Pubdate: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 Source: Casper Star-Tribune (WY) Copyright: 2010 Lee Enterprises Contact: http://www.trib.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/765 Author: Travis Glasgow HOW MARIJUANA BECAME ILLEGAL Editor: For our fine men and women in law enforcement, lawmakers, and those who wish to drink from the intoxicating cup of American propaganda, I would like to remind them of how the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act came about. I don't expect law enforcement to be educated as to why laws were passed; their job is simply to enforce those laws. I do wonder, however, if they question the laws they are sworn to enforce. While alcohol, a more addictive and harmful drug than Marijuana (http://www.saferchoice.org/content/view/24/53/), continues to destroy families everyday across this country, local police are cracking down on marijuana possession and use. The CS-T reported on March 19, a Colorado woman was arrested for possessing less than one once of medical marijuana. To be fair, Colorado laws do not apply in Wyoming (we do things different out here!), but the egregious crime of possessing less than a once of a substance that has a positive medicinal use, must be examined further. The 1937 Marihuana Tax Act ("Marijuana" was the label used for hemp/cannabis) was a bill introduced that led to the criminalization of hemp or cannabis. The act itself was to tax those who were involved commercially in the production of hemp. Harry Anslinger, U.S. Commissioner of Narcotics, started an anti-Marijuana campaign leading up to the Marihuana Tax Act that would eventually criminalize marijuana. Anslinger used racial claims to support his campaign, saying, "Colored students at the University of Minnesota partying with white female students, smoking [marijuana] and getting their sympathy with stories of racial persecution. Result: pregnancy." Anslinger was also quoted as saying from police reports, "... the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races." With the help of yellow journalism maestro and publisher William Randolph Hearst, he used sensationalism and scare tactics, stating, "You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."(http://newslanc.com/2009/12/07/a-short-history-of-marijuana-prohibition) Marijuana was criminalized because Anslinger created a government-supported propaganda campaign with the help of Hearst, who had a financial interest in blocking the competing hemp industry. This is another example of good old-fashioned political and corporate greed. TRAVIS GLASGOW, Casper - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart