Stop The Bleeding

The criminalization of marijuana, the drain on our economy, and why we re all paying the price.
* An argumentative essay by Jeremy Krueger

Marijuana; for some this word provokes images of crazed drug addicts, for others a pleasant feeling and sense of relaxation. Whatever your feelings about the drug, chances are good that it evokes strong feelings one way or the other when mentioned. But do you know the real reasons why marijuana was classified as a controlled substance? And can you name even one good reason why it should remain classified as such, at an expense to the American taxpayers of billions of dollars a year? To start with, lets discuss what marijuana really is, and the shady reasons behind its criminalization. Marijuana is the common name for three species of the Cannabis; Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Ruderalis. Cannabis Sativa is grown as a medicinal plant, containing the psychoactive chemical THC, and in an industrial form containing only miniscule amounts of the chemical. Cannabis Indica is of use only as a medicinal plant, and Cannabis Ruderalis is virtually useless for any purpose other than as a crop spacer to prevent the growth of weeds. Cannabis has many uses, and different varieties can be used for medicinal purposes, and in the industrial and foodservice markets. Cannabis use dates back to the Stone Age, with hemp fiber imprints found in 7,000 year old pottery shards in China and Taiwan. These fibers were later used to make cloth, shoes, ropes, and an early form of paper. Stafford, Peter. 1992. Psychedelics Encyclopedia. Berkeley, California, Ronin Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0-914171-51-8 Contrary to the traditional view that Cai Lun invented paper in around 105 AD, specimens of hemp paper were found in the Great Wall of China dating back 200 years earlier. In late medieval Germany and Italy, hemp was employed in cooked dishes, as filling in pies and tortes, or boiled in a soup. It was used in as a medicine and religious sacrament by almost every ancient society, including the Indus Valley Civilization, the Assyrians, the greeks and Romans, the Egyptians, the Chinese and even early Jews and Christians. A study published in the South African Journal of Science showed that pipes dug up from the garden of Shakespeare's home in Stratford upon Avon contain traces of cannabis." "Bard 'used drugs for inspiration'". BBC News (BBC). 2001-03-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1195939.stm. Synthesized cannabinoids are also sold as prescription drugs, including Marinol (dronabinol in the United States and Germany) and Cesamet (nabilone in Canada, Mexico, The United States and The United Kingdom).

In many countries, hemp is an important source of food. Hemp seeds contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life. The seeds can be eaten raw, ground into a meal, sprouted, made into hemp milk, prepared as tea, and used in baking. The fresh leaves can also be eaten in salads. Products range from cereals to frozen waffles, hemp tofu to nut butters. A few companies produce value added hemp seed items that include the seed oils, whole hemp grain (which is sterilized as per international law), hulled hemp seed, hemp flour, hemp cake (a by-product of pressing the seed for oil) and hemp protein powder. Hemp is also used in some organic cereals, and for non-dairy hemp "ice cream." The use of hemp for fiber production has declined sharply over the last two centuries, but before the industrial revolution, hemp was a popular fiber because it is strong and grows quickly; it produces 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more fiber than flax when grown on the same land. Hemp is one of the fastest growing biomasses known, producing up to 25 tons of dry matter per hectare per year, and one of the earliest domesticated plants known. For a crop, hemp is relatively environmentally friendly as it requires few pesticides and no herbicides. Hemp has also been used to make paper. It was used to make canvas, and the word canvas derives from cannabis. In Europe and China, hemp fibers have been used in prototype quantities to strengthen concrete, and in other composite materials for many construction and manufacturing applications. A mixture of fiberglass, hemp fiber, and flax has been used since 2002 to make composite panels for automobiles. In the United States, Cannabis has been used extensively in the past, both in the industrial and pharmaceutical areas. In May 1607, "hempe" was among the crops Gabriel Archer observed being cultivated by the natives at the main Powhatan village, where Richmond, Virginia is now situated; and in 1613, Samuell Argall reported wild hemp "better than that in England" growing along the shores of the upper Potomac. As early as 1619, the first Virginia House of Burgesses passed an Act requiring all planters in Virginia to sow "both English and Indian" hemp on their plantations. The Puritans are first known to have cultivated hemp in New England in 1645. Stafford, Peter. 1992. Psychedelics Encyclopedia. Berkeley, California, Ronin Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0914171-51-8. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both cultivated hemp on their farms.

Benjamin Franklin started the first American paper mill, which made paper exclusively from hemp. The Declaration of Independence was drafted on paper made from hemp fibers and pro-

duced by Franklin himself. Because of the criminalization of Cannabis, we now import our hemp products from overseas. Do you think our founding fathers would have written our declaration of national sovereignty on paper produced in another country? More recently, hemp was used extensively by the United States during WWII. Uniforms, canvas, and rope were among the main textiles created from the hemp plant at this time. The U.S. made a short 1942 film, Hemp for Victory, promoting hemp as a necessary crop to win the war. Much of the hemp used was planted in the Midwest and Kentucky. Historically, hemp production made up a significant portion of Kentucky's economy and many slave plantations located there focused on producing hemp. So, with all the uses that Cannabis has, it seems to be the answer to many of the problems we face today. It grows so well in poor soil that it could even remedy food shortages. And the flour from hemp is a healthy alternative for people with celiac disease. So why is Cannabis illegal in the most advanced nation on earth? The story of why Cannabis became illegal starts in 1930 with a man named Henry J. Anslinger. From 1917 to 1928, Anslinger worked for various military and police organizations. In 1929, Anslinger began work as an assistant Commissioner in the United States Bureau of Prohibition. Around this time, corruption and scandal gripped Prohibition and Narcotics agencies. The ensuing shake-ups and re-organizations set the stage for Anslinger, perceived as an honest and incorruptible figure, to advance not only in rank but to great political stature. In 1930, Anslinger was appointed to the newly-created Federal Bureau of Narcotics as its first Commissioner. The FBN, like the Bureau of Prohibition, was under the control of the US Treasury Department. At that time the trade of alcohol and drugs was considered a loss of revenue because as illegal substances they could not be taxed. Anslinger was appointed by Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew W. Mellon and given a budget of $100,000. Anslinger was instrumental in the criminalization of Cannabis. Some of his critics allege that Anslinger, DuPont petrochemical interests and William Randolph Hearst created the highly sensational anti-marijuana campaign to eliminate hemp as an industrial competitor. Indeed, Anslinger did not himself consider marijuana a serious threat to American society until in the fourth year of his tenure (1934), at

which point an anti-marijuana campaign, aimed at alarming the public, became his primary focus as part of the government's broader push to outlaw all drugs. Although Anslinger was the responsible party on behalf of the government, newspaper and timber magnate William Randolph Hearst was instrumental in swaying public perception towards criminalization. Hearst sympathized with Harry J. Anslinger in his war against marijuana. Between 1936 and 1937, Hearst associated marijuana with hemp in his newspapers and published many of the stories that Anslinger fabricated. Hearst played a major part in aiding the antimarijuana movement, leading to its prohibition in the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, a law which also effectively outlawed hemp. It has been argued that Hearst's paper empire (he owned hundreds of acres of timber forests and a vast number of paper mills designed to manufacture paper from wood pulp) in the early 1930s was threatened by hemp, which: 1) like wood pulp, could also be used to manufacture paper and 2) also had an advantage over wood pulp, because it could be grown yearly as well. Pizzitola, Louis (2002). Hearst Over Hollywood: Power, Passion, and Propaganda in the Movies. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11646-2. The sheer number of newspapers, tabloids, magazines and film reels that Hearst controlled enabled him to quickly and to effectively inundate American media with his propaganda. Hearst preyed on existing prejudices by associating Cannabis with Mexican workers who threatened to steal American jobs and African-Americans. The Hearst Media Empire and Anslinger were also responsible for the sensational film Reefer Madness, which portrayed users of the drug as crazed homicidal maniacs. The film was created as a news piece, and to an American public that had just discovered motion pictures, it was all too believable. Hearst was not alone in his scheme to destroy hemp production. The new techniques also made hemp a viable option for fabric and plastics, two areas of manufacturing which seriously threatened the livelihood of DuPont chemicals, which at this time specialized in the chemical manufacturing of synthetic fiber and plastics, and the process of pulping paper. In fact, Hearst and Lammont DuPont had a multi-million dollar deal in the works for joint papermaking. So these two moguls, together with DuPont's banker, Andrew Mellon, bravely joined forces to stave off the bitter onrush of bankruptcy. They combined Hearst's yellow journalism campaign (so

called because the paper developed through his and DuPont's methods aged prematurely) and the appointment of Mellon's nephew-in-law, Anslinger, to Commissioner of the newly created Federal Bureau of Narcotics in order to successfully stamp out the threat of hemp production. Even the average layperson, putting two and two together, should be able to recognize the blueprint of a conspiracy between the federal government and big business. The term War on Drugs was first used by Richard Nixon in 1969. Payan, Tony, The
Three U.S.-Mexico Border Wars Westport, Conn. : Praeger Security International, 2006. p. 23 The term has been used continuously by the United States government and its drug czars since that time. However, On May 13, 2009, Gil Kerlikowske, the current Director of the Office of National Drug

Control Policy, announced that the Obama Administration would not use the term "War on Drugs," as he claims it is counter-productive and is contrary to the policy favoring treatment over incarceration in trying to reduce recreational drug use. Nevertheless, whatever they decide to call it, the war on drugs still exists, at an enormous taxpayer expense. This war is mostly focused on cocaine and Cannabis, despite the knowledge that legalizing cannabis in the United States would cause a drastic reversal of our failing economy. We spend billions of dollars annually on searches, seizures, border checkpoints, trials, incarceration, probation and parole, and the destruction of illegal Cannabis fields. If Cannabis were legalized, the government could regulate its production. It could be grown and packaged domestically, creating thousands of new jobs for displaced U.S. workers. It could be packaged and sold like cigarettes, with filters that would reduce the health risks associated with inhaling particulate matter. The government could then tax each pack, and regulate the sale of Cannabis products to minors. Instead of spending money on Cannabis, the government would profit from it! As far as the financial impact on individual citizens, it would reduce a large amount of our tax burden. And the fact is, people are not going to stop using cannabis, legal or not. Every year an estimated 36 billion dollars of our money is being sent overseas due to illicit purchases. "Marijuana Called Top U.S. Cash Crop". 2008 ABCNews Internet Ventures. http://abcnews.go.com/business/story?id=2735017&page=1. If Cannabis were legalized, this money would stay in domestic markets. The 2008 World Drug Report claims that the average price for a gram of Cannabis in the United States is between $10-15. If Cannabis were legalized,

a pack of 20 cigarettes would be similar in price to a pack of tobacco cigarettes. In addition, legalization would mean even more jobs for domestic growers of hemp, which currently has to be imported. Opponents of legalization point out the health risks associated with smoking Cannabis due to its high burning temperature (700 degrees), and its high volume of particulate matter. They also mention possible cancer risks, and the dangers of driving under the influence. However, if legalized, Cannabis could be sold in filter cigarettes. Filtering or inhaling cannabis through a vaporizer makes it considerably less dangerous than tobacco. And yes it is dangerous to operate a vehicle under the influence of Cannabis, but more so to operate one under the influence of alcohol, which is legal nationwide. Alcohol has a much higher health risk than Cannabis. One estimate of Cannabis's LD50 (the dose that kills half of the subjects) for humans indicates that about 1500 pounds (680 kilograms) of Cannabis would have to be smoked within 15 minutes. This estimate is supported by studies which indicate that the effective dose of THC is at least 1000 times lower than the estimated lethal dose (a safety ratio of 1000:1). This is much higher than alcohol (safety ratio of 10), cocaine (15), or heroin (6). Gable, R.S. (2004), "Comparison of
acute lethal toxicity of commonly abused psychoactive substances Furthermore, many over the

counter drugs are more harmful than Cannabis. No one has ever died from an overdose of Cannabis. However, most households contain a bottle of aspirin, and if you take 20 of them, it will be your last headache! Recently many states have legalized the use and growth of cannabis for medical purposes. However, the federal government does not acknowledge these exceptions, and many state licensed growers have been arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration and convicted in federal court. And while more hemp is exported to the United States than to any other country, the United States government does not consistently distinguish between marijuana and the nonpsychoactive Cannabis used for industrial and commercial purposes. Hemp is illegal to grow in the U.S. under federal law due to its relation to marijuana, and any imported hemp products must meet a zero tolerance level. It is considered a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. As of 2009, nine different states have passes statutes allowing hemp production in defiance of federal law. As of August 2009, Oregon has already issued license for the industrial production of hemp. North Dakota is has taken legal action against the DEA to force the gov-

ernment to recognize the new statutes. The other states are; Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Montana, West Virginia, and Vermont. In conclusion, I believe that we are headed towards a point where the government can no longer defend the criminalization of Cannabis. And as our economy continues to falter, even the most conservative citizens have to recognize the facts. Its time to start utilizing our nations most valuable cash crop for our own gain, not that of our southern neighbors.

Sources;
Stafford, Peter. 1992. Psychedelics Encyclopedia. Berkeley, California, Ronin Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0-914171-51-8 Pizzitola, Louis (2002). Hearst Over Hollywood: Power, Passion, and Propaganda in the Movies. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11646-2 Payan, Tony, The Three U.S.-Mexico Border Wars Westport, Conn. : Praeger Security International, 2006. Gable, R.S. (2004), "Comparison of acute lethal toxicity of commonly abused psychoactive substances "Marijuana Called Top U.S. Cash Crop". 2008 ABCNews Internet Ventures. http://abcnews.go.com/business/story?id=2735017&page=1. "Bard 'used drugs for inspiration'". BBC News (BBC). 2001-03-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1195939.stm. Sid Kirchheimer (July 1, 2003). "Heavy Marijuana Use Doesn't Damage Brain". WebMD Medical News. http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20030701/heavy-marijuana-use-doesntdamage-brain. Hemp and Marijuana: Myths & Realities written by David P. West, Ph.D. for the North American Industrial Hemp Council Stokes, Doug (2005). America's Other War: Terrorizing Colombia. Zed Books. ISBN 1-84277547-2. p. 99 www.balancedpolitics.org/marijuana_legalization.htm economics.about.com/od/incometaxestaxcuts/a/marijuana.htm cgi.cnn.com/US/9601/legalize_drugs