Background Info

"The first prohibition: 'Thou shalt not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge.' And who was the big cop? [God.] And how many people did he have to watch? Two." (Jack A. Cole, director of LEAP)

Though prohibition of marijuana was made official in 1937, it has a long history of failing, from Cole's reference to Adam and Eve, to the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920's, to the drug prohibition of today. The rate of success in which the illegal act or substance in question has remained untouched is minuscule.



Interestingly, the first marijuana law in the United States ordered farmers to grow hemp. Although it is not widely known, hemp (which marijuana derives itself from) used to be one of the worlds' largest agricultural crops; hemp being the most durable, robust and natural soft fibre there is. Not only was hemp useful in manufacturing, but also in medication. In the late half of the 19th century at least 50% of medication was made from cannabis. And if it was good enough then, why not now you may ask? While the American government was momentarily infatuated with such a versatile plant, it was nothing more than that: momentary.



1938 film directed by
Louis J. Gasnier

Quickly the idea of "Reefer Madness" was introduced to society, claiming that smoking marijuana, or reefers, made people violent and play jazz, among other things. The government continued to encourage farming, but with the introduction of the Marijuana Tax Act, it became impossible to obtain seeds for growing. By making the Tax Act applicable to all hemp types - not just cannabis - the government indirectly banned it from agriculture as well as society. Once this was clear they made the executive decision to close the door. Hemp was prohibited.

In this time the first marijuana conviction occurred. For the possession of two joints, one received four years in jail.

 During World War Two, the US government noticed the absence of the super-strength material they had used during World War One, and removed prohibition under the pretence of "Hemp for Victory." Though hemp was indeed on the victorious side of conflict, so was marijuana, and this time the government took notice of what was actually happening. Cannabis did not make people crazy and violent, but relaxed and passive. Marijuana was under prohibition for the exact opposite reasons it was originally.

In 1978 the first exception towards marijuana prohibition was made. Proposition 215 was created in California, suggesting the legalisation of cannabis for medical purposes. While the government recognised that cannabis was used medicinally in the past, they were resistant in admitting that it had any therapeutic properties, until 1996, when California officially became the first state to allow medical marijuana. Since then, the legalisation of marijuana has become a hot topic. Whether the end goal is decreasing gang-related violence, profiting from regulated sales, increasing accessibility, or focusing on more threatening drugs, many activists and organisations have devoted themselves to marijuana legalisation.


The lack of conviction in the governments decisions to either prohibit or legalise cannabis shows a lack of knowledge around marijuana, and how assumptions such as "Reefer Madness" can replace the truth. This is not how a regulation as severe as Prohibition should be justified, yet, it is. And it is resulting in tax payers supplementing the costs of a law the majority does not support:

$75 000 is what a Canadian tax payer pays to maintain one prisoner in a federal prison for one year.

786 546 marijuana arrests were made in the United States in 2005.

           

The amount of incorrect information about marijuana that is being publicised is embarrassing.