can’t even keep to their trademark “Not Reality, Actuality”. I spent 10 minutes explaining to my parents that Operation Repo was a fictional show. I had to steal that magic from them because it’s not fair for anyone to watch such garbage and think it’s real. Keep it real truTV! Keep airing Bait Car!
To our brethren around the world.
Our parents are using the law to excuse their poor parenting skills. They’re using our children as human shields. But – at the same time – teens are laughing at their parents stubborn ignorance [what’s new]. Although the cards are stacked against us, we out number prohibs – and – our cause for freedom will prevail. It pains me to say this about weak parents – but – their reality is theirs.
Why not just go back to the origins, without a constitutional amendment it’s UNCONSTITUTIONAL to make marijauna illegal to begin with – hump the politicians, for lack of a better word – let “them” make a case for the legality of Prohibition or, cancel it off the books – then, nobody has to be for, or against it – it is what it is, a weed.. AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL W/O an amendment to make it illegal to use – and once that issue is resolved – do they REALLY want to go back, ad spend BILLIONS of dollars on it anymore – then, all the fault, all the blame, all the whaa whaa whaa, goes back to the dead politicians that lied in an attempt to discriminate against first, the Mexican population, then the Blacks.
simple
Why is medical marijuana the same price as black market prices?
I have just a couple things that i have to say. Anyone who has the ability to change or control the laws on Marijuana/drugs ARE RESPOSABLE for GIVING DRUGS to KIDS! Serious Nation lets take the time to Stop, Think, and Acess the Situation. Now if you ask pretty much anyone they will tell you alcoholism is a disease and people who suffer from it cannot help it. What makes a Meth/Herion user any differant? They to are grappled and embraced by the chains of addiction. Then they to suffer from a disease and should be in a clinic, not prison. Prohabition Created By Goverment also uphelp by the goverment is what truly starts the whole cycle. Instead of Prohabtion and Limited Freedom, we should as adults be able to consume any material we chose. The best way i can think of to set things up is like this. First, D.A.R.E we can keep the letters but what its about has to change. Off the top of my head it could stand for, Discover *aka learn* Ask *being able to ask questions freely without worring of being labaled as a bad kid-Responsibly *teach kids that if they are going to make that choice when they are 21 to use any drug just as they are givin the choice to use alcohol that they have the knowledge and the ability to use them responsably to help avoid OD* And last Exception *drugs are not Taboo/evil/bad and do not condone you to a criminal* Blackmarket items are usally always only delt by criminals so if we could legalize and seperate the drugs from criminal profit violence would go down. Kinda going off subject just a tad but if drugs were legal the price of them would be halfed, and then halfed again. Addicts wouldnt have to result in theift/murder to get there fix. I know there is a opiate blocker that can help someone who has oded on herion avoid death. Also Ibogane is shown to help remove the withdrawl sympons so one can give up the habbit, but sense it its causes hallucinations it is completly illeagel with no medical use in the U.S. I bet if people who were addiicted wernt shunned like criminals a lot of them would seek more help and if they were givin the right tools they could get clean without it being so extreamly hard. Do you ever see alcohol companies raid and kill there compition? Never? they lower prices and produce better product. Were Gangs do kill there competitors to ensure profits. better product means cleaner and safer for the consumer. Taxes could be used as stated so many times from legal purchasing to help pull out our nation from debt and prosper. now i know there are already some who say “how can we prosper if we are all addicts?” First by legalizing and restricting sales we will be making it hard for young children to get there hands on these substances. If we can provide the correct education about how each drug effects your mind, body, and enviroment and they have avoided use till there 21 they are more likly to avoid them altogether. That means no more lies about them, each substance does effect your health differant for better or worse and people should be able to make there dicsions based on the truth. I personally think they will also be more likely to avoid most drugs. Personly i dont smoke cigs and i consume maybe 50 beers MAX all year. i do however like to smoke cannabis to help me sleep at night and when i wake up and have a episode where it might result me staying home from work ill smoke just enough so i can fall back asleep for an hour or two so i can wake up in a extreamly better mood that isnt going to cripple me throughout the day. Cannabis is a beatiful plant and a Extreamly Usful Tool/Resource, safer alternative to alcohol, and a medacine can put someone in jail longer then a Rapist. Cannabis should even be a What if, it should never been illegal and if Alcohol and Cigs are ok then Cannabis/Hemp/Marijuana Should Deffinatly be Legal. it shouldnt even be called a drug, its littarly just a plant and grows that way. I think Herbal Supplament sounds much better, dont you???? so any gov offical who happens to read my rant, if you really want to keep kids safer and drugs out of there hands, the legalization and regulation of marijuana and or all drugs is the only real way. Prohabition dosnt destroy these substances, it just raises prices of them and empoyees criminals to create violence. These Criminals dont care about age and they deffinitly want your kids to misuse these substance so it leads to addiction cuz thats more money. Why cant we all just stop thinking about the money for a second and think about our freedoms, rights, and what direction were gonna go because i can tell you this. Our Nation is really going in the wrong direction with Cannabis Prohibition Because Its only dragging us all down, not just the users but all of us as a nation. I usally never say anything but i just had to at least just this once because its like cannabis prohabition is a no brainer, Ya’ll Cried about going green during the last few years lets see some results!
13 jrice
Well said! I applaud your exerted effort. Wish there were more like you that would “make the effort.” We too believe, strongly, in Harm Reduction. By the way – so does the drug Czar. What we do know is that when countries have legalized drugs, the consumption among youths has diminished greatly. The thing that really pushes my button, the big red one in the middle of my chest, is that every time the word drug is uttered, cannabis is automatically included with the hard stuff.
Best regards,
Manny
Genesis – San Diego Colony
12 Lagosa
We pay what the market will bear [top dollar]. You can get it for free if you grow you own.
Everyone needs to look at the big picture yes it being legal has up but did anyone think about the done side? What about the drug cartel they would come here with there drugs knowing its legal and they would try to run the drugs just like they do now but it would make it easier for them. They have an army and none limited supply if money they burn down buildings and sell there stuff so they keep the money coming in and they won’t go done with out a fight.
Good article, too bad we’re the only ones willing to read more than a sentence of it before going back our facebook or porn.
I’m tired of walking around with a roll of duct tape in case my head starte to explode. It has to be getting to the need of a forklift to carry all the evidence studies the truth.
All Beck lovers. When he played the Jones videos him saying New engine in a new vehicle. Obama and Jones could have blown Beck out of the water if they had a ball between them and made Hemp legal.
It’s our turn. Frack them.
The people who make a livin from cancer are more important than those dying from cancer… Have you could the white house lately to demand they allow medicine to be made from the two most promising ingredients: B17 and THC?, both of those drugs have shown more promise to killing cancer cells then anything, yet both have been made illegal….why? don’t the government have our best instest in mind??? are they protecting us??… history will prove one day that the US is not better then Stalin’s russia, we sat back and allowed millions of our own people to die every year… Remember to call the White House often @ 202-456-1111 M-F
Always remember that one of the main reasons we declared independence and ulltimately war against Britian, had ALLOT to do with a plant we all recognize as tea. Do you see where im going with this? I’ll say no more.
@ 11.
So, ultimately, what our politicians want us to believe is that it is wrong to legalize because it sends the wrong message to our youth. But, we have to make the politicians realize they are not the parents. If a parent drinks alcohol in front of their child it is their job to show responsibility in their actions, just like they would with smoking. And besides, if politicians want to stay on the side of protecting the youth, what good is it putting them in jail for something like a natural plant that has no lethal effects.
First, jrice: dood use paragraphs to keep similar ideas together and break up that shit man! No way anyone is going to take the time to read it if you didn’t take the time to make it readable.
Second: Get off your asses everyone. Stop saying it’s time to do something. DO SOMETHING. Talk to EVERYONE who will listen. SHOUT at those who won’t. It’s not going anywhere because YOU are not doing enough. My family, friends, neighbors HATE hearing it from me but I am NOT going to shut up. Hell I educate poeple about biomass fuels EVERY time I am at the pump. — I live in WI so I play up the benifits we would have from industrial hemp. Figure out why it is important to your comunity and DO THE SAME!
Educate the public. Tell them the truth, all day every day. Don’t be in the closet, be proud to smoke weed instead of doing something else that could be much more harmful.
Stop talking shit and do shit!
The Final Authority
I lower my head
Not to a judge/man
The Final Authority
When the stars burn out my soul will proclaim Justice
#22 has it. I do the same. People shake their heads when I start, not just on cannabis but this frakked up country in general. People are afraid their little world will be shattered if they open their eyes and see the truth for what it is…ugly at this point. I have said many times to those who refuse to hear me…”Be concerned now while you can change it or later when you have NO CHOICE.”
By the way, I heard theres a country that is trying to out law farting…because its”damaging the enviroment”.
I seen this coming sometime ago and people looked at me like I was mad…now they dont.
Do something while you can…dont what til its a nessesity.
Chris, my bad i was just kinda ranting after long days work i apoigize for that mess. i do agree with you, i also for the last year and a half have been lecturing people trying to get them to see the truth or science of cannabis. i also live in WI and i think our state is just going to be one of the last to see the light one could say. Everything here is backwords just drink drink drink and everything is ok, but one joint and you going away my friend.
Its time to take it to the street. Just like in the east. But im sure the D.E.A will be there beating up evry one with there clubs
In respons to #7 In texas There no way the rep will put up an pro cannabis person.NO WAY
The Reformation
Genesis the Faith
Genesis I:29,30,31
CDXX Communion 02.16.11 4:20 p.m.
“Our Faith is the rock upon which we stand.”
Genesists serve a different Master than prohibitionists – but – we serve our Master by respecting and upholding “Just Laws” we create for ourselves, with our conscience and Commandments fixed firmly in their seat.
Holy Sacrament is a God given [divine benevolence], Constitutional, individual religious right – and – any attempt to violate that religious right dissolves any and all bonds that exist between us. We reject any support of a “man-made unjust law” that prohibits our Sacrament. We declare a Conscience Clause in effect.
I sure hope we are not the last to legalize here in Wisconsin. There are many people that would be pleased to see hemp and marijuana legalized again. We grew hemp during WWII. It’s time to develop a “new” crop with many uses. Why can other countries grow hemp? Apparently they are smart enough to tell the difference between the two crops and law enforcement here cannot! Reschedule, regulate, and tax. Use alcohol as a model and impose similar restrictions; age, location of business where sold , license to sell, taxes, home cultivation(not manufacture, don’t be silly! It’s a plant!)etc.
Its because Ted Turner is a pot head
The Reformation
Genesis the Faith
Genesis I:29,30,31
The prohibition of cannabis is an enigma that goes far beyond understanding. You would have to be “Mr. Big” to understand the “why.” Just keep this firmly implanted in your reasoning – “The kings have always feared the people rising up against them.” It’s at that point where they should have valid fear.
“We’re looking for a few good men – and women” to help be a vaunt-courier/buccinator for the ‘420 Invasion’ on April 20, 2011, at 4:20 p.m., to contact all media and forewarn them of our coming [peaceful] presence on every politicians steps and at every politicians door – starting with the District Attorney and ending with the Attorney General and his President. No organization needed – only a warning shot across their bow and a boarding on 420 at 420. Here’s your chance to let “every politician” – from the puppet to the puppet master – know that we mean business. Let my people go!
The Reformation
Genesis I:29,30,31
We’ve written, e-mailed, called, stood on our soap box, even stood on our heads trying to get politicos to listen to reason and use common sense – to no avail. So! – “We have to face facts,” mostly the reality of what it’s going to take to be seriously heard.
Fact: When all else fails – present yourself – put your toes on the line – Dharna. “The Kings fear the uprising of the people.”
Fact: We must create a chain – that reaches from sea to shinning sea, from north to south, and all points in between. At the same time – we must keep in mind that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We can’t afford any weak links. Then – the chain must be of one length – pulling together at the exact same time [tug of war]. Synchronize our watches – and – every single link move at the exact same time to accomplish our objective. “If Mohamed won’t come to the mountain [then] the mountain will go to Mohamed – on April 20, 2011 @4:20 p.m. National Hemp Day – the 420 Invasion.
@6, that’s right! Make sure to wear your tinfoil hat so that the government can’t brainwash you and train you to be a super secret agent.
Also, be sure to check every inch of your house for hidden cameras because the government wants to make sure their ultra top-secret super-soldier brainwave experiment is going well.
Don’t forget to prepare for Skynet because the Terminators are coming! Oh and you’re humanity’s last hope. We believe in you, John Connor.
If you weren’t sure whether this was sarcasm or not, don’t worry about understanding this post.
this is not news….anyone who is abreast to how the “system” truly works, would not be surprised by this. the wheels won’t turn if they aren’t greased.
Unfortunately the day mj is legal is the day the agri-food conglomerates will submit their slightly gmo altered medicinal “miracle” medicinal mj plants for patents. There is already a large company patent police that “busts” otherwise legal farmers all over US for patent infringements particularly soy, corn. Doesn’t matter that cross pollination is occurring over miles and miles until eventually there is no escape from them. Seedsavers are being prosecuted TO THE HILT so if you really think Ron Paul or Gary Johnson are your saviours you are full of shit. Fix the gd patent shit first then legalize the miracle plant mentioned 5x in the Old Testament (a part of my religion and Jewish heritage) – some dem leaders other than Obama and the bluedogs could carry it through in 2013. The GOPers use great empty rhetoric and prove the point that not all US business practices have the “mandate of heaven” needed for sustainable long-term democracy as envisioned by our founding fathers. Paul and Johnson would simply hand the keys of your POSSIBLE MAJOR independence to the multinational company store and then yell “compete!” while your caregiver gets hauled into court for endless patent infringement lawsuits and complete bankruptcy – and then you get to pay 2000 for the oz.
[Editor’s note: Rather than hoping capitalists don’t act like capitalists…why not just grow your own?]
34 anonymous
Right! and the squeaky wheel gets the oil!
35 queenofheaven
You can’t grow your own – it’s federally illegal and will remain federally illegal. The thought of Big Pharma and Big Agra working together to monopolize cannabis is – well! – frightening as hell. My Evil Brother is working hard – overtime in fact.
to quote:
“The Prohibitionist must always be a person of no moral character; for he cannot even conceive of the possibility of a man capable of resisting temptation.”
“Absinthe: The Green Goddess”
Aleister Crowley
This is as true now as it was in Crowley’s time. And, though he was referring to Absinthe, which was banned by the actions of the French wine industry; it applies equally well to all prohibited goods.
Black Market goods have always been a source of wealth and power. When a thing is banned, it becomes impossible to control the price, quality, weight, etc. of the thing. Government may then selectively apply the ‘law’ to those who intrude on their illegal trade. And, to paraphrase others in this forum: As long as there are tons of money to be made, and people to be controlled from repression, research, rehabilitation, prosecution, etc; there will be laws prohibiting one or more substances; esp. if such substances not only heal, but make you feel good in the process.
Of course, this is just my opinion; I could be wrong.
Throughout history, this has been thus.
You would think that in a “democratic” nation, if 52 percent of the population favors legalization, it would become legalized. It just goes to show that we are not living in a democracy. This is capitalism in its purest form. Its all about the money.