19 Is there a lesson to be learned from all this? (Well why aren't we using hemp, then?)
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This article is from the Hemp / Cannabis / Marijuana FAQ, by Brian S. Julin verdant@twain.ucs.umass.edu with numerous contributions by others.
19 Is there a lesson to be learned from all this? (Well why aren't we using hemp, then?)
Several. The first is that hate does not pay. It is
ironic that the racism of the American people would end up
hurting them this way -- a sort of divine justice if you
will. Because Americans were blinded by fear, hatred, and
intolerance of other races, they allowed a prosperous future
to slip between their fingers. Another thing this whole
history tells us is that Americans need to take Democracy
more seriously. If they had devoted more of their time to
informing themselves about the world around them, they would
have known what the real issues were. Instead they read the
tabloids -- look where that has gotten us. Finally, now
that we have put marijuana prohibition into historical
context, we can see clearly that it had nothing to do with
public safety, or national security, or what have you. By
all rights, marijuana should not have been made illegal in
the first place. If today prohibition still has no rational
basis to stand on, then let us repeal it.
One point which bears emphasizing is this: the laws which
are passed in this country may not mean what they say on
paper. Historically the United States has a long record of
passing laws with ulterior motives. Even when there is no
ulterior motive, though, passing laws which are not specific
enough leads to abuse. Most of our tough drug laws are like
this -- enacted to fight drug kingpins, but enforced against
casual drug users and small-time drug dealers. In fact,
most of these laws never even get used against a real drug
kingpin, and the first people prosecuted under the statutes
are not what the legislators had in mind. If this upsets
you, you should pay more attention to what goes on in your
legislature.
``Manufacturing Consent'' by Noam Chomsky pub data pending.
``Marijuana Laws: A Need for Reform'' by Roger Allan Glasgow in
``Arkansas Law review'' Vol. 22 Iss. 340 pp. 359-375.
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