Why is Cannabis Illegal?

[hardboiled]

the tax thing: I think of it for personal consumption. Booze has had 70 years since prohibition to brand itself, and become part of the culture.

People home brew, but its' more of a pain in the ass, compared to what 10e can buy. Growing a tobacco plant sucks, and Starbucks tastes good. Some commodities ship through borders - and attract tax. That's the way trade works.

But a person with a 3'x3'metre space can put out some dang fine herb, and never have to report. Weeds are too easy to grow.

imho

[NirvanaEJ]

the tax thing: I think of it for personal consumption. Booze has had 70 years since prohibition to brand itself, and become part of the culture.

People home brew, but its' more of a pain in the ass, compared to what 10e can buy. Growing a tobacco plant sucks, and Starbucks tastes good. Some commodities ship through borders - and attract tax. That's the way trade works.

But a person with a 3'x3'metre space can put out some dang fine herb, and never have to report. Weeds are too easy to grow.

imho

i give you that but i think most ppl are much more attracted to going to a store and buying a bag or a pack of joints. sure some ppl will always grow bec thats the culture that has grown around it, but you also have those who are accustomed to buying something ready to go and not having to put in months, space, and money into a grow. they want to buy a bag and just smoke away. imo, peace

[sonicblue]

I think it is fear. People have been taught to be afraid of marijuana and those who enjoy it. Fearful people want protection from the thing that they are afraid of. Governments are seen as the protectors thus gain control and income. The greater the fear a government can create in those it wishes to control the more power that governemnt will have.

It seems sometimes people don't even know what or why they are afraid of marijuana. They will recall a media hook like "just say no" or "this is your brain on drugs", etc.. That is as far as their thinking will go. People are taught to ignore the effects of common household drugs and activities in life. Simple everyday things like skiing or aspirin people die from all the time but are people afraid or think such things as evil? For the most part no.

People's fear of marijuana is artificial. Enjoying marijuana can have it's risk along with the rewards but that seems to be the nature of things in general. Recently, a famous actress Natasha Richardson died skiing. Are people demanding to close the ski slopes, arrest skiers, mandatory penalties on ski equipment suppliers? What about driving, flying, swimming, biking and ect., etc.? People die everyday doing things they enjoy yet we do not make them illegal because people do not have a fabricated fear of these things.

It's time for people to shed their fear of marijuana and for governments to look elsewhere for a control point. Well, with all this said I think it's time for a puff or two don't ya think? It's a nice night so off to the park I go. There is a really, really good chance I will not be injured to the point where I will not be able to enjoy the next quarter century of my life.

[Trichome_Dense]

Following a series of links linked to links from this forum, a youtube video explained (at least partly) why governments around the world have not made cannabis legal. The main reason being, profits obtained from commodities which cannabis could replace, and cannabis as a plant is available to everyone. The profits add up to billions of dollars.

I have no idea if this is true, but would at least entertain it.

A further video by the same youtube user shows the relative dangers of cannabis compared to other drugs including alcohol and caffeine. Cannabis being the lowest in all categories.

It seems strange how these other more harmful drugs are legal, but cannabis isn't.

Dear Lampshade - The real and primary reason why Cannabis is ILLEGAL is because a jealous American company called DuPont wanted all clothing to be made by man made fibres back in 1920's (lycra/spandex and a host of other everyday fabrics - all owned by this one company!) - So, they paid off the american govt to pass a bill which outlaws the Hemp plant totally - allowing DuPont to monopolise americans clothing market. It had nothing to do wirth the effect of cannabis on the mind - people been smoking for millenia. Aint nothing new...

If you differ on this view, I implore you to look into this. I'm only touching on the subject - I can guarantee much of what you find will make you cringe... Governments are as bent as Grandma Goonies Spliff!

[SoulRider]

the tax thing: I think of it for personal consumption. Booze has had 70 years since prohibition to brand itself, and become part of the culture.

People home brew, but its' more of a pain in the ass, compared to what 10e can buy. Growing a tobacco plant sucks, and Starbucks tastes good. Some commodities ship through borders - and attract tax. That's the way trade works.

But a person with a 3'x3'metre space can put out some dang fine herb, and never have to report. Weeds are too easy to grow.

imho

i give you that but i think most ppl are much more attracted to going to a store and buying a bag or a pack of joints. sure some ppl will always grow bec thats the culture that has grown around it, but you also have those who are accustomed to buying something ready to go and not having to put in months, space, and money into a grow. they want to buy a bag and just smoke away. imo, peace

Yes NirvanaEJ, but the few who will be attracted to growing, will then grow it for their friends who don't want to/can't, and the net effect is the same. Weed is not taxable. The other drugs certainly are, but legalisation of weed would bring no tax income once the first few crops have grown out

[SoulRider]

Dear Lampshade - The real and primary reason why Cannabis is ILLEGAL is because a jealous American company called DuPont wanted all clothing to be made by man made fibres back in 1920's (lycra/spandex and a host of other everyday fabrics - all owned by this one company!) - So, they paid off the american govt to pass a bill which outlaws the Hemp plant totally - allowing DuPont to monopolise americans clothing market. It had nothing to do wirth the effect of cannabis on the mind - people been smoking for millenia. Aint nothing new...

If you differ on this view, I implore you to look into this. I'm only touching on the subject - I can guarantee much of what you find will make you cringe... Governments are as bent as Grandma Goonies Spliff!

Unfortunately Trichome Dense, your answer is one minor part of a multitude of things. It was not one individual reason that Marijuana is illegal, it is a combination of many different things. If hemp was only outlawed because Nylon was invented and it was to make all fabrics, then why the fuck didn't they outlaw cotton at the same time? Nylon is just one of a fuck load of reasons including rascism towards the mexicans, the invention of Aspirin, all these things and many more had an effect on the situation.

[NirvanaEJ]

the tax thing: I think of it for personal consumption. Booze has had 70 years since prohibition to brand itself, and become part of the culture.

People home brew, but its' more of a pain in the ass, compared to what 10e can buy. Growing a tobacco plant sucks, and Starbucks tastes good. Some commodities ship through borders - and attract tax. That's the way trade works.

But a person with a 3'x3'metre space can put out some dang fine herb, and never have to report. Weeds are too easy to grow.

imho

i give you that but i think most ppl are much more attracted to going to a store and buying a bag or a pack of joints. sure some ppl will always grow bec thats the culture that has grown around it, but you also have those who are accustomed to buying something ready to go and not having to put in months, space, and money into a grow. they want to buy a bag and just smoke away. imo, peace

Yes NirvanaEJ, but the few who will be attracted to growing, will then grow it for their friends who don't want to/can't, and the net effect is the same. Weed is not taxable. The other drugs certainly are, but legalisation of weed would bring no tax income once the first few crops have grown out

just to play devils advocate, even if people did grow on their own, could the government not charge for a license like they do with marriage,fishing, driving, gun ownership...i dunno lets say they would charge $100 a year for a cannabis growning license, just a thought, IMO peace

[Boner]

The governments could tax all the growing equipment/nutes a little bit higher than the standard vat, that way they would in a fashion be taxing the grows/weed.

[Trichome_Dense]

Dear Lampshade - The real and primary reason why Cannabis is ILLEGAL is because a jealous American company called DuPont wanted all clothing to be made by man made fibres back in 1920's (lycra/spandex and a host of other everyday fabrics - all owned by this one company!) - So, they paid off the american govt to pass a bill which outlaws the Hemp plant totally - allowing DuPont to monopolise americans clothing market. It had nothing to do wirth the effect of cannabis on the mind - people been smoking for millenia. Aint nothing new...

If you differ on this view, I implore you to look into this. I'm only touching on the subject - I can guarantee much of what you find will make you cringe... Governments are as bent as Grandma Goonies Spliff!

Unfortunately Trichome Dense, your answer is one minor part of a multitude of things. It was not one individual reason that Marijuana is illegal, it is a combination of many different things. If hemp was only outlawed because Nylon was invented and it was to make all fabrics, then why the fuck didn't they outlaw cotton at the same time? Nylon is just one of a fuck load of reasons including rascism towards the mexicans, the invention of Aspirin, all these things and many more had an effect on the situation.

Ah - so you have touched on this...

Coincidentally - DuPont own more cotton farms then any one company in the world. They use lycra fibres to blend with cotton. The same cotton farms - used to be (guess what?) cannabis farms before they were bought out by DuPont!

Yes yes yes...many reasons why they wanted to outlaw cannabis - but the one which carried any weight to it was DuPonts very tempting offer to the govt of the USofA.... The other reasons only served as more weight to DuPonts argument!

[Trichome_Dense]

The governments could tax all the growing equipment/nutes a little bit higher than the standard vat, that way they would in a fashion be taxing the grows/weed.

Boner - I had the same effin thought - but lost it coz I was buzzing. Thanks dude...

Great minds - smoke weed!

[BARBIE]

When the Government realizes that they can make Billions of pounds in controlled growth and controlled selling of this amazing drug, believe me it will be legalized and in our lifetime..

Crack, Heroine all that gash shite that people kill themselves with will take up far to much time they will have to tottaly decriminalize it.. And make a packet controlling who grows it and how its sold..

Via a chemist sort of store... seriously this will happen.. but then the market will be flooded with growers or wannabe growers, briinging the price down, and the quality up...

BRILLIANT..

[Trichome_Dense]

When the Government realizes that they can make Billions of pounds in controlled growth and controlled selling of this amazing drug, believe me it will be legalized and in our lifetime..
Crack, Heroine all that gash shite that people kill themselves with will take up far to much time they will have to tottaly decriminalize it.. And make a packet controlling who grows it and how its sold..

Via a chemist sort of store... seriously this will happen.. but then the market will be flooded with growers or wannabe growers, briinging the price down, and the quality up...

BRILLIANT..

That is a very optimistic point of view, thing is - I have no doubt that the government has known exactly how much money it could have made - has known for some time... Ever heard of ignorance? it's a desease which affects the upper echelons of society - coincidentally - these are the very same decision makers of today, so untill we create awareness campains which even the "ignorant" will have to address - I'm afraid I can't really see it happening... But on medical grounds.

So we have to prove cannabis legal through it's application of medicine forst, enjoyment second! Not the other way round...

[fireball01e]

It is illegal because goverments are slowly clamping down on everything which gets us out of it; Cause the more we take, the less we work, the less we work, the less money we make, the less money we make, the less the tax man gets and the less they get, gordon brown cant buy his new sports car and his new house. Get it!
< Diplicting the fact im as peved as everybody else!

[sh@dy]

I dont know why people think tobacco is hard to grow....its as simple as putting the seed into the earth...done! with good earth and sun you dont need to do much about it. people are just too lazy to grow it (we will do so this year ) and the other thing is, it is illegal to grow it (at least here in germany it is).

[Trichome_Dense]

I dont know why people think tobacco is hard to grow....its as simple as putting the seed into the earth...done! with good earth and sun you dont need to do much about it. people are just too lazy to grow it (we will do so this year ) and the other thing is, it is illegal to grow it (at least here in germany it is).

Cant grow your own tobacco in Germany - I could understand cannabis but tobacco?

That is just wrong - fuck em!