3 ms·
A accident of history, combined with some of the less savoury parts of the human character. Cannabis was hardly known in the USA in the 1930s, and when alcohol
by worik 6y ago
A accident of history, combined with some of the less savoury parts of the human character.
Cannabis was hardly known in the USA in the 1930s, and when alcohol was re-legalised the prohibition agents, who had a vast infrastructure, needed work. Henry Anslinger picked on pot as it was widely used by Mexicans so they would be able to work more freely. Trouble with alcohol prohibition is rich white people, who then and now, have the political power, drink. Mexicans could be "othered".
In the 1970s when it started to be more popular amongst the counter culture types prosecuting pot was a way of beating on the "dirty hippies".
The meme that "drugs are bad" made it into our collective consciousness and we have been trying to root it out (seemingly one funeral at a time).
That is from my memory but my main source for that is "Chasing teh Screem" by Johann Hari
- alexmingoia 6y agoYes, this combined with the fact that US and British drug policy was exported everywhere in the 20th century, especially after WWII with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (which morphed into UNDCP), and before that with the Paris Convention. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Convention_on_Narcotic_Drugs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_Convention_on_Narcoti... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_Limiting_the_Manufacture_and_Regulating_the_Distribution_of_Narcotic_Drugs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_for_Limiting_the_...
- wombatmobile 6y agoIt's been a handy way for cops to bust anyone they feel like busting on the spot. They can "find" a small quantity of cannabis on that person. If they need to lock someone away for a long time, or develop leverage against them, they can "find" a larger quantity off cannabis in that person's car or abode. Trafficking is a federal offence. Without being specific about race, let's just say the sudden appearance of a certain profile of wealthy cannabis entrepreneurs in states such as Colorado and California where pot has been legalised seals an ironic legacy.
- gerbler 6y agoI remember this being discussed in a documentary a long time ago (I can't remember the name). A few other points suggested in documentary: * Hemp/Marijuana was a popular source of fiber and competed with cotton. Cotton requires fertilizer and pesticides (marijuana does not), so the petrochemical industry were keen to squash it as a competitor. Interestingly they claimed it was temporarily legalized during WW2 to allow for rope production. * Marijuana was also associated with sexual activity (and with both Mexicans & African-Americans). Another reason to portray it as a substance that was immoral.