Marijuana Prohibition: Origins and Modern Impact

Prohibition: the act of forbidding or outlawing something. When you hear prohibition you often think of the 1913 prohibition and the 18 and 21 amendments. Often we don 't think of prohibition in the terms of marijuana. Original propaganda was formed by the director of Bureau of Narcotics Harry J. Anslinger whose persistent actions and manipulation lead to the rise of the prohibition. Harry spread the belief that marijuana was a devil’s weed that would make you go insane and on a killing frenzy; inevitably you would go to jail. With such a frightening menace to society the Marijuana Tax Act was passed in 1937 with no scientific study, public debate, or political objection (Grass). We all know this fear mongering was untrue. Now in modern times

Some argue for decriminalization and some for legalization. Decriminalization simply lowers the chance of getting hauled off to jail for small amounts of cannabis but fine can still be given (Economist). Legalization allows for the cannabis to be purchased, sold, and distributed from a credible source without any of the risk typically involved in the current industry. The benefits of legalization are completely financial. Did you know the US spend more than $51 billion dollars on the war on drugs. That 45% of all drug related violations are for marijuana; 700 thousand people incarcerated (Drug Policy). Billions in taxpayer money that could be used for more meaningful expenses. In Colorado they have legalized marijuana and it’s estimated that the state has earned $996 million in 2015 with $62 million solely in taxes. They use some of this tax revenue to help with local education and school construction. School funding was estimated at $35 million in 2015 (The Cannabist). Now far more innovative and practical uses for marijuana is the use of hemp for industrial purposes. The difference between hemp and marijuana is that hemp has tiny amounts of THC (Leaf Science); which means it’s not great for smoking but does however grow huge 11 to 20 feet. This means that the plant fibers, seeds, oils could be harvested to produce a phenomenal array of uses of sown by figure 1. These include but not limited to clothing, foods, paper, building supplies, plastics, and