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Xuan12 · 36-40, M
I'm pretty sure marijuana was criminalized pretty much just because it could have been hard competition for alcohol and tobacco.
Tryingtofindabalance · 36-40, M
@Xuan12 actually... hemp was big competition for the lumber industry... the congressman who drafted legislation against marijuana... owned multiple paper mills... it was cheaper to make hemp paper than pulp from wood... if you can’t beat your competitors price, make it illegal to grow your competitors product!
SW-User
@Xuan12 more because it was a way for Nixon to legally arrest people he disliked.
Tryingtofindabalance · 36-40, M
@SW-User it was illegal far before Nixon took office...
SW-User
@Tryingtofindabalance Actually, we are both correct. Richard Nixon, during his 1968 presidential campaign, promised to restore “law and order” to America. Upon being elected, he declared a War Against Drug Abuse[2]. Under Nixon’s presidency, the Controlled Substances Act, which classified drugs on four different schedules, passed in 1970. The federal act classified cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug, causing it to be considered one of the most dangerous substances that carry the highest penalty. The act fails to recognize the differences between marijuana and hemp.