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Down The Middle - Jun 27, 2004 - Printable Version
- "Reefer Madness?" and "Let Freedom Ring!"
by Down the Middle and To the Left
Many citizens of our country have continually been confronted with a serious problem for almost a century. That problem began with the prohibition of marijuana. The stiff sentences and career limitations because of "UA's" have held many back from living "the American Dream".
Personally, throughout my 30+ years of drug experience, I've seen a lot of people die from drugs. The main killer is alcohol. I would say that two-thirds of my old "redneck" high school boozin' buddies died in their forties, if not before. I broke away from this group in the late sixties for the "hippie movement" because I liked the cause and the attitudes of the people. Along with this group also came the drugs! I did a lot of experimenting, as many people did back then.
Smoking marijuana was a social event that happened almost everywhere I went. Everyone is different, but if I smoked some pot, I was less apt to go out drinking and "cut a shine" where I might get in trouble. It always kept me mellow.
I can tell you about the other drugs also. I was kinda crazy back then, I guess, but I did 'em all. Some of the drugs caused some real problems in my life. Luckily, I never cared for narcotics that much because they would make me too sick. I've seen a lot of people go down because of narcotics though. My main hang-up was amphetamines and cocaine. The one that got me the most was "crank". It took going to a drug rehab to get me back on my feet (by the way, the twelve-step program does work!). It's been years since I have indulged and it is always something I must deal with on a daily basis. So, what I'm trying to say is that, just like the late Jimi Hendrix said, "Are you experienced? Well I am!"
Marijuana has been used for medicine for over 4,000 years. The first record of medicinal use was in 2737 BC when "Emperor Shen-Nung in China prescribes cannabis for beri-beri, constipation, 'female weakness,' gout, malaria, rheumatism and absentmindedness." Marijuana was also used in religious rituals. I found a link that says according to the almost lost Gnostic Christian view, the "anointing" was the only way to become a true Christian. In the Hebrew version of the bible, the anointing oil consisted of some six quarts of olive oil and six and one half pounds of kaneh bosem flowers, along with other spices, etc. Kaneh bosem is pronounced with the "m" silent, hence kaneh bos (sounds a lot like cannabis, doesn't it). There was a study in the 1920's that pretty well confirmed this. For more information, go to:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/backissues/cc11/christ.html
Trouble with marijuana came in the U.S. in the 1920's. Pancho Villa was raiding the border towns in the Southwest and his men were known to smoke marijuana for endurance. The U.S. Army liked to never caught him and his group because they moved so fast. Mexican immigrants were pouring over the borders to work during a time of high unemployment, the Great Depression. Marijuana use was thought to be a trait of the Mexican immigrants (or was it just a way to rid the U.S. of these immigrants?). Hence, in 1929, Southwest states in the U.S. made cannabis illegal "as part of a move to oust Mexican immigrants."
A few years later, in 1937, our old friend, William Randolph Hearst got into the picture. He began a campaign to sensationalize the dangers of marijuana in his newspapers and other tabloid media outlets. He claimed that Mexicans and "drug-crazed Negroes" were assaulting, raping, and murdering Whites while high on the drug. His media branded marijuana as the "worst of evil". Until then, most of the public was completely ignorant to what marijuana was.
Hearst had a hidden agenda though. At that time, much of the paper produced was made from hemp. Hemp made a high quality paper. Hearst came up with a patent for a new paper production that used wood pulp rather than hemp. Once hemp became illegal, he would have a monopoly on the paper business, which eventually happened. In December 1937, Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act without the opinion of the AMA, which was considered necessary for it to pass.
Since then, pot users have paid a dear price. As I said earlier, I've lost a lot of friends by alcohol and drugs, but not because of marijuana! As a matter of fact, there has never been a documented death by marijuana use in the history of our world! I started smoking pot as a party drug, but later in life, it became a way to relax and self-medicate myself. It is about the most pleasurable experience after a hard day. It also helped when I wasn't feeling well. To me, it's about as close to a cure-all as any medication I've ever tried. Yes, I've been busted, and it cost me a lot of money. My attorney stated that he thought the pot laws were ridicules, but nonetheless, it was illegal, as I passed him a check for over $5,000. Since, I've had to stop my favorite pastime so I can get a career that pays more than minimum wage. I've been waiting for over thirty years, thinking people would finally get their head out of their ass, but surprisingly, it's worse now than at any other time.
I recently saw a poll on CNN that asked if marijuana should be decriminalized. The results were a whopping 97% voted yes! The prison population is booming. One in seventy-five U.S. residents are now in federal, state, or local custody. Some 54% of the population is in for nonviolent drug offenses. This costs the Federal government and states an estimated $40 billion a year! Mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug offenders are the major reason for the rise in the past years. I once heard that for every incarcerated person, twenty other people also suffer the consequences. The old man goes to prison; the family finds itself with no means of income. The family must get support from the government to survive. The cost for a year of incarceration for one inmate is $20,000 per year! When you're finally free, you can hardly find a decent job because of your record. Now, something just doesn't seem right here. The majority of these people are good people, they were just bad when they were on drugs. I believe rehabilitation is the way to treat the harder drug cases without literally ruining their future. As far as marijuana goes, come on, give me a break! Let the punishment fit the crime.
The pharmaceutical companies will be the big losers if marijuana is legalized. Just think, you could grow your own medicine, and they know it. Many people, like myself, believe that marijuana has beneficial medicinal qualities. The pharmaceutical companies are trying their best to keep marijuana in its true form illegal. They have come up with some form of THC pill for cancer patients, but most of the patients prefer to smoke it. In pill form, it's hard to get to the right dosage each time you need it. When smoking pot, the user has control of the dosage through autotitration. Titration is being able to intake a dose of medicine to a certain point, and then stop at the optimal level. Autotitration is what marijuana does. You take one puff - not enough, another puff - just right - put it out. Try that with alcohol!
There was a study in 1999 that said that marijuana was much more dangerous than tobacco when it came to cancer. The link to this is: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/12/991220082058.htm . The pharmaceutical companies loved that idea.
Just this year though, a study was made that showed no association between marijuana and any cancer. To read this go to: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040602063428.htm .
I recently read a study on "runners high". Originally, it was thought that this "high" that people experience while in high stress and fatigue was caused by an increase in epinephrine. A recent study found that, contrary to earlier beliefs, the chemical release is called anandamide. Anandamide is a cannabinoid that plays a role in regulating pain, mood, and other psychological functions, and may pave the way for new treatments for mental disorders. So that's why we have THC receptors in our brain! The runner's high is a THC high, just like pot! The article also said that the chemical was relatively harmless as far as overdosing.
I feel like it's time to get out of the dark ages about our government's marijuana policy! A whole new spectrum of beneficial drugs will come through the legalization of pot. The hemp by-products are very beneficial for paper, clothing, and a number of other things. Our forests are disappearing because of the need for paper products. Marijuana grows fast on an annual basis, not like the life cycle of trees.
Marijuana users are trapped because of the laws and nobody is getting harmed except by the law. I have had three acquaintances that have died as a result of marijuana laws. The first was busted for cultivation while being spotted by an airplane full of cops. He had a small garden on his property. The search and seizure law got his home and property and he committed suicide. The second friend, I met at an AA meeting. He had a bad alcohol problem but had learned to totally control it by smoking pot. He went in the AA meeting telling everyone the way to stop drinking was to smoke pot. You should have heard them scream! Anyway, it worked for him. Later on, he was busted. His wife finally intervened because he was unable to pass urinalysis tests for employment. She said that she would leave him if he didn't stop smoking. He called me to ask if I knew how to falsify a test, in which I said no. A few days later, I heard that his wife left him. About a month later, he was dead - suicide. The third acquaintance was stopped by a highway patrol a couple of years ago. He had a previous record for pot arrests, so he made a run for it, since he had a little pot with him. They ended up chasing him, knocking him off the road, and shooting him right in the back of the neck with a .357 magnum. The guy's name was smeared all over the media as a bad guy, and the officer got a medal for bravery.
These people were all good people and didn't deserve to come to an end like that. The country is full of stories like this. So many people have suffered so much when this country is supposed to be "the land of opportunity" and a place where we should have the right toward our own "pursuit of happiness". The money hungry government and pharmaceutical companies have just about pushed the citizens to their limits! I have a lot of faith in John Kerry and the Democratic Party to make some changes for the citizens, not the government and large corporations. You can't just lock people up and forget about them! That seems to be the conservative view. Since the Netherlands, Australia, the UK, and Canada have paved the way for decriminalization, I feel like, after 30+ years, I may see the change before I die!
To The Left
Well, here we are, another 4th of July around the corner, and time to stock up on all the necessities for a successful Independence Day celebration. I guess that means plenty of beer and burgers, and don't forget the fireworks, unless, of course, they have already been outlawed in your area. If they have, perhaps you can catch a nice, safe display provided by your city or even turn on the tube and watch one piped in from...say, Hong Kong.
No, I'm not bitchin' today about our right to blow our own fingers off with a cherry bomb or an M-80, and I'm not going to say a thing about setting the neighbor's roof on fire with a pop bottle rocket {my personal favorite}. I am however, going to talk about our freedoms... specifically the freedoms handed down to us by our forefathers that really protect "We the People" and how some folks out there want to take them away.
You got it! I'm talking about the Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution. The same rights that have kept us "little people" relatively safe, all these years, from the big boys.
On May 25, 1787, the constitutional convention began at the Pennsylvania State House with the unanimous election of George Washington as President of the Convention. The convention had been called to rewrite the original Articles of Confederation due to the turmoil which now existed in the new country. The treasury was spent, paper money was flooding the country and inflation was off the charts. Small farmers were being jailed for debt and their farms sold. Insurrection was beginning to rear it's ugly head and the wealthy were in fear of total anarchy. Something had to be done.
James Madison, {Dolly's husband} the leader of the Federalists, proposed a centralized government with three branches that would be able to control commerce, levy taxes and have veto power over the states.
Patrick Henry {that guy who said "Give me liberty or give me death"} stayed away from the
convention saying he "smelt a rat". He suspected Madison of wanting to create a powerful central
government to subvert the authority of the state governments, which he and many others regarded as the best protection of their personal liberties. So many were afraid of any rewriting of the Articles, only fifty-five of the seventy-four delegates appointed actually even attended the convention, with Rhode Island refusing to send any at all.
Alexander Hamilton proposed a form of government we had just fought and won a revolution against, saying the British had "the best form of government in the world". Newspapers even began alleging that there was a plot to invite the second son of George III to become king of the United States.
Day after day, week after week, the delegates fought on. Insults, accusations and threats abounded. Benjamin Franklin (the one with the kite) called for daily prayers but the Convention had no funds for a preacher.
Finally, on September 17, after almost four months of wrangling and final appeals from the anti-federalists and probably more out of exhaustion than from the spirit of compromise, the Constitution was passed by a call of "Ayes". The Federalists had won their government but the fight continued. Even Thomas Jefferson, who was generally in favor of the new government, wrote to Madison that a bill of rights was "what the people were entitled to against every government on earth". By the fall of 1788, Madison was convinced.
On October 2, 1789, President Washington sent copies of the original twelve amendments to all the states. By December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the states had ratified the ten amendments we call our "Bill of Rights".
Now, I'm not telling you this so you'll remember those long haired, revolutionary fore-fathers while you're out watchin' the "rockets red glare". The truth is, these rights, YOUR RIGHTS, are being taken away as you sleep.
After 9-11, John Ashcroft and the Bush administration took advantage of the fear and insecurity of the people by introducing the "Patriot Act". Now, your home or office can be searched without warrant and you or any member of your family can be held without access to defense. This doesn't sound like the patriots I've read about.
I know, some of you still believe the Administration is using these "special measures" to protect our freedom but it was our government that took our freedoms away, not Al Qaeda! Maybe it's time we remembered that Ben Franklin said "If you give up your freedoms for security, you'll have neither".
...and oh, I almost forgot. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day, July 4th, exactly fifty years to the day from when they both had signed the Declaration of Independence. Madison's last words before dying were, "At least Jefferson still lives on to protect the democracy". What Madison didn't know was Jefferson had passed away, only hours before.
Down The Middle
The History:
http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/constitution_history.html
The Bill of Rights:
http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
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