A brief history of Marijuana Prohibition in honor of 4/20

[Logic]

In honor of today's date, let's take a moment to discuss the two guys below: Harry J Anslinger on the left and William Randolph Hearst on the right. I promise it'll be interesting and informative, and maybe give you something to do while you poop or avoid your loved ones.

Just look at these guys. First, Anslinger: Harry Anslinger was the head of the Federal Bureau of Drugs and Narcotics in the U.S. during the years of alcohol prohibition. After years of claiming that cannabis was completely harmless, a funny thing happened -- alcohol prohibition ended, leaving Anslinger's department largely without purpose. Deciding they needed a NEW money-making venture and way of keeping their department staffed, they endeavored to demonize and illegalize the cannabis plant. They began creating propaganda calling cannabis "the devil's drug!" and stating "It kills sons and steals daughters!". They even created a new, racist term for the plant: Marijuana. This term allowed the propagandists to play into America's xenophobia by tying the plant to alleged crime committed by Mexican-American and African-American populations. A popular claim of the day was that "black Jazz Musicians" would smoke cannabis, become violent, and then storm from house to house, stealing and raping white women. Really. This is what they claimed. The result of years of this damaging and absurd propaganda? The passage of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which effectively illegalized cannabis federally for the first time.

Fast forward just a tad bit to William Randolph Hearst. Hearst developed the largest newspaper publisher in the country in the early 1900s, called Hearst Communications. When a 1938 Popular Mechanics article touted hemp as the next great miracle crop for the United States, touting its industrial uses as a highly efficient means of producing paper and textiles, Hearst panicked. Owing so much of his wealth to publishing, he was highly invested in the traditional pulp paper industry. As such, hemp presented a MAJOR threat to his business interests. His response? To use his own vast stores of wealth to contribute to the propaganda efforts and to influence government officials to ensure that even the industrially useful, non-intoxicating male cannabis plants become illegal.

The end result of these two men's selfishly motivated, dishonest, and corrupt meddling in the subject of cannabis? A complete federal prohibition that lasts to this day. They effectively deprived millions of American citizens of a highly safe and effective medicine, while ALSO depriving American industry of a more efficient means of paper and textile production, thus propagating the environmentally damaging practices of mass deforestation and exploitation of third world labor and resources. If that weren't enough, they also directly contributed to the ruination of millions of American lives due to excessively long incarcerations or death at the hands of the disastrous War On Drugs.

If you've read this far, thank you! I'm just about done. All I really want to say is ***** these guys! ***** them both. They're the absolute worst. It's hard to imagine doing SO MUCH damage to your country in one lifetime and negatively affecting literally MILLIONS of lives. But these guys pulled it off. So in honor of 4/20, let's just all reflect for a moment on these two banner entrants into and lifetime members of the Unfathomably Terrible Jerk Hall of Fame. They really deserved their enshrinement!

Edited April 20, 2019 by Logic

[4merper4mer]

The real history of pot:

 

Like what if what you see as red, I see as blue and what you see as blue I see as red?  Whoa dude.

 

The guilt potheads feel and lay at the feet of others is limitless.

 

 

 

 

[The Senator]

 

i know nothing about Anslinger, but Hearst’s sensationalism, exaggeration, and proclivity for outright lies is well-known.  He basically started the Spanish Amercan War - when his illustrator wired that nothing was going on in Cuba, Hearst replied, “You furnish the pictures, I’ll furnish the war!”

 

Hearst banned alcohol from his castle at San Simeon, but guests snuck it in.  Likewise with pot, I’m sure.

 

As for jazz musicians and the gange, I love the below piece on legendary Louis Armstrong, his involvement with and love of pot,  and the fact that Richard Nixon once smuggled pot into the United States for Armstrong!

 

https://potent.media/louis-armstrong-and-marijuana

.

[row_33]

19 minutes ago, 4merper4mer said:

The real history of pot:

 

Like what if what you see as red, I see as blue and what you see as blue I see as red?  Whoa dude.

 

The guilt potheads feel and lay at the feet of others is limitless.

 

 

 

 

 

The count is a dozen i went to school with who started with it in the mid-70s, at the age of 10 or so, and they died before 50, and the misery they inflicted on their loved ones was incalculable

 

 

[RochesterRob]

55 minutes ago, Logic said:

In honor of today's date, let's take a moment to discuss the two guys below: Harry J Anslinger on the left and William Randolph Hearst on the right. I promise it'll be interesting and informative, and maybe give you something to do while you poop or avoid your loved ones.

Just look at these guys. First, Anslinger: Harry Anslinger was the head of the Federal Bureau of Drugs and Narcotics in the U.S. during the years of alcohol prohibition. After years of claiming that cannabis was completely harmless, a funny thing happened -- alcohol prohibition ended, leaving Anslinger's department largely without purpose. Deciding they needed a NEW money-making venture and way of keeping their department staffed, they endeavored to demonize and illegalize the cannabis plant. They began creating propaganda calling cannabis "the devil's drug!" and stating "It kills sons and steals daughters!". They even created a new, racist term for the plant: Marijuana. This term allowed the propagandists to play into America's xenophobia by tying the plant to alleged crime committed by Mexican-American and African-American populations. A popular claim of the day was that "black Jazz Musicians" would smoke cannabis, become violent, and then storm from house to house, stealing and raping white women. Really. This is what they claimed. The result of years of this damaging and absurd propaganda? The passage of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which effectively illegalized cannabis federally for the first time.

Fast forward just a tad bit to William Randolph Hearst. Hearst developed the largest newspaper publisher in the country in the early 1900s, called Hearst Communications. When a 1938 Popular Mechanics article touted hemp as the next great miracle crop for the United States, touting its industrial uses as a highly efficient means of producing paper and textiles, Hearst panicked. Owing so much of his wealth to publishing, he was highly invested in the traditional pulp paper industry. As such, hemp presented a MAJOR threat to his business interests. His response? To use his own vast stores of wealth to contribute to the propaganda efforts and to influence government officials to ensure that even the industrially useful, non-intoxicating male cannabis plants become illegal.

The end result of these two men's selfishly motivated, dishonest, and corrupt meddling in the subject of cannabis? A complete federal prohibition that lasts to this day. They effectively deprived millions of American citizens of a highly safe and effective medicine, while ALSO depriving American industry of a more efficient means of paper and textile production, thus propagating the environmentally damaging practices of mass deforestation and exploitation of third world labor and resources. If that weren't enough, they also directly contributed to the ruination of millions of American lives due to excessively long incarcerations or death at the hands of the disastrous War On Drugs.

If you've read this far, thank you! I'm just about done. All I really want to say is ***** these guys! ***** them both. They're the absolute worst. It's hard to imagine doing SO MUCH damage to your country in one lifetime and negatively affecting literally MILLIONS of lives. But these guys pulled it off. So in honor of 4/20, let's just all reflect for a moment on these two banner entrants into and lifetime members of the Unfathomably Terrible Jerk Hall of Fame. They really deserved their enshrinement!

  Regardless of what side you favor in this there is no denying that people rally around their own interests.  Yellow Journalism probably served Hearst greater in building and maintaining his wealth.  I don't know that Hearst's investment in wood products tells the full story regardless of a person's position on MJ.  From an agronomic standpoint given the production methods of the day MJ/hemp would have competed with other field crops such as vegetables given the soil and water requirements it has.  Most forests are such because terrain and soil does not allow for alternate plant species.  A similar observation can be made about vegetarianism versus meat consumption.  My liberal college roommate from many years ago said most ground here in NY should be used for vegetable production.  I countered knowing from my agrarian cousins that vegetable production is not possible on most of the land here in NY.  Many soils here are too shallow or too heavy or on terrain too steep here for vegetable production but will allow growth of grasses (not that "grass") that can be fed to cattle.  What I am saying is while Hearst took a stand for personal gain versus displaying scientific knowledge he did create the unintended benefit of making sure that any tract of land was put to its best use going in to a time of war and of extreme rationing.  We did not lose valuable time in terms of weeks or months reconverting back to wood pulp from hemp.

Edited April 20, 2019 by RochesterRob

[The Senator]

1 hour ago, 4merper4mer said:

The real history of pot:

 

Like what if what you see as red, I see as blue and what you see as blue I see as red?  Whoa dude.

 

The guilt potheads feel and lay at the feet of others is limitless.

 

What you have just said makes no sense to me at all.

.

51 minutes ago, row_33 said:

The count is a dozen i went to school with who started with it in the mid-70s, at the age of 10 or so, and they died before 50, and the misery they inflicted on their loved ones was incalculable

 

I have absolutely no idea what the two of you are talking about.

.

[DC Tom]

The belief that pot is harmless is belied by the general dopiness of the people who promote it.

[Logic]

1 hour ago, 4merper4mer said:

The real history of pot:

 

Like what if what you see as red, I see as blue and what you see as blue I see as red?  Whoa dude.

 

The guilt potheads feel and lay at the feet of others is limitless.

 

 

 

 

I don't even know what this means.

[The Senator]

12 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

The belief that pot is harmless is belied by the general dopiness of the people who promote it.

 

I’m confused -did you mean promote, or partake?

.

[Logic]

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

 

The count is a dozen i went to school with who started with it in the mid-70s, at the age of 10 or so, and they died before 50, and the misery they inflicted on their loved ones was incalculable

 

 

lol. Good one.

14 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

The belief that pot is harmless is belied by the general dopiness of the people who promote it.

The belief that pot is harmful is erroneous and based on the scientifically inaccurate propaganda I just laid out. Feel free to keep your head buried in the sand, though, and enjoy your next cocktail while you're at it!

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

REEFER MADNESS 

 

Look it up.   

 

 

[DC Tom]

15 minutes ago, Logic said:

The belief that pot is harmful is erroneous and based on the scientifically inaccurate propaganda I just laid out. Feel free to keep your head buried in the sand, though, and enjoy your next cocktail while you're at it!

 

This is exactly what I'm talking about.  

15 minutes ago, The Senator said:

 

I’m confused -did you mean promote, or partake?

.

 

I presume the Venn diagram of those who "promote" vs. "partake" is a near-perfect circle.

[RochesterRob]

10 minutes ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

REEFER MADNESS 

 

Look it up.   

 

 

 Sometimes it appears to me that reefer aficionados will go mad if they are not allowed a regular intake of their preferred recreational drug.  I've worked with some awfully grumpy potheads that had to go without for 8 hours. 

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

 

The count is a dozen i went to school with who started with it in the mid-70s, at the age of 10 or so, and they died before 50, and the misery they inflicted on their loved ones was incalculable

 

1 hour ago, 4merper4mer said:

The real history of pot:

 

Like what if what you see as red, I see as blue and what you see as blue I see as red?  Whoa dude.

 

The guilt potheads feel and lay at the feet of others is limitless.

 

33 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

The belief that pot is harmless is belied by the general dopiness of the people who promote it.

[DC Tom]

7 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

 Sometimes it appears to me that reefer aficionados will go mad if they are not allowed a regular intake of their preferred recreational drug.  I've worked with some awfully grumpy potheads that had to go without for 8 hours. 

 

Hell, they go completely bug***** if you simply deny that they're special.

[The Senator]

19 minutes ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

REEFER MADNESS 

 

Look it up.   

 

Ah, have seen it several times, but not in years.

 

Certainly can’t remember any lines from the movie - probably ‘cause I smoked too much pot.

.

[Logic]

12 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

 

This is exactly what I'm talking about.  

 

As usual, your only interest is in providing a snarky comment and not in providing any substance to back up your opinion. Par for the course with you.

 

[Augie]

My loved ones prefer that I avoid them when I poop. 

 

 

 

. 

Edited April 20, 2019 by Augie

[The Senator]

25 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

I presume the Venn diagram of those who "promote" vs. "partake" is a near-perfect circle.

 

Now I’m even more confused.

 

You are claiming that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Carl Sagan, and Abraham Lincoln all suffered from “general dopiness”?

 

The list of highly successful, intelligent  people who partake is extensive.

.

Edited April 20, 2019 by The Senator

[DC Tom]

Just now, The Senator said:

 

Now I’m even more confused.

 

You are claiming that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Carl Sagan, and Abraham Lincoln all suffered from “general dopiness”?

 

The list of highly successful people who partake is extensive.

.

 

"Near-perfect."

 

You partake, I take it?

10 minutes ago, Logic said:

As usual, your only interest is in providing a snarky comment and not in providing any substance to back up your opinion. Par for the course with you.

 

 

I reserve substantive discussion for those capable of it.  You're not.  As usual, you lack yourself.