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by jjtsbabygirl22 on March 16th, 2004

jjtsbabygirl22

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Why exactly is marijuana illegal?

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  • by Merry Walker on June 24th, 2004

    Merry Walker

    Originally, hemp was a very important cash crop (though not the way marijuana is today). It was a source of fiber that was used for rope, paper, and fabric. For many years hempseed oil was a primary oil used for lighting. In fact, one historian notes that prior to 1830, hemp was the most traded commodity in the world.

    Strange as it may seem, the American cotton industry was one of the major players in getting marijuana/hemp outlawed. Through most of history cotton was a fiber only for the very wealthy, and even then most would not have been able to afford a garmet made completely of cotton. The development of the cotton gin in the late 1700s made cotton fiber much cheaper to produce. King Cotton came to power, but still had to compete with hemp. Then the development of the hemp decorticator in the 1930s brought the cost of harvesting hemp down dramatically, and it began to threaten King Cotton's superiority in the American marketplace. (Understandably so. Hemp is a superior fiber, is much easier to grow, and has a host of other benefits, even when grown without THC.) As a consequence, the American cotton industry was behind much of the propoganda and lobbying to outlaw marijuana, as a way to eleminate hemp.

    Just as there were many odd and disparate factors that led to marijuana being initially outlawed in the US, there are many odd and disparate factors that keep it illegal, despite the incredible benefits industrial hemp could offer the American economy. It's said that one of the largest lobbies against legalizing marijuana is the large-scale pot growers. While this seems counter-intuitive, large-scale growers realize that if marijuana is legalized and readily available, the price will drop significantly and pot would no longer bring them the high prices it currently does. But perhaps the biggest factor keeping marijuana illegal is the amount of money and political power that is currently tied up in the soi-disant "war on drugs." Despite the government's own figures showing that the interdiction methods currently used are the most expensive and least effective, there is no indication that they plan to change their tactics. To do so would upset the huge apple-cart they've built.

    This is only a limited glimpse of some of the factors that led to marijuana becoming and staying illegal. It's a fascinating study, and provides critical insight into how and why our government does things.

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