Pubdate: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 Source: Rock River Times (IL) Copyright: The Rock River Times 2001 Contact: http://www.rockrivertimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/539 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1012/a02.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hemp.htm (Hemp) HEMP IN ILLINOIS Dear Editor, M.L. Simon's June 6th column provides an excellent overview of the many uses of hemp. The history of hemp's change from cash crop to dreaded symbol of the counterculture is quite interesting. Prior to the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 and subsequent reefer madness campaign, few Americans had heard of marijuana, despite widespread cultivation of its non-intoxicating cousin, industrial hemp. The first marijuana laws were a racist reaction to Mexican laborers taking jobs from whites during the early 1900's, passed in large part due to newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst's sensationalist yellow journalism. Incredibly violent acts were allegedly committed by minorities under marijuana's influence. Whites did not even begin smoking pot until a soon-to-be-entrenched government bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. These days, marijuana is confused with '60s counterculture. This intergenerational culture war does far more harm than marijuana. Drug dealers do not ID for age, making it easier for teenagers to buy illicit drugs than beer. As the most popular illicit drug, marijuana provides the black market contacts that introduce youth to hard drugs like heroin. This "gateway" is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy. In Europe, the Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by replacing marijuana prohibition with regulation. Dutch rates of drug use are significantly lower than U.S. rates in every category. Separating the hard and soft drug markets and establishing age controls for marijuana has proven more effective than zero tolerance. Please feel free to edit and publish. Additional background information: http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/HISTORY.HTM A dated comparison of Dutch vs. American rates of drug use can be found at: http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/c_drugstat.html More recent figures can be found at: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm Robert Sharpe, M.P.A., Program Officer The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation http://www.drugpolicy.org 4455 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite B-500 Washington, DC 20008-2328 - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager