Comment Re:Adding a reference to that (Score 1) 398
I looked up some information about your statement. Having never used it myself, I speak only from talking to others and from research. Found some interesting facts to support your text:
From reading a couple articles (including the linked one above, it appears that there was a perfect storm of 'enemies' to the use of the plant including:
- -Incidents of poisoning from individuals that laced the drug with other substances
- -North / South rivalry (Prohibition hurt the south and forced other alternatives)
- -Competition and propoganda by Alcohol industry
- -Prejudice against certain groups who were more frequent users (Mexican and African Americans)
- -Overall "prohibition" attitude that believed society could be whitewashed by laws to fix various societal issues.
Not only did opinion turn against the plant in the early 20th century, but it actually turned opposite of the historical stance. There was a point in certain colonies that people were punished if they did not grow the plant.
Most people would agree that this is not a "poison" as some see it. They would also acknowledge that classifying meth as less dangerous than pot can't be attributed to science in any way. Clearly, the schedule system imposed by the FDA and DEA is flawed and influenced by politics. Even for someone who feels it should be banned, they could at least be intellectually honest enough to say their ranking of pot as more dangerous than meth is flawed.
But on the other hand, the drug war is big business right now. According to the Bureau of Justice, drug offenses account for about a quarter of all reasons for incarceration. Not only that, but 1 in 8 state employees in the country are employees of a corrections agency.
It seems to me that there are a lot of people with a vested interest in not reexamining the issue and in keeping the status quo. Obviously, people have important concerns about health and what you put in your body. I just wish we could focus on more facts and less politics so people could make the decisions based on more than just waves of political opinion.