Section 811. Authority and Criteria for Classification of Substances (a Rules and regulations of Attorney General; hearing
The Attorney General shall apply the provisions of this subchapter to the controlled substances listed in the schedules established by Section 812 of this title and to any other drug or other substance added to such schedules under this subchapter. Except as provided in subsections (d) and (e) of this section, the Attorney General may by rule,
(1) add to such a schedule or transfer between such schedules any drug or other substance if he–
(A) finds that such drug or other substance has a potential for abuse, and
(B) makes with respect to such drug or other substance the findings prescribed by
[[Page 381]]
subsection (b) of section 812 of this title for the schedule in which such drug is to be placed; or
(2) remove any drug or other substance from the schedules if he finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule.
Rules of the Attorney General under this subsection shall be made on the record after opportunity for a hearing pursuant to the rule making procedures prescribed by subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 5. Proceedings for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of such rules may be initiated by the Attorney General (1) on his own motion, (2) at the request of the Secretary, or (3) on the petition of any interested party
If I continued to post this law in all it’s glorified jargon you, along with me would be dazed and confused. But bear with me for a bit as I try to make sense out of the nonsense that has plagued Americans for the last hundred years at least. (I will put this in common english as much as possible.)
From 1920 to 1933 Americans were in the grip of prohibition brought on by the Volstead Act. The 18th amendment was upon our ancestors. This law was a national ban on the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol. During this black period of our history private ownership and consumption of alcohol was not made illegal. Trying to enforce this law proved to be more of a challenge than expected and resulted in a growth of vast criminal cliques and generated corruption among many politicians and police forces. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the Volstead Act but Congress passed it into law on October 28th, 1919. With little federal enforcement, by 1925 in New York City alone there were up to 100.000 speakeasys offering organized and widespread criminal activity. While the 18th amendment was supposed to reduce crime the result brought us such acts as the “Saint Valentines Day Massacre“. Crime in the first years rose 24% and when Prohibition was repealed in 1933, organized crime lost nearly all of its black market alcohol profits in most states (states still had the right to enforce their own laws concerning alcohol consumption) because of competition with legal liquor stores selling alcohol at lower prices.
Lets take a step back to go forward!
1914 brought us the Harrison Act which was a glorified law for the IRS to use in such a way as to bring revenue in from taxing drugs like coca leafs, opium, and opiates. (marijuana was not even considered a drug at the time.)
Fast Forward:
Harry J Anslinger was born in Altoona Pennsylvania in 1892 and became the first head of the Federal Bereau of Narcotics on August 12th, 1930. Harry citied a memory from the age of 12 that affected his outlook on drugs as traumatic and appalling which he claimed would define his character for the rest of his days. Hearing the screams of a morphine addict being silenced by a boy running to a pharmacy and bringing back morphine to ease the pain unsettled Harry who would develop a hatred for drugs rather than compassion for the help he saw the other child administer. When he became head of the FBN [Federal Bereau of Narcotics] the trade of alcohol and drugs was considered a loss of revenue because as being illegal products they could not be taxed. In 1937 the FBN launched two major steps. 1st- they sought from Congress a new law that placed marijuana and it’s distribution under federal control and 2nd- Anslinger started his campaign against marijuana on the radio. Receiving support from William Randolph Hearst enabled Anslinger to use mass media and push his anti-marijuana beliefs from a state level to a national movement [the power of the pen!]. Here’s a quote from Harry himself:
“Marijuana is a short cut to the insane asylum, Smoke marijuana cigarettes for a month and what was once your brain will be nothing more than a storehouse of horrid spectors.”
The La Guardia Committee, promoted in 1939 by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was the first in-depth study into the effects of smoking marijuana. It systematically contradicted claims made by the U.S. Treasury Department that smoking marijuana results in insanity, and determined that the practice of smoking marijuana does not lead to addiction in the medical sense of the word Released in 1944, the report infuriated Harry Anslinger who was campaigning against marijuana and he condemned it as unscientific.
And On We Go:
Richard M. Nixon was the next Quacker to have a hard-on for marijuana. In a 1971 press conference he announced his “war on drugs” campaign, signed it into law in 1972 and in 1973 he saw birth of the DEA. Prior to this drug prohibition was still in the hands of the state and local governments as part of their constitutional police powers. In the 70′s the “parquet pot” program was launched by the U.S. Government to spray the marijuana fields in Mexico. The problem with this “government logic” was that most of the pot sprayed with this poison was being smoked by americans. Nixon portrayed our youth as criminals attacking the moral fiber of the country. Now what I want answered is this. In the 1970′s I along with most of my generation was smoking marijuana and relaxing. Nixon was corrupting our country [we have the tapes!] Who was the real criminal and why didn’t he serve time in prison?
And This: [didn't really work either]
**A personal side note from me to Jane Fonda**
Although I am not a veteran of the Vietnam war, I do remember how you treated our POW’s when you went over there and you will not live down that disgrace or the nickname you so rightly deserve “Hanoi Jane”.
*************************************************
Back To The Top:
And this my friends is the roundabout that brings me back to the present conflict we are having on the governments lack of ability to correct its mistakes and ability to keep creating new ones on a daily basis. I will not go into the national debt, healthcare, or the disgrace Obama brings upon himself each morning when he wakes up but instead I will wrap up with a few thoughts on the reform of marijuana laws.
Tell our government to get off the bandwagon that isn’t going anywhere and put the money it has been wasting to better use. Free up the prison space you have tied up with people who committed no crime other than enjoying life’s pleasures and stop funding government black ops like gun running and supplying cartels. President Obama, tell Attorney Holder the truth, You know smoking marijuana does not stop you from achieving your goals, I mean you smoked and your President of our nation. Use common sense and legalize NOW!
until next time, peace beibe
©beibejones/midnightboogie2013
Posted in cannabis coverge
Tags: Attorney general, Cannabis, Congress, La Guardia Committee, Saint Valentines Day Massacre, Volstead Act
Anna M. Jarvis’s Mothers Day in 1908.
Gruff