need info/facts compilation!!

[Size_matters]

hi guys. im on this board a lot. im a fellow grower and enjoyer of this wonderful plant.

i would like a lil hlep getting as much info. (good and bad) on MJ for a huge presentation for a class. i want to get the facts out to people that mary jane isnt so taboo as everyone thinks and get them to look into the brighter side of things. i know there are people on here who feel the same way and i would appreciate hte help dearly. i need facts. not opinions. ( very much welcome, but they cant be used =) ) proven stuff is what we're goin for. as to shed some light into the haziness of our hobby.
i look forward ot hearing form you all.:heart:
Size

Mods. if htis is in the rong place. please move it so i can get some information por favor!. ty in advance.

 

[DLtoker]

Here is a paper I wrote in my freshman year of college I think it took me about an hour... These facts twisted my head for a few days after writing the paper.

For the extent of my life, this nation’s laws have interested me. I find myself questioning on what basis certain bills were passed by Congress and fabricated into laws which effect and control our daily lives. Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, has an extensive and fascinating history in the United States. Unlike the prohibition of alcohol, the events in history of the illegalization of marijuana are not very commonly known. What main factors induced the outlaw of marijuana? Who was the advocate for governmental control of marijuana and what steps were taken so possession of this substance is a crime?

Marijuana Pre-1900

Marijuana was mentioned in historical manuscripts as early as 2700 B.C.E. in China. The cultivation of the marijuana plant began as far back as the Jamestown settlers, around 1611, who used hemp produced from the marijuana plant’s fibers to make rope and canvas. It was also used in making clothing because of its durability. These uses fit with the social climate of the time, because the main focus was on survival rather than for recreational purposes. Marijuana cultivation as a cash crop continued throughout America through the turn of the twentieth century until it gained recognition as an intoxicant.2
Fitz Hugh Ludlow (1836-1870), a well known American author, journalist, and explorer of the nineteenth century, used hashish in very large amounts, and claimed that the effects of the drug were wonderful. His creativity was better than ever before, and he also felt “free.” However, after heavily using the drug for a long period of time, his feelings changed for hashish. In his most famous work, The Hasheesh Eater (1857), he tells of the horrible effects of hashish (a derivative of marijuana) and his experiences of using the drug every day.

“In the hasheesh-eater a virtual change of worlds has taken place… Truth has not become expanded, but his vision has grown telescopic; that which others see only as the dim nebula, or do not see at all, he looks into with a penetrating scrutiny which distance, to a great extent, can not evade.… To his neighbor in the natural state he turns to give expression to his visions, but finds that to him the symbols which convey the apocalypse to his own mind are meaningless, because, in our ordinary life, the thoughts which they convey have no existence; their two planes are utterly different.”

Ludlow is the first person to write about the effects of hashish. He did not perform any scientific research on the effects of drugs on the human state of mind while high on hashish. Therefore, his statements concerning the effects of hashish were dismissed. Also, he used opium and nicotine regularly which could add to the severe negative feelings he obtained towards hashish.

 

[DLtoker]

The Growing Acceptance of Marijuana

In general, alcohol has always been much more popular than marijuana. However, the smoking and acceptance of pot began to spread throughout the United States in the early 20th century. World Fairs and International Expositions through the early 1900s often featured a popular Turkish Hashish Smoking exposition and concession where people would smoke hashish to “enhance” their time spent at the fair.
Similar hashish smoking parlors were legally open in every large city in the United States. It has been estimated that more than 500 hashish smoking parlors were in New York City in the 1920s. There were more of these parlors than there were "speakeasies" during the same 1920s alcohol prohibition period.4
The spread of recreational marijuana is also attributed to the Jazz and Latin music scene. Marijuana was even sung about in some of the musicians’ songs in the early 1900s.3 Also, musicians traveled around the country, bringing their marijuana with them.
In 1919, an eighteen year period of alcohol prohibition began in the United States due to the ratification of the 18th amendment. The prohibition of alcohol was very well known and debated with all people, while most drug laws were simply passed without too much public influence. Also, an amendment was required for the prohibition of alcohol because at the time, the government was not considered to have the powers to outlaw alcohol or drugs. Due to this amendment, marijuana continuously gained acceptance. During this time period, the plant's long-standing history as a cash crop was replaced with a new name, "The Devil's Weed."

 

[DLtoker]

The Illegalization of Marijuana

In 1931, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was created and Harry Anslinger began his 31 year reign as head of the organization’s war on drugs. His biggest contribution to the so-called "reefer madness" propaganda movement was the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act, which imposed regulations on the growing and use of the plant which rendered hemp effectively worthless by taxing it out of existence. Also, the penalties for breaking the marijuana laws were extremely excessive. Up to 5 years imprisonment and/or a $2,000 fine is stated to be punishment for evading the Tax Act. Therefore, people were scared to have anything to do with it.
Anslinger passed this bill through rather dubious means. His testimony in favor of the Act, for example, consisted largely of selections from Hearst’s newspaper articles (written by either Anslinger or Hearst) read aloud into the Congressional record. Some of his false claims stated that “Reefer makes the darkies think they’re as good as the white man.” And “…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.” Even at the time, reputable experts had already deemed much of this propaganda inaccurate. 3
Virtually, there was no opposition to The Act except for the American Medical Association (AMA), which would likely have argued the medicinal benefits of marijuana. The association was only given two days to prepare. Their representative, Dr. William Woodward, denounced the hearings, and stated that Anslinger’s statements had all been false. Anslinger ignored Woodward's vociferous objections. Before the vote Anslinger was asked by Congress if the AMA agreed that the bill should be passed, a member of Anslinger's committee replied, "Yes, they are in complete agreement." On that basis, marijuana became illegal on the federal level on August 2, 1937.
The Controlled Substance Act and the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 are another aspect of the government’s war on drugs. These laws simply consolidated all individual drug laws. Drugs are now placed in one of five categories depending on medicinal value, harmfulness, and potential for abuse or addiction. These two acts make the illegalization, investigation, and change in level of illegalization much easier for the government. Under these acts, marijuana is classified as a section I drug. Section I is reserved for the most dangerous drugs that have no recognized medical use.

 

[DLtoker]

Today, there is an ever growing fight for the legalization of marijuana. There are many organizations that advocate for the decriminalization of marijuana. For example, The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is one of the largest organizations in the fight for marijuana. Despite the hard work of the individuals who are part of these organizations, the government has not changed the laws in any great deal. The national government has passively allowed the medicinal use of marijuana to a degree and states now can decide independently if medicinal marijuana should be legal. To this date, all use or possession of marijuana in New York State is illegal with harsh punishments. The legalization of marijuana would save the national government up to 14 billion dollars, therefore, allowing the government to focus its enforcement resources on much more harmful and dangerous substances.
The facts on the illegalization of marijuana uncovered by myself during this research are absolutely amazing. There are many groups, including medical professionals that believe marijuana has many useful qualities as well as harmful, and the government has not taken the right stand. It is said, “The legal effects are more harmful than the drug itself.”1 The federal government has a strong position of maintaining the status of this substance, even if its original position was flawed. In time, the activists and lobbyists may affect the outcome of future legislation, but for now, it is an illegal substance, which requires state. local, and federal law enforcement to allocate resources for enforcement.

 

[Size_matters]

thanks alot man. do you miind if i quote some of this info? its very good stuff.

 

[DLtoker]

Take the whole paper. I don't care. GL man.

 

[Kindbud]

lol marijuana should never had been Illegalization its not like crack or heriowin or meth the goverment lies about alot of stuff including marijuana and my brother fought for this screawed up country in iraq so yeah im just glad he is alive an well still a little messed up tho told me some messed up storys that you wouldnt belive

 

[allgrownup]

didn't the intervention of the large commercial paper corps have something to do with outlaw of hemp?

 

[DLtoker]

Not sure. I kind of just slapped this paper together. It was for Eng 101.

 

[MJ20]

^^hehe..I remember that course..allgrown, im not sure if they did..but earlier in this century as time passed, other alternatives to hemp started proving themselves as easier crops to manage>adding to its eventual downturn.Places such as Kentucky used to have alot of fields.

Here's some useful links:
Effects on Asthma: http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/medical/tashkin/tashkin1.htm
Brain damage: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20030701/heavy-marijuana-use-doesnt-damage-brain
Lung Cancer: http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20060523/pot-smoking-not-linked-to-lung-cancer
Brain cell growth: http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11365
Inflamed Bowels: http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11362
Lung Cancer in Mice: http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11946
23 Reasons to smoke Marijuana: http://questionthemark.org/2006/12/22/25-reasons-to-smoke-marijuana.aspx

You can get a bunch of other supporting articles in the News Forum. I've read half of a book called "Cannabis", a history by Martin Booth.It's a very informative book with tons of information, some i've never heard of online or otherwise.

 

[Size_matters]

thanks a lot guys. this is all the stuff i i needed. thanks agian