Nick Hartsell

Inquiry Product Transcript

Lets begin with the history of cannabis, cannabis was once one of the largest agricultural crops
on earth, which is because cannabis can also be hemp. WhichBut just what is hemp? It is by and
large the most robust, durable, natural soft fiber on the planet and you cant get high from it.
Until 1883 it was the largest agricultural crop in the world. It has thousands of uses the majority
of clothing, lighting oil, medicine, paper, and cloth came from hemp.
America was built on hemp, it was grown and supported by Benjamin Franklin, George
Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. The first two copies of The Declaration of Independence
were written on hemp paper.
Mechanics magazines began printing articles such as The Most Profitable and Desirable Crop
That Can Be Grown and New Billion Dollar Crop which toted hemp as having over 30,000
known uses.
However, a smear campaign came out known as Reefer Madness was launched which
depicted blacks and Mexicans as people who would smoke cannabis and: become aggressive,
commit offenses such as playing jazz or the devils music, and even look at white women
twice.
This propaganda combined with hemps competition with new products led to the 1937
Marijuana Tax Act. Which stated made it that if you wanted to grow cannabis, you had to have a
stamp. However, they werent giving any stamps out to anyone and so making all forms of
cannabis became illegal.
When we look at the deaths annually from drugs we see that tobacco comes in at number one
with 450,000 which is more than: AIDS, crack, cocaine, heroin, car accidents, fire, and murder
combined. Alcohol comes in with 85,000, caffeine has around 10,000, and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs such as aspirin have around 7500. However cannabis has no deaths ever
reported from its use.
When Francis Young studied cannabis he found that nearly all medicines have toxic, potentially
lethal effects. But marijuana is not such a substance. There is no record in the extensive medical
literature describing a proven, documented cannabis induced fatality.
Yet it is still a common belief that smoking cannabis kills brain cells. The Heath Tulane study
found that monkeys given high levels of marijuana began to lose brain cells and die. However,
when how the study was conducted was released, it proved to be inconclusive. Monkeys were
suffocated by pumping highly concentrated amounts of marijuana through a gas mask without
additional oxygen. Causing brain cells to die from lack of oxygen.
It is also a common belief that cannabis is addictive. The National Institute on Drug Abuse came
out with a study that stated that 9% of smokers become addicted and 25-50% of daily smokers
are addicted. However, symptoms of cannabis withdrawal were classified as irritability,

sleeplessness, and lack of appetite. Whereas illicit drug withdrawal symptoms are considered
tremors, cold sweats, and vomiting. The study classified signs of addiction as building a
tolerance, recurring legal problems, and use despite prior obligations.
Cannabis has hundreds of medical uses. Glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, major depression,
arthritis, diabetes, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, and nearly all forms of cancer can be treated with
cannabis
Marijuana is backed by more studies than most leading FDA approved drugs. Its effects have
been studied more and rated to a higher degree than many leading pharmaceutical drugs.
Francis Young stated that Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active
substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used
within the supervised routine of medical care.
In 2015 alone The American Academy of Pediatrics and The US Surgeon General both came out
supporting removing cannabis from the list of Schedule I narcotics to allow for medical testing.
Cannabis was made a Schedule I narcotic in 1970 under the Controlled Substance Act. Which
classifies cannabis as having no medical properties and having a high risk of abuse. And was
signed by Richard Nixon.
The Controlled Substance Act created the National Comission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse to
study the effects of marijuana abuse. The chairman of the commission was Governor Raymond P
Shafer. He gave what became known as The Shafer Report
When Raymond Shafer he delivered the commissions findings he entitled the report Marijuana,
A Signal of Misunderstanding. The report stated that lack of understanding and unsubstantiated
claims affected public opinion. It also stated that Users users of marijuana were not physically
aggressive or criminally inclined, but rather passive and timid. And that there is little proven
physical or psychological harm from its use
It then stated that the actual or potential harm was not great enough to justify criminal law. The
prohibition was questionable by the constitution. And the use for recreational purpose was no
more irresponsible than it is for alcohol.
Nixon decided to ignore the report and not let it make it to the House of Representatives. In a
conversation with Raymond Shafer he said youre enough of a pro to know that for you to come
out with something that would run counter with the congress feels and what the country feels,
and what were planning to do, would just make your commission look bad as hell.
When Nixon declared drug abuse to be public enemy #1 he planned to start a war on drugs that
targeted marijuana smokers. By targeting marijuana smoker he could arrest large numbers of
Vietnam War protesters.
When asked about legalizing marijuana Nixon said you know its a funny thing, every one of
the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish. What the Christ is the matter with the
Jews, Bob?

The US now spends 51 billion dollars annually on the war on drugs. With an estimated 20 billion
that would be saved from legalizing marijuana.
In Colorado marijuana was a 700 million dollar industry in 2014, with 383 million in medical
sales and 313 million in recreational sales. Resulting in 63 million in tax revenue and 13 million
in license and fees and creating over 10,000 jobs
Researchers found that the US cannabis industry grew 74% in 2014 to 2.7 billion up from 1.5
billion in 2013. This makesMaking legal marijuana the fastest growing industry in the US. With
full legalizationIf all 50 states legalize, it would become larger than the organic food industry.