Marijuana has been seen as a terrible drug that destroys lives since the emergence of the 1930's movie Reefer Madness. This movie took all the propaganda that had been instilled in the minds of American's by big tobacco. This movie took all the affect of marijuana and dramatized them to an extent that would frighten the younger generation. This fear of cannabis use stems from the want of big tobacco to keep a monopoly in stress relieving drugs. This ploy stems from the fact that cigarettes are far more dangerous than weed when used over a life time. Tobacco kills millions of people every year through cancer and heart disease, while marijuana has never been proven to hurt anyone. Yet tobacco is legal while marijuana used remains a serious crime. The tobacco industry has gone as far as to fund Truth commercials, a company that has bashed tobacco for numerous years. These commercials intent is for marijuana to be seen as gateway drug or even worse a killer in the public eye. These commercials have kept people from going out and learning about the affects of marijuana, which is much like any other drug. The use of the word drug in this sense is not refering to things like coke or heroine, but instead morphine, claritin, zyrtex. These are all medicines that help people get better, but certain dosages are dangerous to people and certain people can not affectively use these drugs at all. Marijuana is the same way, it affects people differently, much like any medicine the body can build up a tolerance if taken frequently, but that is normally when a doctor with prescribe a higher dosage. Long term use of marijuana, much like morphine, can have male affects on the body if taken in high dosages and frequently. However, unlike some of our legal drugs that do not help with pain and have nothing good to offer the body, once marijuana use has stopped the brain cells that could have been lost through use begin to grow back. Truth commercials and big tobacco don't want people to know that because then they will have lost the battle. If people realized that America is currently being run by the same people that were considered hippies in the 70's then they will have lost the battle. It's about time these propaganda pushers met some resistance and started to be told the real facts as opposed to the ones that stem from a film made in the 1930's, before many medical advances were made.

The history of marijuana extends further than anyone could imagine. Marijuana was first cultivated in China in 400bc. The major use of marijuana has been for medicine. During the 1800s marijuana has been used for any number of things such as food, incense and the weaving of cloth. This plant has not always been socially unacceptable. After the Mexican Revolution of 1910, marijuana was introduced as recreational use due to the mexicans immigranting to the Americas. Eventually marijuana was seen linked to violence during the Great Depression. Throughout most of history cannabis has actually played a major role in the survival of societies. Unlike tobacco or alcohol, marijuana does not cause serious health problems. There has never been a human death attributed to a health problems caused by marijuana. Many people believe that marijuana was made illegal to protect people from a dangerous drug, but little did they know that it was "based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate".

http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html

The first marijuana law was enacted in Jamestown Colony, Virginia in 1619. This law ordered all farmers to grow hemp. Hemp was such a critical crop during the 1600's that the government heavily encouraged its growth. In 1850 there was a total 8,327 hemp plantations. Eventually the idea to smoke marijuana came from the Mexicans. When they brought this plant with them to the US it created the first state law outlawing marijuana. This law came about not because of the Mexicans but of the Mormons using it. The first state marijuana prohibition was established in 1915 by the state of Utah. Several states soon joined including Wyoming, Texas, Iowa, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arkansas, and Nebraska. Since 1996, Alaska, Arizona, Califorinia, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington have all made it legal to possess marijuana as long as it has been recommended by a doctor.Timeline

Harry Anslinger believed that marijuana was a threat to the American citizens. He wanted to stop international drug trafficking. Not to mention the hefty paycheck he would get if he could convince everyone that marijuana was the devil. Here is one of his testimonies on marijuana to the Senate: "There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."

"...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."

"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."

"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."

"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind." http://www.heartbone.com/no_thugs/hja.htm

Those who smoke marijuana act the same way and have the same goals as those who don't smoke hemp. Everyone pays taxes, work hard to support family, and show affection towards their loved ones. The only difference is that those who smoke marijuana are treated as criminals and are arrested for their recreational drug of choice. Also agencies believe that children of marijuana smokers are in danger. This results to placing those children into foster care. All of this causes much suffering and pain to those families just because they decided to use a drug. They aren't hurting anyone. It would be a different story if they abused their loved ones, murdered or even raped someone but this isn't the case.

Even though marijuana has been proven to be less harmful than cigarettes, it still has it's negative physical and psychological effects. There have been many claims that cannabis could alter one's brain structure and kill brain cells. But so far all studies have shown no diminishing effects to the mind. Smoking marijuana has also been said to cause low sperm count. But this disability has no effect on fertilization, and as soon as the cannabis intake ceases, so does the loss of sperm... no harm done. Of course inhaling anything besides oxygen is not good for the lungs, but this is not the only way to experience marijuana's desirable effects. For centuries, the Middle Eastern countries have been consuming the plant by means of teas and food, avoiding the carcinogenicity of the smoke. The "high" from marijuana lasts from 2 to 4 hours and when taken in high doses, can cause hallucinations. The only difference you will be able to find between a sober person and someone who has just smoked the reefer is the inhibition of short term memory and unclear thoughts. The long term effects include the so-called "amotivational syndrome," the loss of interest in schoolwork, society, and pretty much life. But since the same "syndrome" can be found in non-marijuana smokers, this is not a proven symptom.

So now that you have the facts, the history, and truth about marijuana do you think it's as bad as some politicians make it out to be? Do you think it could do more harm than good? It's up to you to form your own opinion, but we hope that this explanation of why we think the way we do can help you form your own opinion about "reefer madness."

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