In 1911 Massachusetts criminalized the possession and sale of cannabis. Where are we 100 years later and is there a way out?
2011 marks the continuation of this countrys love affair with prohibition. On April 29th, 1911 Massachusetts passed a law banning hypnotic drugs. This included opium, morphine, and a little thing called Indian Hemp. There is a surprisingly modern connection with this law in that it still allowed medicinal marijuana. At the time this was commonly sold in drug stores as a tincture to cure menstrual cramps.
Even at its outset, the great irony of prohibition was apparent. Before it was prohibited no one knew anything about Indian hemp. After the law went into effect, people became curious and that is when marijuana moved out of the Mexican border towns and into jazz clubs. Interestingly enough, the first prohibition on marijuana served to bring it to mainstream attention.
Nine years after the Massachusetts law was passed, the 18th amendment banned the sale of alcohol in the United States. This experiment in social engineering only lasted 13 years before prohibition was repealed in 1933. In 1933 marijuana was still an obscure substance compared to alcohol. It maintained its social connection with Mexicans and now Blacks. Marijuana prohibition, unlike alcohol prohibition, was a blatant exercise of racism. Harry Anslinger was the first head of the DEA and fought successfully for increased enforcement of marijuana prohibition. Anslinger made no attempt to hide his racism saying that, There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. [] This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others. One hundred years later the prohibition continues. All other prohibitions that were in effect in the twenties have slowly eroded. Today you can buy alcohol in a grocery store, ride in the same train car as a black man, vote in elections if you are a woman or minority, you can even marry someone of a different race or in some places someone of the same sex. By comparison, marijuana prohibition has steadily increased over this same period. Today we make more arrests and spend more money enforcing drug laws and Forcefully implementing the general drug testing than ever before. We are also close to a sea change. Segregation, voting rights, and most other social struggles of the past century were a long, hard-fought battle with a sudden dramatic victory. I long for the day when marijuana has a visible symbol of success just like the African American students walking past the National Guard and into the University of Alabama for the first time.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-and-safety-articles/a-century-of-prohibition-4939666.html
About the AuthorKatherina Gaidarzhy
Manager at MB Detox
I can help you to pass any drug test
