How Hemp Was Outlawed

Another gem from Travis Kelly:

How Hemp was outlawed

http://www.zianet.com/postpubco/ththemp.htm

Before 1931, Harry Anslinger was Assistant Commissioner for Prohibition. He represented a large group of law-enforcement personnel facing lack of work after the Repeal. In 1931, he was appointed by Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon to Direct the new Federal Bureau of Narcotics. He also happened to be married to one of Mellon’s close relatives. Mellon also had another significant position -- he owned the Mellon Bank, one of the nation’s largest, with significant interest in the fortunes of DuPont, which held patents for cheap wood pulp-acid paper, and on the manufacture of artificial textile fibers from petroleum. Both paper and textile markets were controlled by products derived from Hemp...also known of course as marijuana.

Through the 1930’s, the force leading the fight to get marijuana controlled by the Bureau of Narcotics was the "yellow journalism" of the Hearst papers. When in 1937, Anslinger led the crusade against pot before Congress, his testimony was almost entirely made up of Hearst news releases which he read aloud in the emotionally-charged style typical of the exaggerated or contrived "news" of yellow journalism. He declared marijuana was the most powerful violence-inducing substance known to mankind, and implied its use (and not desire for social justice) was responsible for the well-known violent tendencies of the Negro and Latin, among whom it was widely consumed. The culmination of the attack was the film "Reefer Madness", which time and experience have revealed to be ludicrous. On the basis of that mentality, however, marijuana was outlawed. DuPont, Mellon, and Hearst in a single move wiped out HEMP, their major competitor in the paper, textiles, and paint industries.

Until then, about 80% of all paper, canvas, rope, and paint depended on hemp, which is still unexcelled for those purposes. (The Declaration of Independence, written on hemp linen, is in excellent condition; the anti-hemp laws, written on wood pulp-acid paper, are decaying on the shelves.) Hearst’s cheap newspapers were made possible by DuPont’s acid-rain-producing paper process. DuPont’s petroleum-based fibers and oils enabled them to take over the entire market which had been dominated by hemp. Mellon’s bank, and Anslinger’s tax-funded agency became more wealthy and powerful.

As for the "violence" on which Congress’ action was predicated: when in 1944, the New York City "LaGuardia Marijuana Report" refuted marijuana’s causing violence at all, Anslinger changed his tune. Before Congress in 1948, he said he no longer felt marijuana caused violence -- in fact, quite the opposite. Marijuana was even more dangerous than previously suspected because it caused users to become peaceful. Its growing abuse was a deliberate plot by the communists to weaken the resolve of American youth to fight for their country, turning them all into pacifists. The Committee didn't want to be brought before some other Committee for being soft on commies, so they voted to keep the law on the books.

More hemp for long-lasting paper can be grown on land in a given time than wood pulp trees. Hemp seed is excellent livestock feed. Hempseed oil is excellent paint base. Hemp is persecuted to raise the value of certain stocks and natural resource holdings. Let us end the persecution of Hemp; end dependence on petroleum for inferior non-biodegradable textiles; end the destruction of American forest for inferior acid-pulp newspaper. Re-legalize Hemp!

James Nathan Post

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Think about this, and recall our Commander-In-Chief's response to the question of legalization, and it will paint a disturbing picture.