Why is cannabis illegal?

"There is nothing wrong with weed. Compared to alcohol it is less processed, less damaging to yourself and society. Not that i'm against alcohol. The current legal status of weed just really really bugs me.
If you look into the original reason it was made illegal it is just a joke.
It was at a meeting with the league of nations in the early nineteen hundreds, were the drug under fire was opium. When an Egyptian mp/ complete fool, decided to basically lie to other nations, saying if opium is to be made illegal so must cannabis bla bla bla the devil's drug. And this was to an audience that knew very little about the drug, and believed him. And it's been illegal since. Absolute farce." - Joe. C
I can't argue with that, can you?

Totally agree, nothing worng with it, and no way it should be illegal, you copuld grow your bloomin own, but your not allowed to.

Idiot Christian beliefs and right wing politicians

Why is cannabis illegal?

Because politicians want to be re-elected.

Because of what it's done to Simon Boyd's already delicate mental state.

Good one Wyan....

Somin

At the risk of repeating myself, we recognise that of all the things you have lost ... you probably miss your mind the most.

[Deleted by the author on 24 Apr 2012 22:41:02 BDT]

It's illegal because it poses a direct threat to the petro-chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Look at the history of the hemp plant and you will discover that items such as rope, sails, fuel, clothing, food and medicine can be made from it. Even Henry Ford built a car completely from vegetable products. If we went back to using hemp as our main natural resource the wealth of all the nations would be returned to the agricultural sector and the industrialists wealth would vanish. This is why the industrialists pay off our politicians to keep hemp illegal and why despite all their propaganda not one scientific study has been produced which can prove it is in any way damaging to our health. In fact products created from hemp cause no ill effects to humans and can be made without polluting the environment. Check out the dvd "Marijuana - The true history".

MH

"Marijuana - The true history" not listed on Amazon.

But a CT. I like it.

Mr. M. Halliday,
I may look into that DVD cheers. I see were your coming from but i believe the cannabis trade could quite easily co exist, and would probably be put to pharmaceutical use so they could even gain from it, as well as the government making tax instead of criminalizing it. Which has solved nothing, it is still a very easy thing to find, so to me they are losing out on good tax money for no good reason.
I completely agree it is most defiantly one of the most useful plants on the planet, and all because of some absolute moron Egyptian MP and some deluded view of the plant, it is illegal for most of the world.
To me the only reason it remains illegal is down to the government not wanting to send mixed messages. In other words they don't want to admit they have been wrong since 1928 when they were first fooled by that moronic MP. Instead they would rather put forth a hypocrisy with alcohol in particular being legal, but tobacco as well.
If i had abused my body with alcohol to the same extent i did cannabis in my youth even for one night, i would most definitely be long dead.
How is alcohol a safer drug?

Mr. M. Halliday - Never gave that much thought, but yes, after a little research you are right, it seems hemp is too much of a threat to the petro-chemical industry for legalisation its not about the harmful effects and protecting the public after all.

Cannabis isn't illegal, the prohibition is a device to keep the profits out of the public domain, hence people are busted because the can be, when the porkies want them for something else rather than because the law says they should be.

Mr Halliday there's one slight problem with your hypothesis, hemp is not illegal.

"Currently, in the UK, hemp is legal and is used in all kinds of industies from clothing and rope to countless food products."

http://www.hempprotein.co.uk/is-hemp-legal.aspx

"Hemp (from Old English hænep) is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel. Hemp is legally grown in many countries across the world including Spain, China, Japan, Korea, England, France, Africa, North Africa, Egypt and Ireland. Hemp is commonly associated with marijuana (hemp's THC rich cousin).[1][2][3] Since 2007, commercial success of hemp food products has grown considerably.[4][5]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp

The main reason cannabis is illegal is down to the work of two Americans, Harry J. Anslinger along with William Randolph Hurst.

The latter is quite well known. A media tycoon whose interests in logging and paper was under threat from hemp for being a superior replacement. He thus set about to demonize the plant.

The first man, Mr Anslinger, was probably the main culprit in establishing the false ideas people still hold to this day about hemp and cannabis not only in his native America but also across the world.

He was the first commisioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics established in 1930. It has been suggested that he over played and out right lied about cannabis, making it out to be far worse than it actually is, in order to secure further funding for his new FBN which was in competition with J. Edgar and the rising FBI.

Also, at the time, cannabis was used as a tool to oppress foreigners in a racist America. It was introduced to the country by Mexicans and others from the East that migrated there in the early 19th century. It later became associated with the black community, namely amongst the jazz musicians, and so by criminalising their means of recreation it was a way of controlling them.

So blatant was this that they drove fear into people by claiming that 'marihuana', imbibed by black people, turned them crazy and incited them to rape white women.

Nowadays, what Mr Halliday said is true. Industrial hemp, whilst, as pointed out accurately, isn't illegal to grow in many countries it is in no way utilised to its full potential.

The diesel engine was invented to run on bio-diesel as opposed to the oil derivative of diesel that we use today. If politicians were serious about reversing the effect of global warming and beginning a wind down of our reliance on oil hemp is there as a one stop shop. Without any converting, any diesel engine can be run perfectly well on bio-diesel. This is something that very few people are aware of and are discouraged from doing by car manufacturers as they invalidate your warranties in most instances if you use this as your source of fuel.

Also, the pharmaceutical industry opposes its legalisation as cannabis is a wonder drug. It is the best known natural expectorant known to man and actually clears the lungs of the damage caused by smoking carcinogenic tabacco along with all the other nice things we breath in in our polluted industrial world.

It is a vasodilator (the cause of red eye) which is prescribed in countries as a treatment for asthma a fact most people think of as a contradiction. However, it is the smoking of tabacco ( a vasoconstrictor ) along with cannabis that is the problem and one which most people fail to take into account.

Big pharma don't therefore want it legalised as you can't patent nature. Whilst they're sure trying hard to do so they don't want everybody to have the ability to grow your own medicine thus negating the need for all their chemical treatments with all their harmful side effects.

Good shout Randal!!
Mushrooms are banned... They grow in my garden, I'm going to jail aren't I? Cultivating a class A drug

Hey PP,

If you have trouble finding that film mentioned eariler feel free to let me know and I can sort you out a copy. Genuine offer but don't worry if you don't feel to take it up.

Alcohol and cigarettes are legal. Yet they cause more harm than good. Why do you think legalising weed, coke and Horse will make your society a "better" place? (Especially when sober people make such atrocious mistakes)? The right to mentally remove oneself from self and society and rely on others, through force or charity, to so remove oneself? Really?

"Why do you think legalising weed, coke and Horse will make your society a "better" place?" - Horse? I don't remember saying it would make society a 'better' place. Look at the post Spin, I'm asking why is cannabis legal, no mention of other drugs or improving society (but if some of those who drink were to smoke weed instead, you may notice a drop in violent crime and death by drunk driving cases).

Thanks Randal, its something I want to watch, can't find it on Amazon like so if you could that would be ideal, or just point me to where I can buy it of Amazon even.

I maybe be mistaken, but I think the film Mr Halliday was refering to is called Marijuana - A Chronic History.

Maybe he could point out if this is the case or not should he read this.

If so that may explain not being able to find it.

Should this be the case I can give you my email address as I have the 'Chronic History' film.

Thanks Randal, still can't find that either on Amazon like so that would be ideal, it would be interesting to watch. Do you need me to post my e-mail up on my profile page?

"They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realize that it's not worth the f/+cu+/king effort. There is a difference." - Bill Hicks

Its not but politically snobbos that vote for epople all drink, none of them think Cananbis is safe, because when they grew up it was not readily available, they have no idea.

Oh give ita rest spin, might have known as everyone else is pro legalisation, youd be against it.

It doe sno harm and does not make people stoned out their boxes like you see on TV

"It doe sno harm and does not make people stoned out their boxes like you see on TV" - Give me a call, I'll sort that out for you ;)