Because the government has manipulated popular opinion into thinking that marijuana is evil. Back in the '30s, the government presented as absolute fact things we know to be ridiculous today. When Congress was considering the issue, for example, they were faced with the "facts" that marijuana causes blacks and Mexicans to rape our innocent white girls, that it leads to incurable insanity, and so forth. Of course these were probably taken straight out of some racist's ass, but Congress was convinced and the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed, making marijuana illegal without any scientific inquiry or public debate. Of course, the government needed to justify its position, so it spread all these awful rumors throughout the public, manipulating public opinion strongly in favor of this little-known plant through lies and deception (remember Reefer Madness?). The US government initiated a vast international treaty making the plant illegal everywhere on earth, based ultimately on the aforementioned lies.

In the '60s and '70s, people started to realize that millions of people were smoking pot and none of these supposed bad things were happening. Nixon started a scientific commission into the issue to advise him on how the situation should be handled, and after lots of research they came to the conclusion that pot should be legalized. Nixon, furious, threw it out without reading it, and the status quo stays.

If the people were really in control of the government, none of this would ever have happened. Experience and research have shown to many many people that this is a relatively benign plant, but government policy is not based on experience and research. It is based on the distorted opinions of a few rich white Christian capitalists at the top of the ladder, which makes me rather pessimistic about the possibility of a successful reform movement trying to beat them at their own legislative game.
ermitonto Reviewed by ermitonto on . NORML and marijuana law reform Hey everyone, I'm with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) in Washington, DC. We've been fighting to legalize marijuana since 1970. You can check out our web site at http://www.norml.org. We've got lawyer listings, state-by-state laws, information on how you can help change the law, and the latest news about legislative action. You can also join NORML through the web site. If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to do my best to answer them. Thanks, Rating: 5