The headline title forgot something- imagine that- FORMER-
That said this is a job justification article for the great and mighty bureaucracy of the hypocrites who feel/believe they are "just doing their" job- enFORCING the Empty Suit brigades vote buying scheme from long ago-
The Racist Roots of Marijuana Prohibition
The war on marijuana was a product of American's growing prejudice towards the influx of Mexican immigrants after the Mexican Revolution.
Marijuana in America
The drug was introduced into America by the
Spanish in 1545, where it became a major commercial force and was grown alongside tobacco. Farmers mostly grew hemp instead of cannabis (a form of the plant that is very low in THC), and by 1890 it had replaced cotton as the major cash crop in southern states.
Hemp continued to flourish in the States until the 1910s when Mexicans began popularizing the recreational use of cannabis.
At the time, cannabis was not primarily used for its psychoactive effects. However, and quite frankly, many "white" Americans did not like the fact that Mexicans were smoking the plant, and they soon demonized the drug.
But hey, you believers in authoritarian doctrine continue to believe Empty Suits with an agenda counter productive to Liberty have your best interests at heart- it does make "just doing their job" easier- and "news" worthy-