Hemp 4 Victory
Hemp4Victory
  • Home
  • Cannabis Blog
  • Contact Webmaster
  • NORML
  • Famous Quotes
  • Drugs Legalized
    • part one
    • part two
  • Cannabis Truth
    • Cannabis Truth Videos
    • Hemp History: United States
  • Interesting Links

4-20 Celebrations: True Cultural Reality!

4/29/2012

1 Comment

 
     Events in celebration of April 20th, cannabis day, have become widespread. From bong circles in dorm rooms and cultural celebrations to smoke-outs in city parks, four-twenty parties are eagerly planned across the country. Though well-known and widely-celebrated, four-twenty is often stigmatized and stereotyped as a “stoner” holiday.  It is undeniably a day to celebrate marijuana by enjoying it, but it is more than just an excuse to light up. The popular celebration of four-twenty and cannabis culture in general, is blatantly dismissive of U.S. policy.
     As smokers nationwide celebrated their cannabis use, the Obama Administration was amid a historic crackdown on voter-approved medical marijuana programs. To tip the scales a little, a recent Gallup poll showed that, for the first time, 50% of Americans support cannabis legalization. Nonetheless, 46% of drug arrests are related to marijuana possession; and pot arrestees are disproportionately people of color.  In many states, a cannabis arrest can result in the removal of children from parents, the inability to receive federal aid for school, and jail time. Four-twenty, a celebration of marijuana despite the federal government’s staunch position on the plant, represents mass non-compliance with our country's absurd prohibition laws.  
     Ditching cannabis prohibition would save $7.7 billion on state and federal expenditures, and taxing marijuana like alcohol or tobacco could generate an additional $6.2 billion in revenue, totaling $13.7 billion annually. The economic potential of legalization recently led three hundred economists to sign an open letter to the President, Congress, Governors, and State Legislators asking they allow America “to commence an open and honest debate about marijuana prohibition.”   
     On top of everything else, legalizing pot could help ease devastating violence in Latin America. In Mexico alone, 50,000 people have lost their lives to the drug war in the past five years. As experts routinely profess, legalizing marijuana alone could save thousands of lives in Mexico. But while Latin American leaders urge the U.S. to consider drug policy alternatives, including legalization, the Obama Administration refuses to implement reform at home or abroad.
     Four-twenty thus, is a cultural reminder of the vast disparity between marijuana laws and reality. It is a evidence that, despite 40 years of a disastrous war on drugs, people, including Obama, continue to experiment with, and safely enjoy, cannabis.
1 Comment
roor pipes link
7/16/2013 08:17:17 pm

Whow, I never thought that legalizing marijuana would improve the economy so much.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2019
    February 2015
    November 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    April 2012
    January 2012
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.