Since the early 1900's, people have believed that Cannabis (Marijuana) was made illegal due to years of scientific research proving that it is a mind numbing, brainwashing and violent drug, when actually it has quite the opposite effects. Cannabis has been illegal all these years because of racism, greed and lies. In the 1930's a new division of the US Treasury Department was formed called the Bureau of Narcotics. Appointed to the position of director to this new Bureau, was a man named Harry Anslinger. Cocaine and Heroin were their first targets. Unfortunately, these drugs weren't enough for the agency to build and grow off of so they had to find a solution, soon they added Cannabis, or as they liked to call it, "Marijuana," to the list and started their campaign against it. Anslinger was also an avid racist. Here's a quote from his speech to the Senate. "There are 100,000 Marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and Entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and many others. The Primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect it has on the Degenerate Races." (Harry J. Anslinger, 1937 Senate Testimony) Unfortunately the racist stereotype's created by Anslinger are still in effect to this day. Throughout his campaign he referred to Cannabis as "Marijuana," which was a Hispanic slang word for the plant. This caused the public and even doctors and most government officials, who had valid reasons to oppose the prohibition, to not realize that he was talking about Cannabis/Hemp until it was too late. Andrew Mellon, The man who appointed Anslinger to his position, was a major investor in a company named Dupont. Dupont was a company that made several items such as plastics and nylon. By making cannabis illegal, this would rule out any competition because it meant the illegalization of hemp also. Anslinger soon made another new ally by the name of William Hearst. Hearst owned a chain of news papers that were printed on paper that was supplied by hundreds of acres of forest that he owned. His paper business was threatened by hemp and its ability to make much more paper than trees, so his motives were pretty clear. Soon Hearst's papers featured articles that demonized and tarnished the name of "Marijuana" with stories of crazy ax murderers, the incurable insanity it causes and its soul destroying effects. Needless to say, the citizens of the United States of America fell right into the trap that was the lies and propaganda that were in the news papers and on the tongues of almost every American citizen. In 1937 Cannabis became illegal to grow and possess for any reason. Cannabis has so many different uses, you could basically live off of it. The fiber in cannabis is much stronger than that found in wood. It can make bio-degradable plastics that could help massively with the pollution problem that is causing the earth to suffocate more and more each day. It can be used to make clothing that is much more durable than that made out of almost anything else. It can create a natural source of fuel. Considering that we've already used 80% of the Earth's gas and oil reserves, this is a pretty big issue. It could also prevent sending our beloved troops overseas to fight a war for fossil fuel. From one acre of Cannabis you could get as much paper as 4.1 acres of a heavily wooded forest area. The paper produced from Cannabis is much more durable and takes much longer to fade. Also, keep in mind cannabis grows to maturity in a few short months compared to trees which take years upon years. It can even be used as a great source of food. Cannabis seeds contain a ton of protein, and two essential fatty acids that clean out your body's cholesterol content that can't be found anywhere else in natural foods. Cannabis could possibly solve world hunger, it can literally grow under almost any condition. These are just a very small amount of the uses of Cannabis/Hemp. There are many benefits from ingesting Cannabis also, most importantly, it's medical uses. It can be prescribed to patients who suffer from Anorexia, Arthritis, Depression, Glaucoma, Migraines, Multiple Sclerosis, Seizures and many other serious illnesses. Smoking Cannabis has been found to reduce tumor growth and to significantly reduce the spreading of cancer throughout the body. Smoking Cannabis is also shown to reduce inner ocular pressure to a safe level. High inner ocular pressure can cause damage to the optic nerve and can even cause blindness. Cannabis can also bring down a fever, lower blood pressure, and increase heart rate to a healthy level and dilate blood vessels. This is a good thing. It can sometimes cause anxiety and drowsiness, which are very mild side effects compared to almost all over the counter medications. That's only the tip of the ice berg though. Annual causes of death in the United States, Tobacco - 435,000, Alcohol - 85,000, Adverse Reactions to Prescription Drugs - 32,000, All Illicit Drug Use, Direct and Indirect - 17,000, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin - 7,600, Marijuana - 0. (www.Drugwarfacts.org) To this day there is yet to be a documented cannabis induced death. Which are the real drugs If this has interested you at all then look even deeper into the information. The research and the statistics are everywhere. The rest is up to you. It's time to let everyone know that we know the truth, that we want our voices to be heard and that we don't fear change. It's time to shake the foundation of the lies and greed that caused this harmless plant to become illegal until it crumbles to the ground. By signing this petition, you agree that Cannabis/Hemp should be decriminalized and/or legalized and be utilized to its fullest.

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