That's what I really don't get. We've already got alcohol which causes all sorts of problems, but it's been a legal part of our society and traditions for thousands of years, and we tried making it illegal and it didn't work so we're stuck with it.
Why add another mind altering drug to the mix? Once it's been made legal for a while it will be just as hard to get rid of, no matter what we learn about the long term effects. It may not be as bad as alcohol but it does impair driving skills and it does change the brain of young users. Mexican cartels are already running the farms in California.
We just didn't need this. Alcohol and marijuana aren't brother and sister that we need to treat fairly. We're stuck with one we don't need to adopt another one just because she's not quite as bad.
Very good questions which I can respect and appreciate.
Alcohol was prohibited at one time and alcohol consumption decreased at first. Unfortunately bootleggers started to make it with higher potency causing an increase in crime, especially organized crime and charging these criminals caused the prison systems to reach their breaking point which then caused more corruption of public officials. Alcohol prohibition was a massive FAILURE!
https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/alcohol-prohibition-was-failure
The same thing happened to cannabis when the government prohibited it. Cartels took over and basement growers willing to supply the demand. Since the government made nothing from these sales, they created marijuana madness, creating the false illusion that those who used it would turn into instant nymphomaniacs and crazed lunatics however it was nothing more than a cautionary tale. ( 1936 )
Surprisingly, these tactics worked for decades though.
https://hashmuseum.com/en/collection/reefer-madness/
Unfortunately the same thing happened to marijuana prohibition as alcohol prohibition; law enforcement spent so much time arresting growers, sellers and users, that it took away needed time and energy focussing on the more serious crimes , like murder, vandalism , theft etc.
The biggest obstacle in the way of marijuana becoming legal was that it couldn’t be taxed or patented by the big pharma corporation . With no profits being made by the government or big pharma, there was little to no funded research done on it causing the reefer madness propaganda to stick.
Finally big pharma found a way to patent a cannabis infused product for glaucoma which opened the doors to other business possibilities. This caused an interest in some ‘much needed’ research and the outcome was impressive.
It was proven effective :
-for treating nausea which was helpful for cancer patients during chemotherapy.
- pain associated with chronic conditions
- for treating epilepsy, some forms of autism,
fibromyalgia, migraines, irritable bowel
syndrome, depression, multiple sclerosis,
huntingtons disease, Parkinson’s disease,
anorexia , chronic motion sickness
- as an anti inflammatory
- for insomnia & social anxiety
In the beginning of 2000’s Canada made it legal but only with a doctors prescription which allowed legal licensed growers to supply them. Since this got taken advantage of Health Canada took over the licensing of growers which was a major failure. Not long afterwards, Canada made it legal for everyone to use and grow if they chose to.
Like anything in life, it’s not perfect. There are now THC infused chocolate, cookies and gummy bears, making this much more attractive to kids but it also is monitored, and goes through strict quality control so consumers know exactly what they are purchasing. It’s labelled with the proper strain, the exact THC level, the amount and other needed important info.
The BEST thing that happened when cannabis became legal is that people can be guaranteed a QUALITY product with no mould, no crushed glass, no fentanyl or other dangerous drugs added AND those seeking it don’t have to deal with dangerous cartels, basement growers or the stranger down the road.
Anything in need that gets prohibited becomes more dangerous including abortion. The loopholes people will go through due to desperation is horrifying but that’s another topic altogether.
