The Lesser Evil
The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions. It is when we place ourselves in the hands of those in positions of authority and power that we can be manipulated. Marijuana is a threat when it is perceived with ignorance or prejudice. Marijuana is not a threat when the light of the truth has been shed upon the lies that have been scattered by others with malicious motives. With the ability to make informed decisions, we have the potential to save the environment and our society. Half of the United States of America agrees by enacting resolutions and laws, and so do I. Cannabis has too many benefits to be simply wasted by people with preconceived, na�ve, or misinformed opinions. The facts stand before you�.
Throughout the nation, a drive is underway. This "drive" is for the re-legalization of marijuana. At this time, it is centered on the medical-use aspect of the plant. Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Cannabis has literally thousands of uses. It is one of the most versatile resources we have, and we are openly neglecting it like the plague.
Cannabis has many names ranging from hemp to marijuana to various slang terms, including pot, weed, and grass (Encyclopedia Britannica). Cannabis has been around since very nearly the dawn of time. Archeologists believe that marijuana was one of the first plants cultivated by humans, starting around 8000 B. C. (History). Since that time, when it was utilized for paper, linen, and garments, hemp has found it's way into our lives in medical, social, and religious functions. It was not until 1938 that marijuana was banned in the United States (Sloan).
For nearly ten thousand years, people of the world used marijuana. At the birth of our nation, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were hemp farmers (National). At that time in history cannabis was a legal form of tender form nearly two hundred years, beginning in the early 1600's (Facts About). "Make the most of hemp seed. Sow it everywhere, " declared the adamant First President. Interestingly enough, the original drafts of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper. (The Facts) As a hemp farmer, President Washington grew cannabis for multiple uses. Smoking, to induce a "high" (euphoric sensual feeling), is only one of 50,000 uses.
Marijuana could effectively silence the plea to save the environment. This seems like a bit of a stretch at first glance, but with an open-mind, the truth is revealed as fact. Hemp, or the stalky-fiborous portion, can replace trees as a source for paper. One acre of hemp will produce as much paper as four acres of trees (The Facts/Facts About). Not only is cannabis more efficient, but it is also more economical. Hemp can grow quicker, one year vs. two decades (a tree), and can produce a stronger piece of paper without using chlorine bleach and 1/5 to 1/7 as much polluting, sulfur-based chemical (Facts About). But this is only the beginning of a very long list and beneficial list. Hemp also functions as an effective oil in cosmetics and as a natural fuel supplement. Cannabis can produce 10 times more methanol than corn and is a renewable resource, whereas oil is not (Facts About). Hemp burns cleanly, releasing a balance of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide, thereby diminishing the effect of global warming caused by an overload of CO2 in the atmosphere. Besides its use as a base, hemp can supplement today's textiles making them more affordable. One of the least known facts, but most important, is cannabis as food. "The hemp seed is nature's perfect food. The oil from hemp seeds has the highest percentage of essential fatty acids and the lowest percentage of saturated fats. "(The Facts) Cannabis also holds a role as a sealant, like those used in paints and varnishes. All of these uses, and many others, probably lead to the passing of laws that ban marijuana. But this is only the information that is not being used; the drive is for medical release on the ban.
At this time, 26 out of 50 states (including the District of Columbia) have passed various laws or resolutions pertaining to the medical use of marijuana (Newsweek). Minnesota numbers among those states. Before the ban on the use of cannabis in any way, marijuana was a major active ingredient in 40-50% of patent medicines (Mechoulam). Cannabis extracts were the second and third most prescribed medicines in the United States from 1842 to 1896. Among the companies that produced these medicines were Eli Lily, Parke-Davis, Tilden's, Brothers Smith, Squib, and other British and American companies (Facts About). During that time period, there was not one reported death from cannabis extract medicines. Today, marijuana could easily substitute for 10-20% of prescribed drugs (Mikuriya). This being the case, the cost for medicine would than drop.
Cannabis is commonly known for its treatment of glaucoma patients. It is used to relieve the pressure on their eyes. In a similar circumstance, John F. Kennedy used cannabis to relieve the pressure on his back; kind of like what aspirin/ibuprofen do, except illegally (National). Staying with pain relief, it is now used in cancer chemotherapy. But its medicinal value does not stop there, surprisingly enough, cannabis is used by asthmatics to dilate their bronchi and ease their breathing (Mikuriya). Just another of marijuana's some 50,000 uses, but it is bad. Marijuana is bad; just say NO.
For almost sixty years now, there has been a war on drugs, and namely cannabis. This war was started with the dis-information of one man, William Randolf Hearst, and has been perpetuated into the late 1990's with the ignorance of society. Hearst fabricated and published lies about marijuana that were investigated and eventually proven false� but not until after the damage was done (Sloman). Coincidentally enough, these lies were spread shortly after the invention of a machine that would harvest and process hemp so it (hemp) could compete commercially against business owned by Hearst, the DuPonts, and other powerful (and rich) families (Herer). The lies told then, burn like the healed-over scars on a slave's back. And the lies remain like scars.
Today, the government spreads the lies. In 1976, the man responsible for fabricating the latest lies, Dr. Gabriel Nahas, was fired from the National Institute of Health. Seven years later, in 1983, he (Nahas) renounced his research as multiple falsifications of data (10 Things). People are concerned with the addictiveness of marijuana, its ability to make people violent, cause physical harm, or even kill because of research like Nahas' and lies like Hearst's. Marijuana has been stereotyped "the Gateway Drug" for its ability to lead to "harder drugs". The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) stated twice, once in '75 and again in '80, "The legal drugs for adults, such as alcohol and tobacco� precede the use of illicit drugs." (Costa/Jamaican) But the realm of legal drugs stems past the adult level into the youth of our society. Sugar, in pop and chocolate for instance, and coffee are available to start a dependency long before other drugs are within reach. This now discredits the "stepping-stone" theory. But marijuana is still addictive, right? Wrong. The same two studies by the NAS, along with the Nixon Blue Ribbon Report of '72 say, " Marijuana does not lead to a physical dependency." We now know that 10% of our population have "addictive personalities" and they are neither more nor less likely to overindulge in cannabis than anything else (Psychology). "On a relative scale, marijuana is less habit forming than either sugar or chocolate, but more so than anchovies." (Newsweek) The Siler Study reported "no impairment to military personnel who smoked marijuana while off duty. Actually, the only clinically significant medical problem that can be scientifically linked to cannabis is bronchitis (Oerther). Since this is the case we can safely say that marijuana does not cause brain damage or birth defects. "There is not any conclusive evidence that prolonged use of marijuana causes permanent changes in the nervous system or sustained impairment of brain function and behavior in human beings." (Coptic) Despite this proof, the U. S. Government has conducted successful experiments with cannabis that prove it can be lethal to a mouse. Unfortunately, the mouse was given 40,000 times the dose required to produce symptoms of intoxication in a human (Lowe). The actual per year data regarding deaths due to drugs of some nature is rather startling. Tobacco, alcohol (excluding crimes and accidents), prescription drug overdose, and illegal drug overdose account for more than 555,000 deaths per year (Bureau). No one has ever died from marijuana. This is not to say that 75 (approx.) people a year who die are not high, it is to say that marijuana did not play a part or cause their death.
In 1948, Harry Anslinger, Director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, testified before Congress that marijuana leads to non-violence, what he termed "Pacifist Syndrome" (Siler). The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) reports that 65-75% of criminal violence is alcohol related (Siler). Is it possible that marijuana could curb violence in our cities? With the legalization of cannabis, this problem and the prison over-population problem could be solved. More than 400,000 Americans are arrested each year on marijuana charges. (The Facts) Prisoners are now being treated with chemicals to diminish sexual urges, couldn't the same be done with those who have violent tendencies? The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) concluded in 1988 that, "marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man." (The Facts)
"The 'war on drugs' has provided society with overcrowding of prisons and an overrepresentation of minorities in prisons, while not solving serious corruption and crime." (Cannabis) What we have is deceit. People, for obvious reasons, do not want to see the legalization of cannabis. But like the people of Plato's Cave, we are coming out into the light. The facts are on the table. The truth is out. Marijuana is not a harmful or addictive drug. Marijuana is a useful resource with thousands of uses. "I have given you all the seed bearing herbs and plants to use." (Genesis 1,12) The time is coming to make a decision� an informed decision� for the legalization of cannabis, marijuana, or hemp. The greater evil is the destruction of freedom by interested parties solely for the purpose of making money. Which, when you get right down to it, is the only reason marijuana was outlawed to begin with. "Prohibition�goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded. "
-Abraham Lincoln
December, 1840