Free Marijuana

Honestly, I thought this site was dead. I am still getting a lot of hits to this site and figured I would start posting again to this Blog about Marijuana. DruU's Timeline:

- When I was a teeneager I smoked Marijuana on a regular basis. I may not of had a great High school Grade point average but I played sports and worked the whole time.

- When I went to College I quit smoking Marijuana and started drinking since my new friends were so anti Marijuana. I got kicked out after the first semester.

- I was anti-marijuana up until a few years ago when I tried it in Amsterdam for pain. It worked great.

- I started researching Medical Marijuana and I have been advocating for it for almost 3 years now. However, I have slowed down as I have learned the Politics of the US.

- After years of researching the benefits vs. harms of Marijuana and other medications and recreational drugs I now believe that there is no reason for Marijuana to be illegal.

I need someone to explain with facts why it is illegal and give me an honest reason why they believe it should be illegal. I do not believe there is a good reason at all.

Marijuana Tax Act of 2008?

Govenor Spitzer had, what he would like to think, a great idea in his New York speech last night. His idea, create a tax on Marijuana of $3.50 per gram. I would actually agree with this tax stamp idea, except it is a bad idea. First of all, in 1937 there was a Marijuana Tax Act created. (Which was disputed by a New Yorker) Each person that wanted to have marijuana in their possession was required to have a Tax stamp on the packaging. The problem was if you were caught for possession of Marijuana without the tax you would be arrested for not paying the tax. If you wanted to be legal and get a Tax stamp then you would have to have the amount in your possession so they could know how much to tax you for your Marijuana. But if you showed up with Marijuana to be a good citizen and pay your tax you would get arrested because you haven't paid your tax yet. It was designed to be a catch 22 and make it illegal to have any Marijuana. Governor Spitzer explains that this tax stamp has been active in 29 States already and could raise an estimated $13 Million next year. My question for Governor Spitzer is why would I pay this tax. If I was going to buy an illegal substance ILLEGALLY then I would not be to worried about the tax side of it. I am going to weigh my risk in this situation. Do I buy a gram of Marijuana and not pay to get the Tax stamp and risk getting busted for an illegal substance plus Tax evasion? Or do I buy my Marijuana and pay my tax on it, but have it on record that I am going to have Marijuana with me at some point? If someone is going to deal with the Black Market then they are not going to be worried about the ramifications of getting busted for two laws. Then again Mr. Spitzer, if Marijuana is illegal and I am required to have a Tax Stamp then would that be considered a violation of the Fifth amendment? Like I started this article, I agree with Taxation of Marijuana and other controlled substances as long as I can not be prosecuted for paying taxes on the substance. The way it looks to me is Governor Spitzer is trying to look like he is doing more than he actually is. Stop with the hollow promises that really can't benefit NY, and lets see something that will help us. Legalize Marijuana, control it, tax it, and allow the Farmers of New York grow their Hemp for industrial purposes Now that will be a boost to the economy along with a great income for New York State.

Quotes of Marijuana History

This is fun... I really like looking into this it lets you know how some of our misconceptions in the history of the USA. My first Quote, this is probably the most important quote I have seen in my research. 1."Mr. Speaker, what is this bill about?" To which Speaker Rayburn replied, "I don't know. It has something to do with a thing called marihuana. I think it's a narcotic of some kind." "Mr. Speaker, does the American Medical Association support this bill?" "Their Doctor Wentworth came down here. They support this bill 100 percent." The above quotes are the only thing that was said when the bill was brought up on the floor of Congress in 1937. The amazing thing is look at the Doctors name used. Who testified for the American Medical Association? 2. This leads me to go backwards in time. There was one testimony from the American Medical Association before it was passed up to Congress. That was made by Dr. William C. Woodward, both a lawyer and a doctor and at the time was Chief Counsel to the American Medical Association. His Testimony, "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug." Immediately one of the Congressmen said, "Doctor, if you can't say something good about what we are trying to do, why don't you go home?" The next Congressman said, "Doctor, if you haven't got something better to say than that, we are sick of hearing you." So far we now have what was debated when the bill was sent to Congress and the testimony to get the bill to Congress. I wonder why was the bill Created? Lets go a little farther into the past. 3. I want to take a step a little farther in time to see why the bill was being taken up. in the early 1900's there was a large influx of Mexican Americans coming into the western states. Around the time the Great Depression started there was a large battle between the small farms and the large farms that would hire Mexican Americans at a low cost of labor. The western states needed to decrease the amount of low cost labor for the bigger farms so the smaller farms could compete again. The only difference that could be found was the amount of marijuana use among the mexican workers. "When some beet field peon takes a few traces of this stuff... he thinks he has just been elected president of Mexico, so he starts out to execute all his political enemies." In Texas, a senator said on the floor of the Senate: "All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy." As the proponent of Montana's first marijuana law said, "Give one of these Mexican beet field workers a couple of puffs on a marijuana cigarette and he thinks he is in the bullring at Barcelona." This is how most of the states decided to fight the use of marijuana. 4. As you know the North East has never had a vast majority of Mexican American's. That was not an issue even back in the early 1900's. Therefore there had to be another reason that The north east would jump on the band-wagon for fighting Marijuana. The New York Times in an editorial in 1919 said, "No one here in New York uses this drug marijuana. We have only just heard about it from down in the Southwest, But, we had better prohibit its use before it gets here. Otherwise all the heroin and hard narcotics addicts cut off from their drug by the Harrison Act and all the alcohol drinkers cut off from their drug by 1919 alcohol Prohibition will substitute this new and unknown drug marijuana for the drugs they used to use." So as you can see Racism of the Mexican community has had a large influence on Marijuana Prohibition. If the American Medical Association of the time says things like the AMA, "knows of no evidence that marihuana is a dangerous drug." Why did it become illegal and why haven't the correct studies been completed on Marijuana. Marijuana should be tested and evaluated the same way that all medications are. But then again how many times have I been taken off medication that was approved by the FDA but later found out that it was more damaging than helpful.

Marijuana Study 1944 release

New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia released a Marijuana study in 1944 that infuriated Harry Anslinger. Anslinger, appointed as the first Commissioner of the Treasury Department's Federal Bureau of Narcotics, led the fight against Marijuana for 32 years. The Laguardia Commission, prepared by the New York Academy of Medicine, was to study the effect marijuana had on the City of New York in the early 1940's. The most interesting findings are still being argued today by multiple organizations and medical research companies.The following are the findings of The Laguardia Commission. Pay close attention to numbers 7, 9, and 10: 1 Marijuana is used extensively in the Borough of Manhattan but the problem is not as acute as it is reported to be in other sections of the United States. 2 The introduction of marijuana into this area is recent as compared to other localities. 3 The cost of marijuana is low and therefore within the purchasing power of most persons. 4 The distribution and use of marijuana is centered in Harlem. 5 The majority of marijuana smokers are Blacks and Latin-Americans. 6 The consensus among marijuana smokers is that the use of the drug creates a definite feeling of adequacy. 7 The practice of smoking marijuana does not lead to addiction in the medical sense of the word. 8 The sale and distribution of marijuana is not under the control of any single organized group. 9 The use of marijuana does not lead to morphine or heroin or cocaine addiction and no effort is made to create a market for these narcotics by stimulating the practice of marijuana smoking. 10 Marijuana is not the determining factor in the commission of major crimes. 11 Marijuana smoking is not widespread among school children. 12 Juvenile delinquency is not associated with the practice of smoking marijuana. 13 The publicity concerning the catastrophic effects of marijuana smoking in New York City is unfounded And people think he is remembered for bringing New York out of the Great Depression