Cannabis

[Thomas Vu]

You're right. I'm interested in the step ahead and rather than making it about whether or not to follow the law or not, I'm more interested in why the law exists in the first place.

[pw405]

You're right. I'm interested in the step ahead and rather than making it about whether or not to follow the law or not, I'm more interested in why the law exists in the first place.

Some say it was made illegal to give police more reasons to jail hippies & minorities. From Harry Anslinger, the head of (what became) the DEA:

"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., 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.”

“Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”

Others feel that there is a conspiracy type situation with Big Pharma. That if cannabis were to become legal, it would put a dent in Big Pharma's pockets.

People also believe that "Big Beer" lobbies hard against cannabis legalization because if people are getting stoned, they won't get as drunk. From my experiences in college, this is far from the truth. Many people love getting drunk and high.

I look at the situation like this: The most powerful government in the history of civilization has spent decades & Billions of tax payer dollars trying to "get weed off the street". It never sticks. Weed remains available in all cities. Why, you might ask? Simple market forces. Let's say the DEA busts the largest pot dealer in OKC. What happens? A supply shortage. The supply shortage creates new incentives to fill the void. New people become drug dealers. The black market is, after all, a market.

In my mind, keeping cannabis illegal is nothing more than a stance to indicate you support the black market and want cartels to remain in power. Illegal pot is not taxed, is sold to children, and has zero regulation.

Let's let police focus on more pressing matters. Let's collect tax on this market. Let's create jobs for new stores, growers, breeders, and supply shops. Let's improve the lives of cancer patients, chronic pain patients, veterans, and the elderly.

Or?... We can spend our tax dollars arresting people who are within proximity of the flower of a particular plant.

A quote that may resonate with the more religious groups: "When god put cannabis on this earth, he didn't need the government to step in and correct his mistake".

[bchris02]

Some say it was made illegal to give police more reasons to jail hippies & minorities. From Harry Anslinger, the head of (what became) the DEA:

"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., 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.”

“Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”

Bingo.

While Big Pharma, the private prison industry, Big Beer, etc all may have various levels of influence in terms of why it stays illegal, bottom line is that it's illegal because the fundamentalist churches are against it. Marijuana is typically associated with things that white-bread fundamentalist evangelicals detest, specifically the hippie movement and social liberalism. Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign and the demonization of marijuana during the 1980s also still strongly echoes among conservatives. Even today, my guess is that cannabis consumers are more liberal and less religious on average than the general population. I like the quote about "God created cannabis and didn't need government to correct his mistake" but it doesn't hold water with most conservatives since they will bring up how today's cannabis has many times more THC in it than the natural plant did. How true that is, I am not sure, but it's an argument you hear often from the religious crowd for why it should stay illegal.

There is also a racial aspect to it. This is clear when you see how unevenly enforced marijuana laws are.

[pw405]

Bingo.
There is also a racial aspect to it. This is clear when you see how unevenly enforced marijuana laws are.

To me, this is the biggest tragedy of prohibition. Statistics show that white & black population use marijuana at roughly the same rate, but black users are something like 400% more likely to be arrested for it. As a white male, I'll never know first-hand what that discrimination is like, but I can only imagine how disenfranchised it would make somebody feel.

There are so many reasons that cannabis shouldn't be illegal. Please encourage everybody you know to REGISTER and vote for the state question. I've been spreading the word and trying to get as many people as possible to register. With OK's abysmal voter turnout, we DO have a chance to get this passed. Especially important to discuss with older voters as well. One doesn't have to like getting high in order to see the problems illegal cannabis creates for our law enforcement and criminal justice system in general.

Many people know somebody who has been effected by the opiate epidemic. I've lost two friends, and seen about a dozen or so via Facebook network who have died. In states where marijuana is legally available, statistics are showing a decrease in opiate related deaths & use rates. The US needs every tool available to fight the opiate epidemic, and cannabis is valuable in this fight. The opiate epidemic isn't limited to young liberals.

I would even be ok with an additional tax on cannabis if it helped fund the state government.

The most powerful weapon against the cartels is to end prohibition.

[ctchandler]

You're right. I'm interested in the step ahead and rather than making it about whether or not to follow the law or not, I'm more interested in why the law exists in the first place.

Actually, "why" is immaterial, if it needs to be changed/eliminated, that's what we should be concerned about. I see mixed results from Colorado but that's not exactly the state to use as a measuring stick. For selfish reasons, I'm ready for a change in Oklahoma but I'm afraid I won't live long enough to see it happen.
C. T.

[Thomas Vu]

Actually, "why" is immaterial, if it needs to be changed/eliminated, that's what we should be concerned about. I see mixed results from Colorado but that's not exactly the state to use as a measuring stick. For selfish reasons, I'm ready for a change in Oklahoma but I'm afraid I won't live long enough to see it happen.
C. T.

You're right. You win. Congratulations.

[ctchandler]

You're right. You win. Congratulations.

Thanks I think. Not sure how I'm winning. I hope you are right though. Maybe I will live long enough. I am approaching a day that I didn't think would happen. Wednesday I will have lived as long as my dad. With my C. O. P. D. and A-fib I didn't think I would. I suppose I should knock on wood, anything can happen in two days. And no, I'm not a pessimist nor am I superstitious, so knocking on wood isn't something I plan on doing.
C. T.