Not only has the 'War on Drugs' cost America billions of tax-dollars, but it has also taken a toll on the citizens involved. In the past 5 years 800,000 American citizens were sent to prison for non-violent marijuana possession crimes; this is more than all the violent crime perpetrators sent to prison.
From our friends at imperialvalleynews.com, a border-town newspaper, we received some alarming facts. With the economy in the toilet, many American citizens without previous connections to illegal drugs are being drawn into the seemingly untouched black market. The allure of fast cash to many out-of-work Americans has caused a increase in the number of seizures on the Mexican/American border. Here are just a few of the reported cases:
On May 21st a 30 year-old California resident applied for entry into the U.S. while driving a Dodge pick-up. When the man was referred to the secondary search, 94lbs of marijuana were found in the cement patio-furniture he was hauling.
A 53 year-old man driving a GMC pickup was arrested after border authorities discovered 145lbs of marijuana hidden in the truck's gas tank.
A 35 year-old man was stopped and later arrested after authorities found 139 lbs of marijuana hidden within the four mounted tires of the Ford Expedition he was driving.
A 34 year-old woman was arrested after 75lbs of marijuana was found hidden in the roof of the Izuzu Trooper she was driving.
A Ford F-150 was found to have 174lbs of marijuana hidden in the bed of the truck and the 46 year-old man driving was arrested.
These are just a few cases in the very recent past of American citizens who will be sentenced to extremely lengthy prison sentences due to mandatory sentencing guidelines, (due to the scheduling of marijuana by the FDA and DEA as a Schedule I Narcotic-found to have NO medicinal uses). In many cases, violent criminals are set free long before non-violent offenders simply due to the weight of marijuana they were possessing. FOR POSSESSING A NATURAL GROWING PLANT, THESE AMERICAN CITIZENS WERE SENT TO PRISON FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES! This is an outrage. Simply because of ancient laws and a public taboo against changing them, we send thousands upon thousands of American, tax-paying, freedom&democracy loving, non-violent men and women to Federal Prison for DECADES! While we sleep snug in our beds tonight, someones dad, brother, sister, wife, husband, or what-have-you will be curled up on a steel cot, with an itchy wool blanket and flat pillow, in a hell-hole of a prison for making the mistake of growing the wrong house-plants, but PLANTS nonetheless, grown from soil, water, and sunlight, it has not been processed into it's derivative chemical compounds, nor has it been fermented and then distilled in a lengthy process. The plant grew from a single seed, and then it was plucked and dried completely naturally. The end result was then smoked,(like tobacco and many other plants), but the effects of the smoked herb, and the THC contained within, caused the user to expand their conceptual thoughts of life while feeling a euphoric sense of empathy and love for everything and everyone. The user has been shown to maintain rational thought and motor skills, unlike alcohol, and the expanded mental capabilities have led to advances in the art, music, and literary fields. The only side effects are an increased appetite, heightened sense of awareness, and fits of uncontrollable laughter and smiling, (Horrible huh?). The euphoric effect and the compassion felt for fellow man so touches some users that they believe they achieve a relationship with God, some even join a religious group originated in Jamaica known as Rastafarians. The effects of smoking the plant can be almost completely reduced by vaporization or THC extraction, but the majority of studies support the idea that marijuana smoking does not cause cancer in anyway, and in fact may prevent it. Yet with all the evidence compiled, and the public opinion swayed, we remain "at War" with our neighbors, our cousins, our fellow Americans. The Presidente of Mexico has even pleaded with U.S. lawmakers to legalize and tax marijuana, citing the marijuana smuggled from Mexico to the U.S. as the cause of horrible violence and the surge in terrorist gangs in his country. Yet we remain steadfast to the law, that we as a people in this free country think that marijuana is just as harmful if not worse than cocaine, heroin, or morphine. I believe very strongly that the majority of Americans do not find this to be true and would rather schedule marijuana with prescription medicine if not alcohol and tobacco. ATFM? But to be completely serious, we are sending non-violent American citizens to prison for decades upon decades because we lack the motivation to change the out-dated archaic laws in place. I urge every American to support the legalization and taxation of marijuana even if you don't believe in 'pot-smoking', because today it's marijuana, next it could be your beloved beer, a evening cigar, or wine, fried food, candy & sweets, cigarettes, just because it's not your cause doesn't mean it's not your freedom. That may seem extreme, but with an alarming number of Americans categorized as morbidly obese, and childhood obesity spiking within the last decade, is it really that far fetched to believe at some point the government may deem fried fast foods as a threat to society and begin to regulate and restrict it. It is not about the freedom in question or whether you agree or disagree, (a crime can only be a crime if it harms, or puts in possible harm another person or their property), but whether you believe in freedom.
Thanks for reading,
T.H.C.
Authorities in Germany ordered merchants to immediately stop selling the energy drink Redbull because it contained trace amounts of cocaine. The makers of Redbull admit that Coca leaves are used as flavoring, but say that a test they comissioned showed no trace of the drug. .jpg)
