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Ironic that the penalty for cannabis possession goes up to death now in the place where it was first domesticated. Death for having a plant that makes people f

Ironic that the penalty for cannabis possession goes up to death now in the place where it was first domesticated. Death for having a plant that makes people feel good and happy. Humans are weird. This study is really neat because as the article says the consensus was always Central Asia for the birthplace of cannabis and now we learn that it is East Asia.

pmoriarty 5y ago
"Death for having a plant that makes people feel good and happy. Humans are weird." It's not just about feeling good (though that can be threat enough for some authorities -- dancing bans[1], for example).. Cannabis can have psychedelic effects at high doses, and has been used for religious and sacramental purposes (there has been speculation that cannabis was part of the anointing oil used in the bible, and perhaps in some of the biblical incenses used for religious purposes). Secular and religious authorities have historically wanted to be in control of what people feel, believe, and think.. so when a plant can alter that or is believed to provide a direct route to communing with a diety or the spirit world instead of relying on the authorities to tell them what to believe or think, then it's easily seen as a threat. In the US cannabis use was also associated with the counterculture, with the antiwar movement, and with anti-authoritarian sentiment, and with minorities.. all seen as threats to the establishment. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_ban https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_ban
- 8note 5y ago
  In the US it was that cannabis users were likely to not vote for Nixon in the next election. If they can't vote, they can't kick Nixon out of power
  - hypertele-Xii 5y ago
    It's inconcievable to me to think that enprisonment in the US forfeits one's right to vote. Such a twisted flavor of democracy. "Everyone is equal except those who have made a mistake."
loufe 5y ago
I'm all for legalization of marijuana but we can do better than the naïve and shallow argument of "it's a plant so it's good for me". Opium and Salvia? Poison berries and cocaine?
- kadoban 5y ago
  The person you're responding too seems to have gone out of their way to specify what effects it has, not just that it's a plant.
captain_price7 5y ago
Death penalty for "possession"? Did you mean trafficking? Here [1] it says, > according to the Law on Public Security Administration Punishments, marijuana smokers shall be detained for 10 to 15 days and fined a maximum of 2,000 yuan. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_China#Legal_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_China#Legal_status
- JohnJamesRambo 5y ago
  I just meant possessing something in the normal sense not the legal sense. I don’t think death is a good penalty for something as benign as marijuana.

pmoriarty 5y ago

"Death for having a plant that makes people feel good and happy. Humans are weird." It's not just about feeling good (though that can be threat enough for some authorities -- dancing bans[1], for example).. Cannabis can have psychedelic effects at high doses, and has been used for religious and sacramental purposes (there has been speculation that cannabis was part of the anointing oil used in the bible, and perhaps in some of the biblical incenses used for religious purposes). Secular and religious authorities have historically wanted to be in control of what people feel, believe, and think.. so when a plant can alter that or is believed to provide a direct route to communing with a diety or the spirit world instead of relying on the authorities to tell them what to believe or think, then it's easily seen as a threat. In the US cannabis use was also associated with the counterculture, with the antiwar movement, and with anti-authoritarian sentiment, and with minorities.. all seen as threats to the establishment. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_ban https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_ban

8note 5y ago
In the US it was that cannabis users were likely to not vote for Nixon in the next election. If they can't vote, they can't kick Nixon out of power
- hypertele-Xii 5y ago
  It's inconcievable to me to think that enprisonment in the US forfeits one's right to vote. Such a twisted flavor of democracy. "Everyone is equal except those who have made a mistake."

loufe 5y ago

I'm all for legalization of marijuana but we can do better than the naïve and shallow argument of "it's a plant so it's good for me". Opium and Salvia? Poison berries and cocaine?

kadoban 5y ago
The person you're responding too seems to have gone out of their way to specify what effects it has, not just that it's a plant.

captain_price7 5y ago

Death penalty for "possession"? Did you mean trafficking? Here [1] it says, > according to the Law on Public Security Administration Punishments, marijuana smokers shall be detained for 10 to 15 days and fined a maximum of 2,000 yuan. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_China#Legal_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_China#Legal_status

JohnJamesRambo 5y ago
I just meant possessing something in the normal sense not the legal sense. I don’t think death is a good penalty for something as benign as marijuana.