Hello, dear readers of Nectarball Substack,
Today, I want to talk about a sobering chapter of history that sheds light on the dark origins of cannabis prohibition. As we explore the factors that led to the unjust demonization of this plant, we must confront the uncomfortable truth: the political aspirations and greed of a few old white racists played a significant role in shaping the course of cannabis prohibition. And don’t kid yourself, they are still trying to restrict people from using cannabis.
A Campaign Driven by Prejudice
In the early 20th century, as cannabis use spread across various communities, some prominent individuals with political agendas seized the opportunity to advance their goals. It was a time when xenophobia and racial prejudices were rampant, and certain racists leveraged these sentiments to propel their agendas forward.
William Randolph Hearst: A Media Tycoon's Agenda
Media mogul William Randolph Hearst, notorious for his sensationalist journalism, capitalized on stories that falsely linked cannabis to criminal behavior. His newspapers peddled narratives that tapped into racial fears, depicting cannabis as a lethal drug used by marginalized communities. Hearst's influence played a significant role in shaping public opinion against cannabis.
Harry J. Anslinger: The Face of Prohibition
Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, spearheaded the propaganda campaign that would eventually lead to the prohibition of cannabis. Anslinger skillfully combined racial prejudices with unfounded claims about the dangers of cannabis, using fear-mongering tactics to sway public opinion and lawmakers alike. He infamously fueled the narrative that cannabis was a threat primarily posed by minority communities, further deepening societal divisions.
By 1973, Anslinger was completely blind, had a debilitatingly enlarged prostate gland, and suffered from angina. Ironically, when he died two years later, Anslinger was being treated with regular doses of morphine, which had been prescribed for his angina. - Wikipedia
This guy was so horrid he died from maladies which probably could have been eased by consuming cannabis. Dumbass.
Then Came Dick Nixon
Dick is the guy who put the nail in the canna-coffin. In 1971 he orchestrated the drive to put cannabis on Schedule 1 alongside LSD and heroin.
John Ehrlichman, a top Nixon aide, revealed in a 1994 interview published in 2016, that the war on drugs itself was designed to target Black people and “hippies”:
The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.
Greed Over Reason
It's crucial to recognize that much of the groundwork for cannabis prohibition was rooted in greed. Much as we see in politics today, powerful individuals, driven by personal interests, manipulated public perception to push forward their own agendas. This manipulation resulted in decades of misguided policies that disproportionately targeted communities of color and hindered scientific progress. We’re nearly a hundred years behind on research on the medical and industrial capabilities of a plant for which we have receptors in our bodies.
Confronting the Legacy
As we reflect on this disturbing history, it's essential to recognize how cannabis prohibition has perpetuated systemic inequalities, caused unnecessary suffering, and hindered our understanding of the plant's potential benefits. Those of us who know and love the plant must continue challenging the legacy of greed, racism, and political manipulation that have led us en masse down this path.
It’s time to let the Puritanicals know that their time (1600s) is over and we will no longer allow them to interfere with our right to “Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness.”
Let's work together to rectify the mistakes of the past and create a future where the benefits of this plant can be fully realized.
Thank you for engaging in this important conversation.
Warm regards,
Ironically, one of the worst places in the USA, even up until recent times, was Hawai'i, despite it's laid-back & decadent reputation. The govt & military used "Green Harvest" campaigns to terrorize & disempower the local populations on all the islands for decades, using military choppers & armed combat-swat troops to hover over properties, drop down & steal crops, all w/o warrants. These were used as military training exercises for foreign wars, in USA.
Our friend Roger Christie, who ran the THC Ministry for years in downtown Hilo, proclaiming the sacredness of cannabis & mostly distributing free herb to street people, when Abercrombie became gov, had his building & home raided & seized, then put in prison w/o trial for over 2 years, largely in solitary, for no violence or weapons or anything. Look it up... & that was a Dem gov. America is a patchwork of military colonies.
What was most crazy, cannabis was being made legal in California at the same time, people making millions from dispensaries. BTW you can still be busted, denied jobs in every state because it's still illegal federally.