Marijuana. Stinking Filthy Disgusting Marijuana. Your Church

Marijuana. Stinking filthy disgusting marijuana. Your church says it s the Devil s tool. Your government says it directly accounts for almost all crime and skumbags on the streets. Your teachers said just say no. Your grandmother says it s a dirty Mexican drug. But the question is: what do you think about it? Did you ever actually have a chance, or the educated means, to make an informed decision and personal policy on marijuana? Or did you just follow the judicial trend? You pick up this article and furrow your brow; maybe this article could really help you out. Afterall, you re smart enough to look past the stigmas and stereotypes for a moment to see the bigger picture. *** From the federal government s point of view,†¦show more content†¦*** Also consider the historical context behind this war against marijuana. When the first laws against marijuana use were enacted in 1915, it was a reaction against the Mexican immigrants, the Mormons, and the African American jaz z musicians. At a congressional hearing, Texas legislator Harry Anslinger testified, All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy! The whole congregation just nodded their heads. If that isn t blatant racism, then what is? In Utah, half of the Mormons left to Mexico once polygamy was publicly denounced by the head of the church; when these Mormon missionaries came back with their new drug and Mexicans, they were met with harsh criticism and new laws. In 1947, Anslinger wrote in a letter to another legislator, Jazz musicians aren t good musicians; we re going to round the up, but we need more agents. At this time, doctors tested marijuana on dogs (for reasons they couldn t even explain); congressional hearings lasted twenty minutes at most; women on death row were latching onto the drug as a plea bargain; and after the Korean and Cold Wars, fighting drugs became a campaign to unite the country against a common evil. *** Today, marijuana prohibiti on symbolizes many things. It s a way for the US Government to shirk responsibility for social problems like unemployment,