The Absurd War On Drugs

I never understood why weed was illegal. The narrative that weed is a gateway drug that will lead to violent crime and lead to psychotic episodes was something I never witnessed. Alcohol appeared to be way worse but at one point, mostly in our teen years, experimenting with weed and alcohol was almost a rite of passage.

I have been spending a fair amount of time in the cannabis space. Like every other narrative that has been imposed on the American public, the deep, dark, supposedly horrifying things around weed began with one man, Harry Anslinger.

Harry oversaw the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in the 1930s. When prohibition ended, he was concerned he might be out of a job. His office mainly focused on cocaine and heroin, but not enough users to maintain a bureau and his position, so he began to highlight marijuana. Not shocking; he was a racist.

Here is a quote from Anslinger, “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men,” he was quoted as saying. “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to see sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.”

Anslinger focused on “undesirable people.” The only thing he accomplished, and our Government is fully responsible for this, is putting non-violent offenders behind bars. The majority of those people are Black and brown. It is high time, no pun intended, as each state legalizes marijuana to let those offenders out of jail and expunge their records today.

How come we aren’t going after more people who launder money or cheat on their taxes or the everyday white-collar crimes that somehow we turn a blind eye to? Look at what happened on January 6th? I recently heard both Gaetz and Bannon discussing that they will build their personal army and take over the Government. Sounds like the days of Tammany Hall.

As a society, we have chosen to allow this type of corruption to reign, but for those who take a puff, we decided to toss them in jail and put this crime on their permanent record.

The Government moves like a tortoise, and then suddenly, change happens. We are on the precipice of long-overdue change regarding marijuana and psilocybin drugs. Perhaps we should work on changing all narratives and begin to get tough on grifters, cheats, and corruption.