An open letter to Elected Officials, and Naysayers
To whom it may concern,
My name is not important, I’m just an average Joe who wants to have his voice heard and taken seriously about something I, and many other people, feel very strongly about. My only request is that you do, in fact, take this letter seriously, reading it all the way through.
I call for you to support the legalization of hemp, medicinal, and also non-medicinal Cannabis. Allow me to state why I believe it would make the United States of America, and the world a better place.
In the 1930’s a movie called “Reefer Madness” was made, depicting Cannabis smokers as monstrous and/or lazy, unproductive, people who were detrimental to society. Some of the nation still believes users of Cannabis to be detrimental to society. This movie was racist, depicting African Americans who smoked Cannabis to be the source of the problem. We live in the 21st century; we need to lose these unjustifiable thought forms of the 20th century.
If you want to use the excuse that Cannabis causes an unproductive and lazy society realize this: many notable, and successful, figures in the world have smoked it, including the multi-gold medalist Michael Phelps, our current president Barack Obama, John Lennon and all of The Beatles, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Bob Dylan, I could go on and on. These people were far from detrimental to society. Some helped define a generation, while some helped establish a nation, if anything they helped society thrive by giving their inspiration to others. It just so happens that they also used Cannabis.
You could be afraid to support it because you may think more people would start driving under the influence of Cannabis. You also would know that it would be hard to test for, as standard breathalyzers would not work. Allow me to say there are tens of millions of Cannabis users right here in America and I have never heard of someone being pulled over for being under the influence of Cannabis alone, or any crashes associated with a driver who was under the influence of Cannabis alone. Alcohol is far worse, already having caused close to 3,000 drunk driving deaths this year, and it's legal. Compare that to the ZERO deaths related to smoking Cannabis in all of eternity. More people die from legal prescriptions and over the counter drugs than from ingesting all illegal drugs put together. Cannabis legalization would not increase the amount of accidents caused by being impaired while driving, and in the event Cannabis smokers would be pulled over and given a field sobriety test, I guarantee they would pass.
By NOT supporting the legalization of Cannabis you are supporting gang violence and drug cartels. Gangs and organized crime use Cannabis, as well as other illegal drugs, as a form of untaxed income to fund their violence, causing death and destruction across the world. All you need do is look across the U.S. border to Mexico to see the madness happening in real-time. If Cannabis was legal it would help immensely to reduce this crime-wave. When I watch and read the news I see the death and destruction the failed “war on drugs” is causing, and I feel sick to the stomach knowing that it could be prevented.
Make Cannabis legal so it can be taxed and regulated, generating a substantial amount of income for the state, and nation. In these times of recession it would help us Americans get back on our feet. It would also create agricultural jobs, and jobs in both manufacturing and services. In our own great nation of America we are seeing the population of homeless people growing at an increasing rate. Tent cities are popping up out of nowhere in some of our biggest cities. These people would take any job they could get, including cultivation of Hemp and Cannabis.
A very large portion of the U.S. prison population is doing time for simple possession of Cannabis or paraphernalia; up to a life sentences. Possession itself is a non-violent, victimless crime, which in some circumstances gives jail sentences longer than that of rapists, sex offenders, and drunks that commit vehicular manslaughter. Most of the people who smoke Cannabis are simple average folk who use it to relax, and enjoy things like music, food, and other entertainment more… and they’re getting longer sentences than those who commit unforgivable and violent crimes against another human. It does’t make sense throwing these honest Americans in prisons. The immoral laws against Cannabis violate the human rights of those who are just trying to live a happy, enjoyable life.
While I’m on the prison subject, I’d like to point out that many prisons are being over-populated to the point where they have to expand outside the walls of the facilities and state, housing inmates in tents inside the razor wire fences, or shipping them off to another penitentiary. With the overpopulation of prisons the prospect of building more facilities, with taxpayer money, has been brought up. I do NOT want my money being used to house non-violent offenders such as Cannabis smokers. It’s a complete waste of taxpayer money and helps increase the national debt even further. Some of these prisons profit from imposing overly harsh sentences. The more people incarcerated the more money that comes out of the average citizen’s pocket that goes to these profit-oriented prisons. Its a sad truth that more prisons are being built than there are universities.
The billions of dollars spent on enforcing the failed “war on drugs” could go to funding things such as alternative clean energy, or education, or something that actually makes a difference in the lives of Americans for the better. Prohibition of alcohol failed, and so has the prohibition of Cannabis and other drugs. When the prohibition of alcohol was enacted it created the “Al Capone” type gangsters, rum runners, and moonshiners, just like today’s prohibition of Cannabis has created and helped sustain underground drug cartels, gangs, and the violence that comes with them. People are always going to find a way to get what they want, and should be free to put whatever they want into their bodies, so just give them what they want and regulate it. Instead of the violent syndicates getting the money the state would get the tax dollar from it and put it to much better use. END THE HYPOCRISY, it’s common sense. The violent syndicates want it to stay illegal so they can profit from it, and like I stated previously, “By NOT supporting the legalization of Cannabis you are supporting gang violence and drug cartels”.
Let me continue by asking a question. Why is hemp, a plant that can’t even be smoked for recreational purposes, illegal? It’s one of the world’s most versatile, if not –the- most versatile plant on the earth. For thousands of years its extremely durable fibers have been made into countless, high-quality, products. Products including: textiles, paper, rope, and modern things like plastics, bio-fuel, and even glass. Because Cannabis is illegal we, the United States, can’t even grow this for our own use. Hemp used to be legal, and at one point in our nation’s history refusing to grow it was against the law. Hemp could be used to bring in much needed income to our nation; if it was legal during the great depression it would have then helped the economy. It's been said many times, but the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence were drafted on hemp paper. In that case maybe the DEA should go burn these historical documents, oh wait, metaphorically speaking it's already lit.
An anti-legalization argument I hear often is that Cannabis is a cause of cancer, when, in fact, there have been no credible studies done proving that it contributes. Studies have been done showing that in many cases Cannabis actually helps the treatment of tumors. Tobacco is 100% proven to cause cancer and is completely legal to 18 year olds. This is painful, and if you can’t see what’s wrong there, I feel sorry for you. I don’t know if you’re aware, but, let me give you a refresher. California acknowledges medicinal cannabis helps people who suffer from cancer, along with a list of other ailments. Cancer patients pay thousands of dollars for medications, sometimes over $10,000+ for a single injection. Instead they could smoke several measly dollars worth of Cannabis to get the same effect without any nasty side effects associated with what hospitals normally administer. Without medicinal Cannabis some of these folks would be suffering with tremendous pain; no one deserves to suffer like that. We don’t even subject our Death row inmates to as much pain as some cancer patients put up with on a daily basis. No one in their right mind would want to see a family member, let alone anyone else, suffer like this. I read recently about a police dispatcher who was fired for buying Cannabis for her aunt who has breast cancer, if that’s any indication to how ridiculous things are. Even many cops want it legalized.
Some people also use the “gateway drug” excuse. Who’s to say that Cannabis is a gateway drug at all? Tobacco and alcohol could just as easily be considered a gateway drug, but they are 100% legal. Just because someone smokes Cannabis recreationally doesn’t automatically mean they’re going to go out and shoot heroin, or smoke meth. The gateway excuse is a faulty, unjustifiable argument, which has been proven wrong. Cannabis’s illegality increases the chance someone is going to try harder drugs. Since it’s illegal people have to buy it from underground dealers, some of which try to push harder drugs onto their customers so they can make even more money.
We are in the information age; people can get on the Internet and educate themselves about topics, otherwise not taught in school. News is instant on the Internet, within hours, sometimes minutes; news is projected on the Internet for people to read an discuss. As of recent there has been a large boom of media coverage on the use of Cannabis, both on TV, and Internet, and it’s growing every day. It’s only a matter of time before more people come to realize the war on drugs is an utter and complete failure. Do your part and help change the nation, and world for the better. Pro-Cannabis thought has the momentum and it's only a matter of time, for truth and facts cannot be ignored, only avoided, and only avoided for so long.
I could go on with MANY more reasons why this whole "war on drugs" and Anti-Cannabis propaganda is bullshit, but I think I've made my point. If you want to see more reasons for yourself all you need do it start searching the web for real facts.
On a final note, I ask that you visit these web sites below and browse them in their entirety or until you get the point of it. Now is the time realize the truth, for I’m mad as hell about the immoral laws that have ruined millions of normal average Joe’s and Jane’s lives, just for smoking and possessing, what is in reality, a harmless plant. I’m not going to take it anymore, are you?
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3381
http://www.copssaylegalizedrugs.com/
And also please, take time to view this documentary.
P. s. If you're still living in the 1930's and think Cannabis is addictive... all I can say is shame on your stupidity and educate yourself, please. I didn't state it above because I think by now it should be common sense. (It's less addictive than caffeine)
In the event anyone wants to send this to their state elected officials, news papers, news stations, or whatever else you can think of, go ahead. You have my permission to plagiarize the hell out this. No credit needs to be given, for all I care you can take the credit. Get the message out, in the end that's all that matters. I promise I wont sue you.
