The War on Drugs: Is It Lost?

Today’s modern “War on Drugs” is less than a war on “drugs”, and more of a war on the plant, Cannabis sativa. Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, or “pot”, is an annual flowering crop, used for medicinal, industrial, and recreational purposes for thousands of years; however, it is this function ability which contributes to the debate of it’s legalization. The chemical property in Marijuana that produces the controversial “high” is called delta- 9- tetrahydrocanna binol, or for short THC. (NIDA) Marijuana’s physical properties, such as when grown for the use of hemp, are incredibly useful — more durable than cotton, more plentiful than timber, and hydrocarbons capable of producing a wide range of alternative fuels.(Facts About Hemp)

Beginning in the 1930s, racism against Mexicans and African- Americans, and the threat of hemp’s potentially large market made marijuana a prime suspect of criminalization . Wealthy individuals pushed their agenda, with the right connections, of course, and succeeded in passing the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. The means used to attain this provision wouldn’t last in today’s society. Why, then, has the law which arose continued to be use? Why would a plant so seemingly beneficial to our society continue to be illegal? Maybe it’s not necessarily that we need to legalize marijuana, but maybe we need to re-evaluate how it is perceived. It is my belief that hemp’s vast potential is still seen as a threat and not a blessing.

Introduced to the Jamestown colony in 1611, it was not until 1920s, in effect partly to the Mexican Revolution, that marijuana became widely known, and used, for it’s recreational purposes. Those who fled Mexico brought it with them to the United States. As unemployment rates continued to climb during the Great Depression, rising crime rates and marijuana use was linked to minority groups. This not only effected the recently immigrated Mexicans, but also the African- American community, in particular the jazz musicians. (Hemp Timeline) Andrew Mellon, Secretary of Treasury from 1921 – 1932, had oversight in the creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. These claims were backed by daily news reports, and the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, headed by Mellon’s future nephew-in-law, Harry J. Anslinger. (Lupien) Anslinger spoke about the effects on marijuana, stating, “[African American]’s satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others,” (Judging Marijuana) Racist claims like these wouldn’t influence legislation or the public in today’s society, yet the laws passed arising from them are still in use. In 1937, Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act, which began the prohibition of marijuana by requiring a $1 tax on anyone who purchased, sold, cultivated, or distributed marijuana.