Deception, lies, and greed
The fuel of deception, lies, and greed has fed Cannabis Prohibition for so long. This has ultimately led to the tangled web in which we all currently hang upon today. Way back when in 1937, cannabis officially became outlawed in the U.S. Cannabis prohibition was caused because of lying and deceiving individuals who were filled with racism and greed.
War waged against cannabis owners
For long time, there has been a war waged against those who possess, cultivate or consume cannabis. From the fathers and mothers who have been hauled off to prison to serve life sentences for a plant, to the children, veterans and others who have lost their lives because they weren’t able to legally utilize cannabis for the medicine that it is, prohibition has been a war that has devastated millions and affected almost everyone in some shape or form.
Common lies leading to Cannabis Prohibition
Unless you grew up with family or friends that consumed cannabis, chances are you grew up like a lot of people believing that cannabis was dangerous. This would most likely be because you were fed lies repetitively your whole life through, including but not limited to, the following;
- Marijuana is a gateway drug.
- Marijuana is deadly.
- Marijuana will make you harm others or yourself.
- Marijuana will make you have sex with strangers.
- Marijuana is only for lazy teenagers who like tie-dyed t-shirts.
- Marijuana will make you unmotivated and ruin your future.
The list goes on and on. From the media’s perpetration of cannabis all the way to your parents, teachers and preachers, most grew up believing what they were told by their elders because they were raised to respect their elders and trust their knowledge. Unfortunately, many of those individuals had been lied to as well when it comes to cannabis and it has just been a downward spiral since.
Steps towards legalizing cannabis/marijuana
Cannabis downfall due to ban was until 1995, when California took steps to become the first state in the United States to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. I personally think this is when a lot of people started to wake up.
“Knowing can be a curse on a person’s life. I’d traded in a pack of lies for a pack of truth, and I didn’t know which one was heavier. Which one took the most strength to carry around? It was a ridiculous question, though, because once you know the truth, you can’t ever go back and pick up your suitcase of lies. Heavier or not, the truth is yours now.”- Sue Monk Kidd
People are starting to become knowledgeable of the lies they have been fed during Cannabis Prohibition and quite frankly, most of them are pissed off. No one likes to be lied to and anyone with a compassionate heart and a little common sense will agree that there is no reason for the prohibition of cannabis to continue.
We are pissed off because we now truly see the reality of corruption, greed, and outright lies within our government. This awakening is thanks to the ease of access to information sharing that is available today. With more information at our fingertips than ever before, it is hard to keep the truth from the people. But what is heavier to carry? The lies or the truth?
Despite the fact that 25 states have recognized cannabis as a medicine, the government refuses to do so. According to the DEA, there is no such thing as medical marijuana, yet I could show you thousands of people whose lives have been saved by cannabis that would say differently.
By the way, this is the same Federal Government that has been shipping “medicinal marijuana” to a few patients on a monthly basis for decades and holds multiple patents on cannabinoids stating their efficiency as a medical treatment for a number of different things.
So I ask again, what is easier to bear, the lies or the truth? To many, the truth is much harder to live with. The truth that the government sits by twiddling their thumbs knowing cannabis is a medicine while people are dying every day because they can’t legally access the medical properties the plant offers due to cannabis prohibition. The lies are easier to live with because that is what they have always known and it’s easier to just play dumb than to realize the truth and help make a change for the better.
For others, the thought of being lied to infuriates them and they make it a passion to bring light to the truths. It is these individuals that are making changes across the nation. It is these individuals that we have to thank for legal medical marijuana in 25 states and retail/recreational for adults in 4.
It is these individuals that have pushed several other states to place initiatives on their ballots this November for citizens to finally have their say in whether or not cannabis should be legal for medical or retail within their state. Let’s face it, we have a lot to thank these individuals for because without them we would still be waiting on the government to make changes and unfortunately, these changes can’t and won’t happen overnight.
Cannabis Prohibition – Federal Controlled Substances
In 1970, under President Richard Nixon, the federal Controlled Substances Act went into effect. It is this document that has led to the tangled web in which cannabis hangs from today (cannabis prohibition). You see it is truly a catch-22 when it comes to changing the scheduled classification of narcotics on the CSA. In order to reclassify or remove a substance from the CSA, the DEA must first receive a recommendation from the FDA.
The FDA, however, cannot provide recommendations for reclassification or removal of a substance from the CSA without definitive research on a substance. While a substance like cannabis is classified as a schedule 1 narcotic according to the CSA, the FDA has minimal to no access for researching cannabis.
This means no recommendation can be given (in relation to cannabis prohibition) based upon studies and only upon what has been previously documented which unfortunately is misinformation . It is for this reason why many cannabis advocates and activists are pushing for complete declassification of cannabis from the CSA. Unfortunately, this seems to be nowhere in sight .
Article courtesy of Expert Joints. Written by AshleyP from CannaLance (CannaLance.com, @CannaLance)