Cannabis hemp would be heralded as the number one resource in the world if it had not been for the smear campaign of Harry J Anslinger, who is regarded as one of the prime pioneers for the war on drugs. Along with Mr. Anslinger, Richard Nixon is a culprit in continuing the war on marijuana picking up where Harry ended his tenure at the Bureau of Narcotics in 1964.
This renewable resource would have played an integral role in making our world greener and reducing the problems we have today as a society. For example, “one acre of hemp produces four times more paper than one acre of tree does” (Locker 1).
Cannabis hemp was perceived as a threat to big business of the oil, plastic, paper industries along with the DuPont family and other wealthy men due to their scarcity mindset which blanketed our world with lies from this God given plant.
In addition, with the prior point made above it is important to note that the progression of the culture resides within the public instead of the Republic of the United States. The power that reformers hold along with voters, trumps any pull that Congress or the government perceives to have. It is quite often that it seems that the government has the final say so in how the fabrics of our society are woven together but even “activists…rely largely on voter support to enact legalization” (Lopez 2022).
The major industries who sought to outlaw cannabis hemp accompanied with men like, William Hearst and Andew Mellon, single-handedly stopped the advancement of cannabis hemp being that there is 25,000 products and counting that can be made from hemp.
Which if legalized would open a new a market share to potential business owners, decrease unemployment with the influx of demand for workers in hemp as well as provide a better eco friendly environment for our future generations. The yellow journalism that cannabis hemp was a victim to may have jeopardized our future and life as we know it when hemp provides a cleaner alternative to our Earth.
“Americans support marijuana legalization, but many of their political leaders do not...” is still the common theme that lives on today (Lopez 2022). The vicious onslaught that Harry J. Anslinger and Richard Nixon brought against the legalization of marijuana cemented how a lot of society and culture in general thinks about marijuana even if the public is not aware of it. Their guild of deception to mislead the public about the benefits and lucrative modalities of marijuana did not withstand as well as they intended. Just “a decade ago, no American lived in a state where marijuana was legal to smoke, vape or eat recreationally. Today, nearly half of Americans do or will soon” (Lopez 2022).
“Legalization may not make major news often anymore” but the progression made by voters is a phenomenon to marvel at (Lopez 2022). “Lawmakers’ opposition has led activists to rely largely on voter support to enact legalization...” (Lopez 2022) blatantly shows that the true advancement of society is on the onus of the people rather than Congress or the government. A system that will outright condemn a better alternative for the public with sound supporting evidence.
The point to make here is that no matter how hard anti-reformers or the government pushes back on the legalization of marijuana, the greater good of the public who believes in it will prevail.
Sources
Alleger, Mary. “Cannabis - The United States of America 1800s - 1950s.” Hocking | Blackboard, Amie Pottmeyer, 24 Oct. 2022, https://hocking.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_7183_1/outline/edit/document/_398466_1?courseId=_7183_1.
Glass, Andrew. “Richard Nixon Born in Yorba Linda, Calif., Jan. 9, 1913.” POLITICO, POLITICO, 9 Jan. 2019, https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/09/richard-nixon-born-1913-1083302.
Locker, Melissa. “9 Industries Being Disrupted by Cannabis and CBD - Fast Company.” Fastcompany.com, Fast Company & Inc © 2022, 17 Apr. 2019, https://www.fastcompany.com/90336298/9-industries-being-disrupted-by-cannabis-and-cbd.
Lopez, German. “Marijuana Majority.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Nov. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/briefing/legal-weed-marijuana.html.
Smith, Laura. “How a Racist Hate-Monger Masterminded America's War on Drugs.” Medium, Timeline, 28 Feb. 2018, https://timeline.com/harry-anslinger-racist-war-on-drugs-prison-industrial-complex-fb5cbc281189.