Pot smokers aren't terrorists

the orion ^ | may 5 2004 | Adrian Aguila

[freepatriot32]

Yes, I inhale. I am one of more than 100,000 California medical cannabis patients. I use cannabis, marijuana, pot or whatever you want to call it, to alleviate symptoms from post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorders. Cannabis allows me to forget about my neuroses and live a productive life as a student, volunteer, and activist.

The U.S. government likes to paint cannabis as an evil monster, but that is not true. Most taxpayers are tired of billions of dollars being spent to wage a drug war that's done nothing but widen the profit margin of drug dealers and placed millions of cannabis users in prison. Many people think it's time to legalize cannabis; why does the Drug Enforcement Agency insist on maintaining these outdated laws?

The United States has prohibited cannabis since 1937. Our government created propaganda to scare Americans into criminalizing cannabis. Anti-cannabis ads depicted smokers as crazed criminals, like in the propaganda movie "Reefer Madness."

According to the documentary "Grass," Harry Anslinger was responsible for the spread of horror stories that demonized cannabis users as rapists, violent criminals and murderers. Anslinger, the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics from 1930 to 1962, also stated that cannabis use was spread by racial minorities like black jazz musicians and Chinese and Mexican immigrants. In fact, the term marijuana, a derivative of Maria Juanita -- meaning the Virgin Mary -- was first used by Anslinger as a way to associate the plant with Mexicans.

Before Anslinger got on his anti-cannabis bandwagon, the plant had been used industrially for many purposes: medicines, tonics, a plastic-like material, clothes, ropes and canvas. You could even use it for energy. Farmers used cannabis as a rotation crop because of its natural ability to keep the soil nitrogen rich, reversing soil depletion. Henry Ford even developed a car that had a cannabis-based body that could withstand a crowbar beating without denting. With all its positive uses, it's a mystery why cannabis remains illegal.

People against legalization argue that it is harmful, it kills brain cells, makes you stupid or lazy and, in a catch-22, it should be illegal because it's illegal. These reasons aren't hard to prove irrelevant: The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report "Marijuana and Medicine" said dependence on cannabis is relatively rare and less severe compared to other drugs. Their studies didn't show that cannabis caused brain damage. Check out www.ccrmg.org for more info.

Looking back at prohibition, we realized criminalizing alcohol did not stop consumption but drove it underground, making many people richer through black-market sales. Prohibition made money for corrupt law officials, bootleggers like the Kennedy family and owners of secret speakeasies where people could illegally buy alcohol. Cannabis should not be treated any differently.

Cannabis consumers have families, do volunteer work, pay taxes and -besides a love for the herb -- are law-abiding citizens. Yet they are routinely discriminated against because of their decision to use cannabis for medical, spiritual, social or other personal purposes. Cannabis consumers are not second-class citizens. The discriminatory ban on cannabis use needs to end now.

If cannabis remains illegal, its consumers will be demonized and remain criminalized forever. If the Victory Act passes, cannabis users could be designated as terrorists, along with all illegal drug users, even if you are a medical user. I don't want to find myself being "safe housed" in Guantamano Bay for an indefinite amount of time just because I am vocal and honest about my medicinal marijuana use.

The DEA says cannabis is dangerous. But the only danger I've ever encountered is persecution by our government. We need to stop the elite ruling class from lying about the dangers of cannabis. We need to step up, circulate petitions and vote to pass a new compassionate cannabis law that underscores the need for this helpful plant.

Adrian Aguilar can be reached at

aaguilar@mail.csuchico.edu

[freepatriot32]

here is a link to the bill he is talking about (adobe acrobat document )

http://www.libertythink.com/VICTORYAct.pdf

[Mr. K]

"Cannabis allows me to forget about my neuroses and live a productive life as a student, volunteer, and activist"

yes, but does he have a JOB or are we supporting him

[Onelifetogive]

a productive life as a student, volunteer, and activist.

I think this is an oxymoron...

[jtminton]

Popping popcorn for thread fireworks. . .

[muawiyah]

Yes, marijuana users are terrorists.

[rhombus]

Cannabis allows me to forget about my neuroses and live a productive life as a student, volunteer, and activist.

A student, volunteer, and activist? Sheesh, the second sentence and the author blows all credibility. With activists advocates like this -- who needs enemies?

[freepatriot32]

ping

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Some of the gangs importing the pot from Mexico or Canada may have terrorist ties.

[GrandEagle]

Henry Ford even developed a car that had a cannabis-based body
He has been watching too many Cheech & Chong movies!
Anyone remember "Up in Smoke"?

[Wolfie]

Hemp is still used today in car bodies.

[GrandEagle]

Hemp is still used today in car bodies.
BIG HUMMMM?
Learn something new everyday. Thanks for the info.

[Wolfie]

In Europe, Mercedes uses hemp for their dashboards. VW uses it for various body panels. By 2008, Mercedes plans an entire car body using the stuff. Great market for farmers. Not ours, of course, but at least we have ag subsidies to fall back on.

[headsonpikes]

SBRed - not Short Bussed...hmmm...

[GATOR NAVY]

I'm curious as to how hemp always gets brought up in these arguements. If I'm not mistaken, this dude does not want to smoke the hemp grown for industrial use, and the specialized buds he wants to smoke aren't any good for use as hemp. So we are really talking about 2 different plants.

[Wolfie]

I think his point is that marijuana isn't some new foreign plant, and it certainly wasn't back in the 30's. If the dangers that composed the reasons for it being made illegal were true, the various acts of carnage that were attributed to mairijuana use should have been well documented by the news of the day. Only anectdotes were ever raised.

[Kerberos]

"With all its positive uses, it's a mystery why cannabis remains illegal."

Not really, when prohibition ended they had to do something to keep all of those federal workers employed so they just created a new demon. And then when they figured what a great tool it was to take away rights it was open season. All one needs to make it work is an ignorant public and hey that was already in place.

[barkeep]

Your handle is interesting in itself. Yes, some money spent on imported pot finds its way into terrorist hands, as did money for speakeasy drinks during prohibition.

A) as a legal product, the Columbian narco-terroristas would be as out of luck as a 30's bootlegger.

B) By the best estimates I read, about 50% of hooch consumed in the US is grown in back yards, basements, or spare bedrooms. It has been many years ago, but I speak from experience, the weed is incredibly easy to grow.

Sorry, but banning marijuana is on a par with repealing the law of gravity to aid fuel efficiency. It CAN'T BE DONE. The Columbians have made a good faith effort and it has cost them the lives of their best and brightest. Imagine if we had had any group for any reason come in and assasinate half of our Supreme Court Justices, not to mention the various and sundry mayors, prosecutors and family members of same. All this considered, I am astonished the Columbians bother to pretend to take us seriously anymore.

[Capitalism2003]

Banning marijuana does nothing but cost the government money (courts, prisons) and make bad guys RICH. If we reverse the situation, government could tax it, make a ton of money, and eliminate the deadly black market.

By the way, anyone who has done both knows that alcohol is FAR worse than pot, leading to much greater physical impairment. I say legalize weed, tax it, let people smoke it in their own homes, and raise the penalty for driving under the influence of any drug 1000%. Leave people free to get high/drunk on their own property, but the second they endanger anyone else, they must pay a hefty price.

[barkeep]

Amen, my friend! I know people who have more or less regularly smoked the demon weed for 30 some years and are otherwise responsible, tax-paying, child-raising, volunteering citizens of our community. In that they keep this habit to themselves, in their homes, they don't trouble the law and the law don't trouble them. Having had experience with both over my long and speckled carreer, I will tell you, flatfooted, standing before God incarnate, alcohol will get you in more grief than pot ever thought about

[RMrattlesnake]

No pot smokers are not Terrorist. Anyone who smokes pot can not be smart enough to ever pull off a terrorist act. They are how ever loser and a drag on our culture.