TODAY'S VIDEO
Legality & History of Cannabis
Legality & History of CannabisHave you wondered how legality of cannabis has shifted over the decades? In fact, states started banning the medicinal and recreational use of cannabis as far back as 1910, when , Mexican immigrants flooded into the U.S., introducing to American culture the recreational use of marijuana. The drug became associated with the immigrants, and the fear and prejudice about the Spanish-speaking newcomers became associated with marijuana. Anti-drug campaigners warned against the encroaching “Marijuana Menace,” and terrible crimes were attributed to marijuana and the Mexicans who used it. Source
The Marijuana Tax Act & The Controlled Substances Act
In 1937 the restrictions reached a federal level when the Marijuana Tax Act was passed. Then later Richard Nixon finally created the Controlled Substances Act that put cannabis on par as a schedule one medication with dangerous medications like heroin and LSD.
Cannabis & Opioid Use
Of course, the risk of cannabis is significantly lower than other opioids and other street drugs. It doesn’t impact the breathing centers in the brain or the centers that control your heartbeat, so it’s impossible to overdose on cannabis and there’s never been a single recorded death due to overdose. And in fact, in states that have legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes, there’s been some very valuable improvements in the opioid epidemic.
There’s been fewer reported deaths related to opioids in many states and in virtually every state there’s at least been a leveling off in the number of opioid related deaths. Fewer patients are using opioids for their pain management. And there’s also a decreased number of opioids that are getting diverted for recreational use.
So if you’re worried about this ongoing opioid crisis and the ongoing drug war, it might be wise for us to consider a lift of the prohibition against cannabis at a federal level so that we can give people the pain management they need in a much safer environment and regulate the system so that people aren’t going to a secondary economy to get the tools they need to control their illnesses.
