Crime Quiz #1, Historic Marijuana Prohibition & Harry J Anslinger

Harry J Anslinger was the Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of narcotics. This evangelist had in vigorously attacking the drug, anyone associated with its use, sale or cultivation. While Anslinger was more successful than any before and some would even say after him in criminalizing marijuana.

Quite a remarkable accomplishment depending on which side of the debate you were on back then. Looking back to Anslinger’s time and for quite a while thereafter, there weren’t many people on the marijuana side. As it turns out Anslinger is more famous in today’s day and age for his methodical and opportunistic propaganda and brainwashing of the American people.

We certainly have different acceptance level with regard to marijuana use. I’m not talking about just medical marijuana either. Recreational marijuana use is seeing a tolerance increase at a rate faster than ever before. One respected survey reported that almost 90% of Floridians approve of medical marijuana for their state which if accurate is about the most unanimous vote you could get on any debatable topic, not just in Florida but the nation.

That I said recreational use is seeing a tolerance. We have all grown up experiencing a level of tolerance to the drug. It’s the only misdemeanor drug crime. It’s accepted in many social circles regardless of class. Unless of course you’re a minority are in the system. African-Americans are arrested for marijuana possession and related charges over 10 times more frequently than white Americans. This fluctuates geographically throughout the nation but one thing that doesn’t fluctuate is the fact that there are no jurisdictions reporting an arrest rate of white males in excess of 10 times of any other race or ethnicity. That’s politics, the political nature of the crime and things that we’ve already talked to death.

… That’s exactly my point, because now the system is going to give you the equivalent of a traffic ticket if you’re caught with under 20 g of marijuana. Except the fines less and you don’t get points on your license. Major cities such as Miami and West Palm Beach have already adopted this. It’s practically the legalization of marijuana for medical marijuana is even approved. The doctors that want to make killing off prescribing the stuff must be so frustrated.

What two things frustrate physicians who want to write prescriptions for medical marijuana and have worked at meeting the requirements for licensure?

It’s practically already legal to use recreationally and medical marijuana is intended to be cultivated to an extremely low potency strain. Who needs week medical marijuana when you can get hydroponically grown rocket fuel with a lower level of risk than if you were speeding in order to catch the big came by kickoff.