Hey there Steemians!
I am writing this post from Corvallis Oregon, where weed has been legal since the voters of the state voted to allow the people to have access to Medical Marijuana initially, and eventually allowed people to have access to recreational marijuana.
In the time before legalization we, as a state, arrested one person every hour for simple possession, stuffing our courts and jails with people who were of little if any harm to our state, or the citizens who live here.
Those people were then subject to expensive court processes also subject to loss of licenses, employment and alienation for the act of consuming an herb, which has no addictive chemicals, and which has killed absolutely no one in the history of it's consumption.
Which begs the question, why is weed illegal?
One answer is that the fiber from cannabis in the late twenties was on track to displace timber as the primary paper product in this country, causing the timber industry to put into government massive amounts of money and creating a prohibition of marijuana under Harry Anslinger, a man who carried out a fear campaign couched in the racism which was prevalent in the usa at that time in the 1930's.
Another reason weed is illegal is because our system of legislation in the usa, allows for corporations to buy and sell legislators in the house and senate, which has brought huge investments from the alcohol industry, and big pharma to keep weed out of the hands of the public.
You see, when people smoke weed they don't want to buy as much beer, they are less reliant on big pharma for stress management, and end up using cannabis for many ailments and discomforts which people would otherwise buy pharmaceuticals to address.
Now with cannabis becoming more socially acceptable, with more studies finding there are huge benefits to people who use cannabis extracts, with the fear mongering and lies being exposed as pure propaganda, people across the country are finding that cannabis is a real benefit in their lives, and of almost no detriment, the calls for full legalization are growing, and the industry is thriving.
I know marijuana isn't for everyone, and I realize that many people will find their lives are enhanced more by the likes of alcohol and big pharma, but for me, I will live by the words of Bob Marley when he said
“Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.”