Moving America Into The Future

I think one of the major reasons there is resistance to the idea of a Hemp Economy is because many fear that once we legalize Hemp, we won’t be able to make the clear distinction between hemp or marijuana and that the Fields of Green will be flowing with both industrial hemp AND medicinal or recreational marijuana, and if that happens, how do we regulate THAT?!
Regulation is the key word here. In a time when “regulation” is a dirty word, (because regulation means Big Government and people are tired of Big Government, or we like to say we are), most of us would like to see a national healthcare system that requires a Big Government solution. Are we on the edge of a socialistic system that once initiated, becomes a monster at our door, or are we redefining our definitions of socialism in a need for fair and balanced government that cares for the needs of the general population? I wonder if we are beginning to accept the idea that WE ARE the Government. We ARE the people that elect the leaders that listen to our input and enact laws. Many are jaded however, feeling that their ideas have not been represented fairly.
It’s ironic that in the name of taxation and regulation, Hemp farming became a part of America’s past after WWII. The Tax Stamp Act of 1937 was a way of controlling the marijuana industry, a perceived threat to our country since black musicians and Mexican immigrant users were among the most well-known users.

Yes, race played a big role in the stigma of marijuana. And, if we can’t tell the difference between the two plants how can we control them? So, we threw out the baby with the bathwater so to speak and cut off our nose to spite our face.
So why is it that Marijuana has this stigma as an “evil drug”, even though the scientific research that’s been completed on both sides of the debate have never been able to prove that marijuana is a harmful drug? Even with billions on research, nobody has been able to prove that marijuana smoking causes disease, although both tobacco and alcohol have been PROVEN to cause death and disease. But still the Drug War continues with marijuana at the top of the list, classified as a schedule 1 drug for political reasons, not scientific or reasonable ones.
Former president Bill Clinton was on television the other day while giving a live speech in Florida in support of Barack Obama. With his usual passionate style he told voters that it was time to, “Move America into the future!” I couldn’t agree more Mr. President. Yet, I can’t help but remember that even though you didn’t “inhale”; your administration put more money into the drug war and was responsible for more marijuana arrests than any administration since the drug war began over 70 years ago. A shocking bit of information for me because I thought you insinuated that marijuana should be decriminalized in your famous MTV interview at the END of your second term. Oh I know , you had to choose a conservative to lead up the “Drug War” on your term as a political compromise, what with all the other conflicts you were undergoing. Let’s hope your democratic predecessor has bigger cahones! It’s a risky move for any politician to take but with out-spoken leaders like Barney Frank (D) , Ted Kennedy (D) and Ron Paul (R), I still have “Hope” and isn’t that what inspires our need for change?

The most current statistics of 2007 show that this country’s legal arm makes nearly 900,000 marijuana arrests per year! The numbers of arrests go up each year. That’s approximately 2,390 Americans arrested each day for marijuana, most of which are for simple possession. By October 10, police will arrest the 20,000,000 th victim of marijuana prohibition.
It is time for America to “Move into the future!” because “We are the Change we seek!”
With the new political spirit that seems to have grown in intensity during this current election year, I hope you will take an active role in letting your leaders in congress, senators and presidential candidates know how you feel about Hemp and Marijuana as needless victims of the War on Drugs.
Below is a list of my favorite websites. Please check them out and consider becoming a voice of reason in this time of change.
http://www.naihc.org/ http://www.norml.com/ http://www.votehemp.com/ http://www.mpp.org/