Prohibition!!

Did you ever wonder what it might have been like to live in the days of Prohibition ? Then look around you...chances are, if you were born after 1937, you have been living during Prohibition your whole life. It may not look so strange to you because it's all you have ever known...it's just the norm. But this is different from that OTHER Prohibition. For one, it's not actually called Prohibition but a WAR! Curious...why would whole nations make war against a plant!? Or is it only against the citizens who would grow, use, and sell the plant? Perhaps you would ask yourself why that is. Maybe you don't think that your well-known government officials would stand there on the TV machine and deliberately tell you lie after lie, with a straight face. But they do so all too often. It's easy enough to understand how some folk conclude that "every word that uttereth from their mouth is a lie".

The specific thing I speak of here is the hemp plant. More specifically, why it has been, for 74 years, "Illegal". How it is that one can be sent to prison for many years merely for the growing or possession of the plant. Yet this same plant has been used by humans for all kinds of things for at least 7000 years. It is absolutely THE single most useful plant on this world. Just FYI, I am not a "pothead". I have seldom smoked it and did not like it myself, when I did. But we should take note that there are two specific threads that relate to this plant...the fact that some people like to ingest it in various ways medicinally and recreationally, and the fact of the plant's overall usefulness. One might think that, aside from the government's 'war on drugs', they would at least acknowledge the other benefits of it. They lie about all that too. Why?

I highly recommend you watch the video Hemp War Conspiracy. Never mind that it has the word "conspiracy" in the title...if you watch it, surely the "conspiracy" will be abundantly obvious, although the reasons it persists may not be clear. You may note that the highlighted person in the video is Jack Herer. He is the man who wrote the book "The Emperor Wears No Clothes". The video mentions that he has a $50,000 offer to anyone who can prove the claims and statements made in the book are not true. That offer is now $100,000. From Chapter 1 of the book:

"Benjamin Franklin started one of America's first paper mills with cannabis. This allowed America to have a free colonial press without having to beg or justify the need for paper and books from England."

"From more than 1,000 years before the time of Christ until 1883 A.D., cannabis hemp, indeed, marijuana was our planet's largest agricultural crop and most important industry, involving thousands of products and enterprises; producing the overall majority of Earth's fiber, fabric, lighting oil, paper, incense and medicines. In addition, it was a primary source of essential food oil and protein for humans and animals."

And suddenly...in the 1930's, it is illegal, complete with national newspaper 'coverage' of how the 'demon weed' drives people crazy with lust, laughter and other 'undesirable' behaviors; propaganda films that would make Her Goebbels proud.... why? Do you know who William Randolph Hearst was? He was both a publishing magnate and a politician. How about his friend Harry Anslinger? He was the first Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) in 1930. Again, why?

For most regular folk, it might seem a really stupid thing that such an incredibly versatile and useful plant would be declared illegal, especially in a country in which, at one time, the nation's Founding Fathers grew it on plantations, one could pay his taxes with it. But remember, politicians and businessmen are seldom truthful and honest. They are not stupid. They know very well the wonderful possibilities this plant offers in virtually every major aspect of life, from transportation to medicine to the building and textile industries. Dupont, Monsanto, and other chemical industry giants would surely oppose legalizing the industrial growing of hemp. So would the oil industry. So would the timber/paper industry.

Although there are small pockets here and there where one might ostensibly not be arrested for marijuana growth, possession, use or sales, you certainly should never count on that because all these remain Federal crimes and Federal law always trumps all other laws. In June of this year, Barney Frank and Ron Paul sponsored a bill that "...would limit the federal government's role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or inter-state smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal..." Nonetheless, even though "[m]ore than a dozen states allow the sale of medical marijuana, ... the practice is not legal under federal law, leading to confusion and clashes between local and federal authorities."> Source.

So, what can you do about it, assuming you would like to? First...education. Teach yourself factually correct information about the plant, its uses, its history, the reasons for its current illegality, etc. Second, pass the word on to everyone you think might care about such a thing as truth and honesty. Third, if you are the sort of person who thinks voting and writing to your Congressman is helpful, by all means do so. Fourth, join as many public web sites, demonstrations, etc. as possible. What would REALLY have an impact is if every person everywhere who had access to a piece of ground planted as many marijuana plants as possible, not hidden in the woods some where but on front lawns and in pots on porches and in window boxes all across America. Even now, they do not have jail space for 100,000,000 people.

Ask yourself why "they" want to keep marijuana illegal, when the supporters of legalization include not merely "potheads", but former Presidents (Jimmy Carter), members of Congress (Ron Paul, Barney Frank), and even a former Surgeon General (Joycelyn Elders).

I recommend:

Hemp War Conspiracy (video)

The Emperor Wears No Clothes (book) You can read the entire book, free, online at Jack Herer's site.

Jack Herer's web site

Marijuana Propaganda Movies Three interesting ones called, 'Devil's Harvest', 'Assassin of Youth', and 'Reefer Madness'.

NORML

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do (book) by Peter McWilliams. You can get it through Amazon for a few cents plus shipping. Beside marijuana use, talks about other victimless crimes such as prostitution.

Legally speaking, if you are an adult you are free to engage in sex with any other consenting adult...unless there is money exchanged. What does that tell you?

Carry on...

TRB