flowperson
Oannes
Well let's see now. My history book tells me that the people were very simply propagandized in the 1930's into believing that hemp was evil . First through the release and wide distrubution of the film Reefer Madness. Second, the Federal Laws drastically restricting and prohibiting the use and distribution of hemp products was the result of the work of one lawmaker, Rep. Harry Anslinger of Pennsylvania, and not at the popular behest of the people of the U.S.
About the only place that smokable cannabis was actively being used in culture at the time was in the music business, especially among African American musicians. I know first hand about all that since my dad was a jazz musician in the 30's.
Now concerning the absence of law equating with chaos. Actually full enforcement of the spirit and letter of laws prohibiting anything actually turns into a situation where excessive ordering and fascism is most likely to establish itself. Any system that is regulated and ordered to its greatest limits will always fail over time and pull a lot of innocent people down with its failures. Prohibition of alcohol after WW I was an excellent example of this, and to boot it enabled the establishment and rapid growth of organized crime nationwide.
Now I'm not saying that a total lack of laws and their enforcement is a good thing. That situation leads quickly to disorder and anarchy on a wide scale. The trick in writing prohibitive statutes and providing for their enforcement is to establish a balancing act such as happens naturally in natural systems.
The basic fact that we've got six times as many African Americans in the prison systems for drug violations than white Americans is an indication that the drug laws are being implimented more for the profit motives of business elites and the demonization of a sector of our population which is virtually powerless when it comes to influencing lawmaking and law enforcement. This is how the class struggle and racism wars are fought these days in America. It might help if more than 85% of the lawmakers and their supporting establishment in the U.S weren't lawyers.
My two cents.
flow....
About the only place that smokable cannabis was actively being used in culture at the time was in the music business, especially among African American musicians. I know first hand about all that since my dad was a jazz musician in the 30's.
Now concerning the absence of law equating with chaos. Actually full enforcement of the spirit and letter of laws prohibiting anything actually turns into a situation where excessive ordering and fascism is most likely to establish itself. Any system that is regulated and ordered to its greatest limits will always fail over time and pull a lot of innocent people down with its failures. Prohibition of alcohol after WW I was an excellent example of this, and to boot it enabled the establishment and rapid growth of organized crime nationwide.
Now I'm not saying that a total lack of laws and their enforcement is a good thing. That situation leads quickly to disorder and anarchy on a wide scale. The trick in writing prohibitive statutes and providing for their enforcement is to establish a balancing act such as happens naturally in natural systems.
The basic fact that we've got six times as many African Americans in the prison systems for drug violations than white Americans is an indication that the drug laws are being implimented more for the profit motives of business elites and the demonization of a sector of our population which is virtually powerless when it comes to influencing lawmaking and law enforcement. This is how the class struggle and racism wars are fought these days in America. It might help if more than 85% of the lawmakers and their supporting establishment in the U.S weren't lawyers.
My two cents.
flow....
