THE MARIJUANA CONSPIRACY

President Rollin Richmond thinks marijuana should be legalized. I agree
with him.

In an October meeting with The Lumberjack staff Richmond said, "My own
personal view is that marijuana, like alcohol, should be legalized and
should be taxed."

Marijuana is illegal for political reasons, not legitimate health reasons.
Marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol, or even cigarettes.

For those who don't agree with the recreational use of marijuana, just look
at the hemp industry.

Hemp is one of the strongest natural fibers in the world. It can be used
for over 25,000 industrial products, including rope, plastic, cosmetics,
textiles and paper.

Up until 1937, when the Marihuana Tax Act was passed, the production of
hemp was highly legal and successful.

Even Presidents Washington and Jefferson grew it as their primary and
secondary crops, respectively. When it became apparent that hemp was
threatening the oil and timber industries, a tax was passed on it, making
it very unaffordable to grow.

This act effectively began the marijuana prohibition, instead of letting
people grow it here we imported hemp from other countries. Next came WWII.

After Pearl Harbor, imports of hemp from the Philippines were cut off, and
the U.S. government started encouraging citizens to grow it again. There is
even a movie about it called "Hemp for Victory" produced by the USDA in
1942 to promote hemp production. Of course, after the war, the hemp
industry was quietly shut down again.

Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the cannabis plant, but the
U.S. government no longer recognizes them as such, since the passage of the
Controlled Substances Act in 1970.

The act states that cannabis is illegal altogether, therefore prohibiting
the growth of hemp, even though hemp can be grown without THC, the
psychoactive agent contained in marijuana.

According to drugsense.org, 610,879 people have been arrested for cannabis
related crimes this year. U.S. citizens are wasting tax dollars on keeping
people in prison for something that shouldn't even be a crime.

This is not to say that children should be smoking pot, or people should be
allowed to drive and smoke pot. But it is to say that the same regulations
that apply to alcohol should apply to marijuana, and hemp should be a
resource grown in the United States.

Marijuana does in fact have its negative health facts; one joint has the
same amount of tar as about four cigarettes according to the American Lung
Association, but marijuana isn't even on the list for top causes of death.

The drug war facts Web site states, "The leading causes of death in 2000
were tobacco (435,000 deaths; 18.1% of total U.S. deaths), poor diet and
physical inactivity (400,000 deaths; 16.6%), and alcohol consumption
(85,000 deaths; 3.5%)."

Following these are microbial agents, toxic agents, motor vehicle
accidents, incidents involving forearms, sexual behaviors and finally, all
illicit drug use. Notice how illicit drug use (as a whole) is at the bottom
of the list.

President Bush has spent a few billion dollars on eradicating marijuana
from this pristine country, but if you ask me, he is wasting his time and
our money.

Yes, there needs to be regulations and restrictions, and yes, there are
health risks, but marijuana is by no means a threat to our culture as a
whole compared to alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs. It is even
historically recognized for its medicinal value. It was famously used to
treat Queen Victoria's menstrual pains.

In states where it is legal for medical uses, it is used to treat nausea
from chemotherapy, increase appetites of HIV and AIDS patients, epilepsy
and migraines, among with many other things.

So, if you are in agreement with this column, stay educated on your rights,
and lobby for them. The criminalization of cannabis is a political
conspiracy, and it is absolutely ridiculous for these reasons and many more.