If that isn't what is?

__________________
January 21, 2013: The End of an ERROR.

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
---Benjamin Franklin

Let me begin by reminding everyone how Hemp became the evil Marijuana, just to keep things in perspective.
Around the turn of the century (19th to 20th) a newspaper magnet named William R. Hearst was looking to exploit some of his holdings for greater profit. He owned a number of large newspapers, paper mills and timberland (to name a few of the arenas he was involved in).
Mr. Hearst wanted to save money on the bulk paper bill he was forced to pay, when you own newspapers, you buy a lot of paper in bulk.
Bill was a real smart guy, he was also a real ruthless guy who did not care who he hurt as long as he got what he wanted, and, judging by the size of his empire, he got his way a lot.
He wanted to use his timberland to supply his paper mill which in turn would supply his news papers need for bulk paper. But, he had one problem. Hemp paper dominated the paper market. Hemp was much cheaper to produce then wood pulp paper, thus it cost less to buy. Bill wanted to dominate the market and produce wood pulp paper not only for his newspapers, but for everyone else's newspapers as well as the regular paper market. But Hemp stood in his way.

Then Bill came up with a idea. He had found out that Black Jazz and Blues musicians actually "smoked" hemp like tobacco and that it had a euphoric affect on them. this gave Bill an idea... he decided to start running false reports in his news papers that played on the racial tensions of the day. Since Hemp was everywhere and everyone was familiar with it he knew that if he called "Hemp", Hemp, that his false reports would be disregarded or even laughed at. So, he decided to call Hemp by it's Mexican slang name "Marijuana", which effectively vilified it. So, once he had everything in place, across America Heart's newspaper's began running false reports of gangs of delirious, out of control Black males, intoxicated from smoking the "evil Mexican herb, Marijuana" were roaming the streets (gang) raping "white woman" .....This started a riot...

All of "white" America exploded in anger and fear, demanding the Government do something to stop this evil menace, "Marijuana". So, as had happened in the past, and as what was going to happen again and again in the future, Unethical people of great financial wealth, used the power that great wealth commands, to lie and deceive the American people in order to sway public opinion in such a way that would be of great personal gain for the wealthy, while causing great pain and suffering to a segment of the population that they saw as inferior and expendable.

William R. Hearts assault on Hemp was the main reason Hemp was outlawed in the United States. and it was based completely on lies.

So, we have Hemp, which at one time was Americas 2nd largest crop (George Washington grew it). It is a plant that can be used to produce diesel fuel, over 5,000 textile products ranging from rope, to fine laces to Cellophane, from baby moisturizer to face creams, shaving cream, paint, up until 1937, all quality paints were made with a base of hemp oil due to its natural drying quality ,varnish, detergent, Paper, Hemp paper does not need chlorine bleach, which heavily pollutes rivers Hemp paper is stronger, finer and longer-lasting than wood-based papers. The declaration of independence, and the Constitution are written on Hemp paper.
Caulking, cement, fiberboard, flooring, insulation, paneling, particleboard, plaster, plywood, reinforced concrete and roofing. The list is endless and we haven't even gotten to it's medicinal uses yet.....We have a plant that was prohibited for criminal reasons by criminal methods. A plant that could fortify our national economy. A plant that was de-criminalized in California by the will of the people of California, only to have a criminal Federal government over rule the will of the people.
Think about that.
Our Government by the people for the people and of the people over ruled the will of the people by federal decree.

Lets move on.

Alcohol makes people over confident and belligerent and reduces eye/hand/foot coordination. Hemp does the opposite. Driving tests of people on hemp has shown they are less prone to drive then alcohol users, drive slower and in general are more careful then alcohol impaired drivers.

Hemp has been called the #1 "gateway" drug.
This is false.
Alcohol is the #1 gateway drug.

U.S. law has made the punishment for using hemp far more detrimental to the users health and finances then the hemp use itself.

There is no known evidence that proves hemp use causes users to lose their job except when "hemp screening" causes termination. The "drug test/screening" industry is a multi billion dollar a year industry because of anti drug hysteria caused and exploited by the media. What was once used only to screen public safety jobs has now permeated every walk of life. Do we really care if the person who greats us at Walmart or the guy that rents us movies at Blockbuster smoked a joint last Sunday? It is obvious to people like myself that testing is way out of hand because pharmaceutical companies who make the tests go to great lengths to swirl up public hysteria. It is big business.


Your stance (prohibition of hemp) was and is the reason Hemp distribution is in the hands of the Black market. The War on drugs currently costs around 12 hundred dollars per second.. If that is "half ass" I'm wondering what you think a whole ass attempt would cost?
Fishjoel, I implore you to completely unlearn your thoughts on U.S. drug policy. Your beliefs are based entirely on false information and propaganda based myth. Please use common sense and shed your pre conceived notions before doing any further research on the topic. Your outlook is nothing but a manipulation. It is false on every feasible level.

If you have ever wondered why hemp laws are, to this day, so strongly enforced, just follow the money.

Hemp prohibition was born of corruption and lives on by the efforts of political lobbyist and media manipulation , all funded by the Oil, pharmaceutical, textile, corrections and lumber industries.

In a land that's (supposedly) known for freedom, we, the people are nothing more then a means to the ends of anyone with money enough to buy media and government support for their agenda.

That's all there is to it.

Do you not see that the logic you use to justify the end of alcohol prohibition, is exactly the logical reason to end hemp prohibition?

No, of course not. Our government is obviously just doing the completely right combination of things needed to help the common American. All that's missing is a bit of effort!

You are joking, Right?

Retro Fit,
(taking your information at face value for now)

Thanks for the article, it was very informative. The comparison to alcohol was not needed as I had already admitted that it's side effects are worse than (i'll use you language) hemp. I don't think hemp is a terrible drug either, but drug it still is. I still feel that it's a needless vice that, recreationally, has no real value. The fact that it may not impair you as much as alcohol still does not mean that it doesn't impair at all. I suppose, in the overall picture, the benefits of legalizing hemp would outweigh the detractors (since I obviously don't see it as that harmful). I was simply making my case for the intended purpose of the thread. I still think that the majority of what I state is still true, but I suppose that it's just not a battle that is worth fighting. So that aside...I would like to broaden the thread (temporarily), if no one minds...

Is hemp the only drug in which you advocate legalizing? I know many people lump those who are for legalizing hemp in with those you want all drugs to be made legal. Do you (all) think the systemic damages cause by more dangerous drugs inconsequential enough to legalize them as well?

Yep, it was sarcasm.

Yes thank you for that thrilling reenactment of that Family Guy episode.

Yes it's a shame that a few morons who want to fry their brains with a drug from a plant visually identical to a incredibly useful crop ruin it for the rest of us.

__________________
January 21, 2013: The End of an ERROR.

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
---Benjamin Franklin

There's a lot of gray area there. The only drugs which are currently illegal that I would do are marijuana and mushrooms (in there natural form as purifying psilocybin introduces the risk of overdose). On the other hand, legalizing "party drugs" might keep people off hard drugs. In essence, as I believe someone on this forum has said before, if you could go to a specialty store and buy a safe amount and mixture of cocaine you probably wouldn't be mixing up meth in your bathtub.

__________________
During the journey we commonly forget its goal. Almost every profession is chosen as a means to an end but continued as an end in itself. Forgetting our objectives is the most frequent act of stupidity.
-Friedrich Nietzsche, The Wanderer and his Shadow

All good socialists have villas in Southern France. That's not the point.
-Eurosocialist

You do know that since they started the whole war on drugs, drug use in america has only increased? Making it illegal makes kids WANT to do it. To be cool, to rebel etc. It also makes it easier to get because EVERYONE sells it. Seriously you'd be really surprised if you knew how many pot dealers a single pothead (yo) knows. I can think of 10 off the top of my head. I live in small town USA. However if you were to regulate the shit out of it and make it availible for people of lets say 18 and over (or 21 if you prefer) over the counter just like cigarettes or alcohol itd clean it up alot. Think about it. I can get pounds of weed right now. Like this very second. one phone call and twenty minutes is all it would take. Hell i could get coke right now. But i don't think i could get alcohol right this minute. And its legal. Isn't that odd?

Marijuana doesn't impair judgement with anywhere near the severity of alcohol. It doesn't cause cancer. There is no such thing as an overdose. The worst thing about it is that its illegal.

you completely missed the argument pal.

it was not the smokers that ruined hemp, it was the industrialists that used them as an excuse and lobbied congress to illegalize hemp that ruined hemp.

__________________

Marijuana is very similar to alcohol, and in some ways, the drug defeats the beverage. Marijuana only has an effect on the user for a maximum of six hours whereas drinking is usually sustained for hours, allowing the mind-numbing effects to continue for as long as the user stays conscious. Also, making it illegal makes it attractive to younger groups, and creates a negative cash-flow towards the foreign growers.

Family Guy? My wife doesn't allow me to watch it when the kids are around. Since their always around I'm not allowed to watch it. But, Commadore, don't think I don't appreciate the way you attempted to marginalize my argument by comparing it to a T.V. cartoon episode, fabulous really.
Oh, and you raised another completely bullshit point being spewed by the media that "Hemp and Marijuana are different plants".. This is total media dog doo. If in fact it were true, then by all accounts you could legally grow Hemp, right? Wrong....All forms of cannabis are still Hemp......I will say that that was a good effort on your part...Just keep watching Bill O'Reilly religiously......good stuff.

marked, utterly marked, ignorance. it is in fact the same specie of plant appearing differently.

__________________

Doctors, Pharmacists, nurses, Pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors as well as patients all manage to have drugs around them without getting whacked out and killing children with their cars.
Policemen, Detectives, military, agents from each and every federal, state and local agency carry weapons on the street without walking into McDonalds and opening fire.
They all have one thing in common, they are responsible adults.
Illicit Drugs are not illegal because the government thinks you will hurt yourself or/and others. Illicit Drugs are illegal because the government cannot tax them.......From day one, If you had a still who came a callin? Revenuers.......Sure, it's all been politicized, but the root reason for the government wanting to control everyone's mind-set was so it could be taxed properly. There's proof in the pudding...not only is Heroin and opium illegal, but if you are caught slicing the stem of certain Poppy flowers, that is also a federal offense.....how are they going to collect taxes from flower slicing that they are not aware of? Same with pot. It's illegal to have some in your possession, but if you grow it or concentrate it, it a federal offense...

And the double standard the hypocrite government displays is not just in the nuclear arena. The government grows pot....all nice and legal for them. The government (CIA)grows poppies and makes heroin and distributes it to Americans every day.....But you believe that the government has enacted the war on drugs and dis arming of the population because they are concerned for our well being?.......You have got to be kidding me.
Oh, let me guess, you want links, right? There are no direct links to verify my claims. You have to look at our history, look at what happened when, by whom. Who stood to profit from what. Who rented the plane carrying the 20 tons, who pays the bill's. You have to investigate the desire, opportunity and motivation of all involved. But I don't want to get to far off topic. Hemp shouldn't be illegal because it is just a weed that used to grow alongside of every road in America. If it still did, the black market distributing it would disappear overnight. The California Poppy is just a flower..maybe if it wasn't a federal offense to drain it's sap, we wouldn't have junkies robbing people to get a fix. The CIA would have to find a new way to fund their crap.

Simply put, yes, I do support the legalization of all drugs . An end to the "drug war". We are supposed to be a free society. We are not. And we never will be until the day where we become responsible adults, not because of the government, but for ourselves.