An old post revisited... VERY LONG POST

[kennewickrockerguy]

I was reading some of the older posts about marijuana and it's "effect" on activity levels. As a card carrying medical MJ patient, I must say I am more apt to physical activity after smoking or vaporizing. I have some serious chronic pain and after smoking / vaporizing, I can stand up and walk without cringing in pain. I grow a high grade strain that is about 4 - 7 times stronger than your average street pot and I smoke about 1/2 ounce a day. I also get a nice relief of anxiety and depression that allows me to be more social and outgoing. Please do not ask me to sell you marijuana or do anything illegal, it has taken great strides for marijuana to become recognized as a medicine and not a dangerous street drug in Washington State and I will not jeopardize that for anyone or anything. I do not do it to get high - if I could get plastered from a joint, I would be doing great (not because I am high, but it would mean I am not in serious pain).

My concern is keeping "the munchies" under control, I admit it does give me a helluva appetite. At least I will never worry about my water consumption. I am not a big fan of cottonmouth.

To all those who would consider me a junkie, keep some things in mind. The main reason marijuana is illegal is because of some business tycoons who stood to lose their entire businesses to hemp (at one point in America, it was basically illegal NOT to grow it) decided to ad some crooked politician's pockets and spread blatant lies about it. The red is an excerpt from a website (if you google "why is marijuana illegal" it is the first link that pops up). Read it and comment on what you think about the things that were said about marijuana.


America's first marijuana law was enacted at Jamestown Colony, Virginia in 1619. It was a law "ordering" all farmers to grow Indian hempseed. There were several other "must grow" laws over the next 200 years (you could be jailed for not growing hemp during times of shortage in Virginia between 1763 and 1767), and during most of that time, hemp was legal tender (you could even pay your taxes with hemp -- try that today!) Hemp was such a critical crop for a number of purposes (including essential war requirements - rope, etc.) that the government went out of its way to encourage growth. The United States Census of 1850 counted 8,327 hemp "plantations" (minimum 2,000-acre farm) growing cannabis hemp for cloth, canvas and even the cordage used for baling cotton.

When Montana outlawed marijuana in 1927, the Butte Montana Standard reported a legislator's comment: "When some beet field peon takes a few traces of this stuff... he thinks he has just been elected president of Mexico, so he starts out to execute all his political enemies." In Texas, a senator said on the floor of the Senate: "All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy."

In the eastern states, the "problem" was attributed to a combination of Latin Americans and black jazz musicians. Marijuana and jazz traveled from New Orleans to Chicago, and then to Harlem, where marijuana became an indispensable part of the music scene, even entering the language of the black hits of the time (Louis Armstrong's "Muggles", Cab Calloway's "That Funny Reefer Man", Fats Waller's "Viper's Drag").


Again, racism was part of the charge against marijuana, as newspapers in 1934 editorialized: "Marihuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men's shadows and look at a white woman twice."
Two other fear-tactic rumors started to spread: one, that Mexicans, Blacks and other foreigners were snaring white children with marijuana; and two, the story of the "assassins." Early stories of Marco Polo had told of "hasheesh-eaters" or hashashin, from which derived the term "assassin." In the original stories, these professional killers were given large doses of hashish and brought to the ruler's garden (to give them a glimpse of the paradise that awaited them upon successful completion of their mission). Then, after the effects of the drug disappeared, the assassin would fulfill his ruler's wishes with cool, calculating loyalty.

In 1930, a new division in the Treasury Department was established -- the Federal Bureau of Narcotics -- and Harry J. Anslinger was named director. This, if anything, marked the beginning of the all-out war against marijuana.

Anslinger was an extremely ambitious man, and he recognized the Bureau of Narcotics as an amazing career opportunity -- a new government agency with the opportunity to define both the problem and the solution. He immediately realized that opiates and cocaine wouldn't be enough to help build his agency, so he latched on to marijuana and started to work on making it illegal at the federal level.
Anslinger immediately drew upon the themes of racism and violence to draw national attention to the problem he wanted to create. He also promoted and frequently read from "Gore Files" -- wild reefer-madness-style exploitation tales of ax murderers on marijuana and sex and... Negroes. Here are some quotes that have been widely attributed to Anslinger and his Gore Files:

"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."

"...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."

"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."

"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men."

"Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing"

"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."

"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."

And he loved to pull out his own version of the "assassin" definition:

"In the year 1090, there was founded in Persia the religious and military order of the Assassins, whose history is one of cruelty, barbarity, and murder, and for good reason: the members were confirmed users of hashish, or marihuana, and it is from the Arabs' 'hashashin' that we have the English word 'assassin.'"

Harry Anslinger got some additional help from William Randolf Hearst, owner of a huge chain of newspapers. Hearst had lots of reasons to help. First, he hated Mexicans. Second, he had invested heavily in the timber industry to support his newspaper chain and didn't want to see the development of hemp paper in competition. Third, he had lost 800,000 acres of timberland to Pancho Villa, so he hated Mexicans. Fourth, telling lurid lies about Mexicans (and the devil marijuana weed causing violence) sold newspapers, making him rich.
Some samples from the San Francisco Examiner:

"Marihuana makes fiends of boys in thirty days -- Hashish goads users to bloodlust."

"By the tons it is coming into this country -- the deadly, dreadful poison that racks and tears not only the body, but the very heart and soul of every human being who once becomes a slave to it in any of its cruel and devastating forms.... Marihuana is a short cut to the insane asylum. Smoke marihuana cigarettes for a month and what was once your brain will be nothing but a storehouse of horrid specters. Hasheesh makes a murderer who kills for the love of killing out of the mildest mannered man who ever laughed at the idea that any habit could ever get him...."

And other nationwide columns...

"Users of marijuana become STIMULATED as they inhale the drug and are LIKELY TO DO ANYTHING. Most crimes of violence in this section, especially in country districts are laid to users of that drug."

"Was it marijuana, the new Mexican drug, that nerved the murderous arm of Clara Phillips when she hammered out her victim's life in Los Angeles?... THREE-FOURTHS OF THE CRIMES of violence in this country today are committed by DOPE SLAVES -- that is a matter of cold record."

Hearst and Anslinger were then supported by Dupont chemical company and various pharmaceutical companies in the effort to outlaw cannabis. Dupont had patented nylon, and wanted hemp removed as competition. The pharmaceutical companies could neither identify nor standardize cannabis dosages, and besides, with cannabis, folks could grow their own medicine and not have to purchase it from large companies.

This is just a SMALL section on the whole story. If you don't believe me, do your own research. Our government will do anything to keep people believing the lies it wants you to believe. Do you know how much money drug test companies make off the chemical that shows marijuana (THC)? How about the chemicals that tell an officer if marijuana is real (field test kits)? Dog training facilities? If you had a company making billions a year would you spend a few million or even a billion to put money in the right people's pockets to keep the cash cow going? You would be a liar to say no.

Truth is marijuana doesn't make people lazy, laziness makes people lazy. If you are truly fed up with the way you look, you will do something about it high or sober and if not, you will keep making excuses not to. I am tired of people using marijuana as an excuse for plain lazy people.


That's all for now,
- K-R-G

[Eighties]

IF anyone wants any additional info on this topic read the book "Refer Madness". It is about the black markey economy in the U.S. Marijuana being illegal is one of the many things that contrubited to our economic crisis.

80s

[keriann_forgoodthistime]

wow. thank you for a very enlightening post. I honestly never knew a lot of that information you posted as to WHY it was outlawed.

I am all for legalizing it, as there are too many people who use it (medical or otherwise) and, to me, it's exactly the same as alcohol.

again though, very interesting information.

Now - as far as actually keeping those munchies at bay - I do apologize but I don't know the answer to that.

[boonie stomper]

Good question - I also am stumped, knowing a person who uses to combat a combination of pain problems as well as nausea/vomiting/poor appetite for years. In his case, the munchies serve a good purpose.

In yours, it would seem logical that you have developed tolerance (ie you are using more to get the desired effect) however, the increased dose results in increased side effects where tolerance may not have been acquired. Try 2-3 days with NONE, then try small amount and see it the situation improves. (Perhaps use a temporary substitute treatment for your symptoms while reducing your tolerance. Added benefit, your supply will last longer...)