Marijuana Lies

I'm an older guy, and I guess I should be used to the government lying to me, especially about marijuana. The government seems to think we will believe any lie they tell, when the truth is that they destroyed any credibility they had on the drug issue long ago.

First, they produced "Reefer Madness", a movie that told us marijuana was not only addictive, but would also make users insane and drive them to commit murder. This led to draconian laws to prevent marijuana use. Here in Texas, possession of a small amount [one joint] could lead to a prison sentence of LIFE. This lie was believed from the 30's thru the 50's.

In the 60's, it became obvious that the old lie was not working so new ones were invented and foisted upon a trusting public. First they told us that marijuana was a gateway drug and would lead users to harder drugs. This lie didn't last long as millions use pot recreationally without going on to other drugs.

In the 70's, we were told that marijuana use could destroy DNA and create serious medical problems for users. No proof of this exists and regular users of marijuana show no medical problems from that use. Just another lie.

The 80's and 90's brought the lie of the "super weed". We were told that although the weed of the 60's and 70's was harmless, the new "super weed" that has been developed since is much more powerful and much more dangerous. Of course, it was just another lie to try and scare people into not using marijuana. There have always been good and bad or strong and weak varieties of marijuana just as there are today, but there is no super strain.

I guess the government couldn't be in a new millenium without a new lie. Now they tell us that marijuana has absolutely no medicinal value. The FDA said they had "concluded that no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment...". Bullshit!!! In 1999, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences stated marijuana could be potentially effective in treatment of several medical conditions. This lie has nothing to do with medical efficacy. It is a purely political lie and is meant to appeal to the republican base of right-wing nuts.

Note that politicians aren't telling the citizens not to use drugs. In fact, the chosen drugs of the powerful [alcohol, tobacco, coffee, etc.] are plentiful and easy to obtain. They just don't want citizens to use any drug they disapprove of. The fact is that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, and legalizing its use could provide millions of dollars in tax revenue.

I don't think marijuana will be legalized soon. Too many people are making a fortune in the drug war, including our police agencies. This is sad enough. At the least, our government should show its citizens a little respect and stop the lies. We don't believe them anyway.