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My goal here, is to present my view of the real dangers of what's called marijuana. In the early 1900's, Congress strongly pursued "Drug Reform and Enforcement". Opium was very easy to buy and very addictive... as was cocaine and a variety of other "personal medicines". The federal government passed two very strict regulations against "dangerous drugs" in the early 20th century:
I) 1906, Pure Food and Drug Act; which did more to "control drugs" than ensure pure food.
II) 1914, Harrison Narcotics Tax Act; to aggressively control opiates and cocaine.
Cannabis, was not among those considered... or, it was not considered a narcotic at the time, nor a dangerous drug.
Why? Because there really wasn't anything dangerous noted about it's use.
BUT NOW... thanks to an ongoing era of "Reefer Madness", started in the early 1930's and the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, THERE ARE NOW DANGERS. Mostly manufactured dangers, to support the fulfillment of political prophecy, the likes of which make no sense to me. One danger, that it "causes brain-damage and death, quite unlikely, was served up after "researchers" did experiments on monkeys where the story goes, they put the monkeys in masks and forced them to breath cannabis smoke. Only cannabis smoke! Of course they either died or suffered brain-damage. Thus was born, "This Is Your Brain on Drugs".
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In one of the articles the law enforcement spokesperson stated it was "likely Mexicans growing the marijuana" in Northern California. Huh??? Is that statement suppose to justify eradication efforts - that it's "likely Mexicans, and NOT Americans?
What does it matter? It's illegal currently whoever is growing it, but to point at Mexican's in N. CA, is ludicrous. What is it about the anti-Mexican sentiment in this country??? Personally I'm opposed to the way I hear most Americans talking about Mexicans. It reminds me of my Native American studies and the way New America viewed Native Americans, calling them "Indians and savages", in colonial times, to justify eradication and theft of them and their lands.
Of course, though racism, is bad, is not like a cancer; it is more like a mold, or fungus, that is hard to prevent or remove, especially when so much money goes instead towards eradicating cannabis! And blaming the Mexicans.
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States also depend on "cannabis criminals" to provide money to their coffers too. It's become, what pays us more - putting generally harmless, peace-loving people through the judicial process, or taxing it as a medicine? And since when were "medicines" taxed?
Take NH for example... a state that is traditionally conservative, which feels marijuana is a danger to children, and ignores the fact two very dangerous drugs are already legal, that they endorse those, but cannabis - more return on making it's use a criminal offense.
In NH, possession of an ounce or under is a misdemeanor crime... it is considered similar to you suddenly attacking someone and nearly killing them! It's like a assault... or man-slaughter, and it doesn't take much marijuana to be subjected to this crime... just a pipe will do with residue in the pipe-bowl, days old - it can result in a punishment of a year in jail and a $2000 fine. Somehow the image of a person or persons smoking pot, passing a joint, doesn't seem like an assault to me, or it's equivalent..
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But, for those of you out there now smoking a joint (cannabis cigarette), or eating cannabis brownies, you might consider these current attitudes and penalties. Of course you don't have to, but then consider the fact that law enforcement and states need a lot of money right now, and cannabis is, their (pun intended) pot of gold. You are their livelihood.
Paranoid using the ganja? I don't wonder why. You have a right to be paranoid!!!
And that, is Danger # 2 with cannabis use!
"Paranoia".
Cannabis "heightens and enhances" awareness and attention to details. It seems to make one less hostile... more likely to avoid dangerous or risky situations. That's not a bad thing... I found I was more focused when studying for an exam, if stoned. Not scientific fact, of course, just my opinion, but the 3.9 gpa I got with my last college degree, in a "Medical Assistance" degree program, compared with the 2.0 gpa I averaged in high school, should amount to some degree of discounting the general myth that cannabis causes stupidity. I'd used cannabis nearly 20 years by then - so plenty of time for brain damage to occur, if it ever would.
To Be Continued
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