Prior to the end of alcohol prohibition, Harry Anslinger, the head of the Department of Prohibition, claimed that cannabis was not a problem and did not harm people. But when prohibition ended, Harry was out of a job. So he changed his tune and set about creating a new prohibition. His reasoning?
“Most (pot smokers) are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.” —Harry Anslinger
Harry distorted medical evidence, cherry picked news coverage and made his racist case. He was successful in that undertaking and became the first Head of the Federal Narcotics Bureau. As such, he pushed for mandatory minimum sentencing.
Today, his influence persists. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug—the same category as heroin. From then til now, the War on Drugs (first so named by President Richard Nixon) has targeted lower income Black and Brown people thru over policing, discriminatory prosecution, and discriminatory sentencing.
That’s why despite using pot at the same rate, Black people are 4 times more likely to be arrested than Whites. And our jails are filled with a disproportionate number of Black people. It’s hard to comprehend the magnitude of the fallout and reverberations from being arrested without enough money to pay for a good lawyer:
First you lose your job when you’re held in jail awaiting trial because you can’t afford bail.
Then you’re sentenced to a jail term and your family and social life is destroyed. The people who depended upon you and your income are left in the lurch.
Your soul is battered by the realities of life behind bars. Eventually you’re released with no money, no job, and often broken family and social relationships.
Our Mission is to sell Great Pot and
use the power of our business toRight the Wrongs of the War on Drugs.
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Table of Contents
Background
Advocacy
Investment
Vendors and Partners