marijuana
Americas greatest cash crop:The rebirth of cannabis
by
Skyler Sarmento
Professor Brand
ENC 1101
28 September 2013
Marijuana has been around since man was created. Our founding fathers grew and smoked cannabis frequently. It wasn't until the 1900s marijuana became a problem, and was looked at negatively. Legalizing marijuana would prove to aid millions in the medical field and produce billions of dollars to stimulate our economy.
Marijuana was very much legal back in the day, it wasn't just legal it was one of the biggest agricultural crops in the world. Cannabis can also be hemp which is the most durable, robust, natural soft fiber on the face of the planet. It had thousands of use, the majority of fabric, lighting fuel, medicines, paper and fiber came from hemp.(Procon) The 1st marijuana law to exist in the United States was a law ordering farmers to grow hemp. Benjamin Franklin used it to start one of America's 1st paper mills. The 1st 2 copies of the declaration of independence were written on hemp paper. Up until the 1800s most of the textiles in the United States were made from hemp. 50% of medicine marketed in the last half of the 19th century was made from cannabis.(TrueActivist) Even Queen Victoria use the resin extracts from cannabis to relieve her menstrual cramps. It's superiority as a source for paper was also becoming known. Especially with hemp processing equipment. Then in the early 20th century companies recognized marijuana would be a competition to their business, which led to the downfall of all forms of cannabis. now the new marijuana tax act stated that if you wanted to grow hemp you had to buy a stamp, but they were not giving any out to anybody. And in effect all forms of cannabis became illegal. Things stay that way up until World War II where the government decided that hemp once again was a good thing. By the time the war was over hemp again was illegal. In 1948, when the marijuana law again came
by
Skyler Sarmento
Professor Brand
ENC 1101
28 September 2013
Marijuana has been around since man was created. Our founding fathers grew and smoked cannabis frequently. It wasn't until the 1900s marijuana became a problem, and was looked at negatively. Legalizing marijuana would prove to aid millions in the medical field and produce billions of dollars to stimulate our economy.
Marijuana was very much legal back in the day, it wasn't just legal it was one of the biggest agricultural crops in the world. Cannabis can also be hemp which is the most durable, robust, natural soft fiber on the face of the planet. It had thousands of use, the majority of fabric, lighting fuel, medicines, paper and fiber came from hemp.(Procon) The 1st marijuana law to exist in the United States was a law ordering farmers to grow hemp. Benjamin Franklin used it to start one of America's 1st paper mills. The 1st 2 copies of the declaration of independence were written on hemp paper. Up until the 1800s most of the textiles in the United States were made from hemp. 50% of medicine marketed in the last half of the 19th century was made from cannabis.(TrueActivist) Even Queen Victoria use the resin extracts from cannabis to relieve her menstrual cramps. It's superiority as a source for paper was also becoming known. Especially with hemp processing equipment. Then in the early 20th century companies recognized marijuana would be a competition to their business, which led to the downfall of all forms of cannabis. now the new marijuana tax act stated that if you wanted to grow hemp you had to buy a stamp, but they were not giving any out to anybody. And in effect all forms of cannabis became illegal. Things stay that way up until World War II where the government decided that hemp once again was a good thing. By the time the war was over hemp again was illegal. In 1948, when the marijuana law again came