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Drug Laws & Prevention

The legal battle over marijuana use

Cannabis, to pot with it?

What do you think of when someone mentions cannabis? A term associated with Hippies or adolescent trash, resulting in addiction and psychosis! Is it a term used daily without negativity and thought of as relaxing, care free and enjoyable? Whichever stereotype you're buzzing about, the facts are

Cannabis, hash or hemp as it is most commonly known has been high throughout the civilised world for centuries. It matters not how time and governance has changed perception of it, impartially speaking "it is one of the most nutritious seeds in the world". It has been used profusely in the production of food, medicine, fuel, paper, paint, rope, lubricant and a multitude of crafts. Even today it's seeded in society that cannabis can be used to treat those with a range of muscular and nervous disorders, claiming to ease the suffering of millions afflicted with MS, AIDS, epilepsy and asthma to roll out but a few. However in today's society the natural ameliorative plant has been classed as illegal!

The taboo was planted around the early twentieth century in the USA. "The Marihuana Tax Act" was a bill passed on the grounds that marijuana caused "murder, insanity and death". It was introduced to congress by the commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, leading to the criminalization of cannabis. The act did not itself criminalize the possession or usage of cannabis, instead levied a tax on anyone who dealt with it commercially. This included penalties, fines and imprisonment for dealing. It was to effectively make it too risky for anyone to deal in the substance. This was a sharp contrast to legislation in the Eighteenth century. Refusing to grow hemp in America during that period was against the law! "You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769". You could even pay your taxes with it!

Indeed not causing murder, insanity or death, in today's era it is generally accepted that the dangers of marijuana are not as great as claimed and weeding out the dealers and users has proved a hash for authorities. Today's government tries a more subtle message to convince us of their prohibition of nature, producing pesky, overly hysterical, discriminatory anti-cannabis propaganda concerning the harmful effects of marijuana.

The government hadn't finished their pot-shots though, as another act was passed in the late 20th century basically saying no to cannabis, and that according to their research the use of


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