Mistress DSD wrote:
We had this discussion on another forum about 2 weeks back and I found that link and read through the whole thing. it was a complete eye opener and something I think everyone who wants to debate the marijuana legal issue should read.
it also shut up every single person who was saying how bad it is
Wow. I must have missed that thread. That link is hardly convincing, and is actually far more fanatical about its position then the real truth merits.
The biggest flaw with that site is that it treats hemp and marijuana as though they are the same plant. They aren't. They're part of the same family, but do not share the same narcotic effects. You can never get high smoking hemp. It's absolutely incorrect to say that marijuana was around and used to make all the things hemp was used for. Hemp and marijuana are *not* the same thing. While there was certainly a significant racist motivation going on behind the scenes, it was true that marijuana was essentially imported from Mexico during the time period in question, not something that grew naturally all around the country and was farmed normally. It was correct for those early lawmakers to make a distinction between hemp and marijuana.
The problem was that other interests realized that if they blurred the difference, then they could use the perceived negative effects of marijuana as a way to outlaw hemp as well. The site you linked makes some valid points, but it kinda jumbles everything together. It's just as wrong to jumble facts about hemp and marijuana around when attempting to illegalize it as it is to do the same when condemning those who illegalized it (or presumably attempt to legalize it).
This muddling occurs on both sides of the argument. There are some serious reasons to legalize hemp, but most people arguing to legalize hemp don't really care about hemp. They want marijuana legalized and figure that's a way to get that. They're basically doing exactly what was done to illegalize it, just in reverse. Their position is just as false IMO.
I'm just of the opinion that if you want to argue for legalizing marijuana, then make that argument. Conflating marijuana and hemp is the wrong way to do it.