Marijuana:Illegilization was Unjust, and it should be Legalized Now

As Pro, I will be arguing that Marijuana was unjustly Illegalized, and it should be Legalized Now. Please vote on the debate, not your own opinion. Please Note, this is not just about Legilization in America. In my opening statement I will argue specifically about the illegilization of Marijuana. As I am sure in my opponents first statement he will move the topic directly to legilization now. Now let's look at the events of Marijuana's illegilization, and its past. - The El Paso Ordinance of 1914 was the first law against Cannabis passed in the United States, its primarily purposed was to control the Mexican minority in the area. Similar laws were passed elsewhere to control the marijuana smoking African American minorities in the south. - During the prohibition the Treasury Department of United States established the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) to fight the war on drugs and alcohol (Grass). Soon after in the 1930s two major innovations in paper making was discovered coincidentally around the same time, the first was a newly developed machine that collected the fibers and pulps from hemp more efficiently when ever before. The second advance was DuPontï¿½??s patented sulfate/sulfite process for making paper from wood pulp. - The newly developed paper making process using hemp was much more efficient and cheaper than making paper out of wood pulp; this posed an enormous threat to Du Pont and its financial backers. During this period of time Mellon Bank of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania owned by Andrew Mellon was Du Pontas chief financial backer. - In 1931, Mellon, in his role as Hoover's Secretary of the Treasury, appointed his future nephew-in-law, Harry J. Anslinger, to be head of the newly reorganized Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (FBNDD), a post he held for the next 31 years(The Emperor Wears No Clothes Ch4). - Determined to criminalize Cannabis, Anslinger directed the all of the focus of the FBNDD towards marijuana; he then used the same scare tactics that the Christians used in the Inquisition. Anslinger launched a nationwide media campaign against marijuana. This campaign included radiobroadcasts, television commercials and various other media outlets; the Federal Bureau of Narcotics claimed that marijuana caused murder, insanity and death (Grass). All of these claims were not back by any scientific research or evidence. - The FBNDD also related marijuana with dangerous drugs such as heroine and opium, instilling even more fear of the plant on Americans. -Although in the 1930s only approximately sixty thousand Americans used marijuana, almost all other Americans knew of the marijuana due to Anslingers media campaign. Harry Anslingers propaganda succeed beyond his wildest dreams, Americans now fear the plant so much they demanded stricter laws against marijuana from the government. -Without any public debate, scientific inquiry or political objection, the Marijuana Tax Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt in 1937 (The History of Marijuana). -The Marijuana Tax Act required anyone in possession of marijuana to have a tax stamp from the Treasury Department and none was ever produced successfully making Cannabis illegal. - Countless countries around the global have started to decriminalize Cannabis, their economies are flourishing due to the production of hemp and its products, many of their citizens enjoy the medicinal benefits of this plant. The countries that have legalized Cannabis saw the old laws against the plant unjust and since its legalization these nations experiencing exceptional growth in all areas of society directly due to Cannabis (The Magic Weed). -Even though America imports copious amounts of hemp annually, she produces none of it herself; this nation pays handsomely to import plant products that can easily be grown and made in the United States. It is the beginning of a new millennium and there has never been a better time to put the arbitrary prejudices and fears past us. Knowledge of the Cannabis and its benefits are now widespread thanks to technological advances such as the internet and the truth about the prohibition of Cannabis is now gaining light. -If Americans fail to extinguish these fears and start using Cannabis to all of its advantages. Then America herself will be in danger of falling behind in the Cannabis revolution of the new millennia. I await an opponent, and I await his arguments about health affects, and how decriminilization will cause an increase in crime rates. Wich I will easily refute. But if you've got an argument other than the two I just stated, I await the challenge of disassembling it. You can use those two points, if you want, but know I already have my argument against them planned out. :)