My understanding is that it was the other way around. Hemp was outlawed first, as textile manufacturers using other fibers didn't want the competition from hemp in making textiles as it was supposedly cheaper to produce, so they lobbied to have hemp outlawed. As a result, the cannabis plant was made illegal to cultivate. And yes, I think the two can and should be separated...personally, though, I'm in favour of both being legalized. I haven't seen anything compelling about it being particularly dangerous (at least, no more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco and likely less dangerous than either) as a recreational drug, and what I've read supports what Ronan says...that any "gateway" effect is due to having to buy marijuana from the same dealers that sell harder stuff, leading to exposure to the harder stuff. If hunting rifles could only be bought on the black market from people who also sold semi-automatic and machine guns, I think you'd see hunting rifles functioning as a "gateway" to bigger firearms. I don't smoke marijuana myself and wouldn't even if it were legalized (since smoke from anything tends to be carcinogenic). This isn't an attempt to "justify" behaviour of my own, I just think it makes sense to legalize (and tax).
Fascinating. I had no idea. Agreed on all points, especially the heavy taxation. I figure that if people want to harm their bodies recreationally, why shouldn't I benefit from it?
Great Article, WW or not Who know hemp could be used to make concrete? Not me And the number one reason I would say Legalize it is to replace Cotton, as it is a horribly wasteful use of resources
