Qasim Rashid, Esq.Apr 28, 2023

Annual Deaths in America from:
•Alcohol: 140,000
•Tobacco: 480,000
•Marijuana: 0

The pearl clutching over marijuana legalization & decriminalization is not grounded in facts—but in fear mongering propaganda & racial injustice that arrests Black people 3.7X more than white people, despite similar rates of use.

Show threadSharon Gibson Morgan
@QasimRashid At one time, MJ was legal & considered no more harmful than tobacco at that time. This changed with Commissioner Harry Anslinger of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. With Prohibition's end, Anslinger needed another target to keep FBN's doors open. MJ's use by Blacks & marginal whites was the perfect target. https://tinyl.io/80bF
How a racist hate-monger masterminded America’s War on Drugs

In 1931, Henry Smith Williams walked into Harry Anslinger’s Washington, D.C., office to plead for his brother’s life. Anslinger and his agents had locked up every drug user they could find, including…

Timeline
Apr 28, 2023 at 11:40pmWeb
Show threadTurboQuokkaApr 29, 2023

@SharonGibson3 @QasimRashid The Nixon Admin took that shit and ran with it, especially against the Black, Latin and hippie communities. At least one of Nixon’s former men who advised him on those plans admitted as much later on (and even at the time, there were a large number of medical advisors pointing out that what the admin was claiming about cannabis wasn’t actually true at all — Nixon didn’t care, and was thrilled to have something to weaponize against communities he hated.)

The war against cannabis has been escalating for the past 100 years, but all based in demonstrable bullshit. It’s just a super convenient excuse to go after whatever community you want to target, since it turns out a metric fuckton of people, from all walks to life, like weed.

Show threadSharon Gibson MorganApr 29, 2023
@turboquokka @QasimRashid Nixon most certainly did. As a result, marijuana was designated as a Schedule I drug, the same category as heroin. Programs like D.A.R.E. told kids that MJ was as addictive as heroin & crack cocaine. ( It's no wonder there are T-shirts claiming D.A.R.E. means "Drugs Are Really Expensive.") The kids knew they were being told lies--and therein lies the danger. Kids need to be warned about dangerous drugs, but if you lie to them, they discount everything that's said.