James E.

Buchanan, III
EN101: T314
01/12/2019

A Global Problem: A Stateside Solution

The epidemic of rampant, illicit drug abuse is a global scourge – that has slowly

and methodically reached epically, lethal proportions. World leaders are

coordinating their political, social, and economic resources – to find viably,

sustainable solutions that will help their local constituents to successfully combat

cartels, drug mules, substance abuse, etc. Understanding the dire need for a 21st

Century answer to this worldwide crisis, we must work across cultural, racial,

caste, and economic barriers – in order to draft a congenial road map that can be

used across the globe. Compassionate legalization of hemp and marijuana would

certainly lessen the cataclysmic blow of familial division, drug crimes, and mass

incarceration, that continues to plague the majority of the world. Certain

countries have successfully legalized hemp and marijuana – and have seen

significant drops in crime and dramatic boosts to their respective economies. Re-

legalization of hemp and marijuana in North America would produce a boost to

our slagging economy, that would make even the economy of the Clinton

Administration pale in comparison. There are literally thousands of reasons why

hemp and marijuana would positively expand our economy – and it has very little

to do with smoking up the product.

The alleged ‘War on Drugs’ which was officially tagged by the Nixon

administration, has been, and continues to be, an illusionary conflict that was

never meant to end. As long as the demand is high, for products that are

currently deemed ‘illegal’ there will always be de-facto organizations clamoring to

take and fill the orders of those willing to pay. The United States government

clearly understands these facts – yet continues to feed Jane and John Public the

false narrative of drugs being public enemy number one. Re-legalizing hemp and

marijuana, taking these non-lethal, healing plants off of the Schedule-1 Drug

Enforcement Administration (DEA) rating, would slowly begin to turn the tide of

the utter failure of the national war on drugs – to a crystal-clear understanding of

the economically positive, healthy uses of hemp and marijuana.

Case in point, Uruguay, became the first country to fully legalize the recreational

usage of cannabis – when pharmacies began selling it openly, with the blessing of

the government of Uruguay, in December 2017. According to the director of

Uruguay’s cannabis regulatory authority, Martin Rodriguez, the only things that

are slowing the economic growth of marijuana in the region is government supply

shortages of marijuana and local banks slow adjustment to extend guaranteed

loans to new marijuana entrepreneurs. One surprising fact of this South

American country of 3.5 million Spanish speaking people, is that it has never

criminalized personal possession of drugs – and an updated 1998 law allows for

judges to determine whether or not a person is using drugs for personal use or

distributing them commercially. For a country that is roughly 1% the size of

North America, this fledging Republic could certainly take long-form notes from

Uruguay – and how they have fully legalized and regulated marijuana.

Effectively educating the public on the 50,000+ uses of the hemp plant (the

actual plant part of the marijuana stalk) through print, social, and radio media

would begin to de-poison the psyche of the general public – from seeing

marijuana as public enemy number one, to eventually, fully understanding

marijuana and hemp as awesome healing plants – with properties that will not

only heal our physical health, but repair and boost our national and international

economic health.

Hemp and marijuana are healing plants that have been successfully used for

thousands of years for uses like: medicine, livestock feed, baby food,

biodegradable plastics, essential oils, body care products, nutritional

supplements, paper products, textiles, hempcrete (hemp concrete), livestock

bedding, clothing, bio-fuel, jewelry, water and soil purification, weed control,

cultivars, harvesting, juice, milk, protein, rope, elixir, fiberboard, paint, varnish,

detergent, ink, and literally thousands of other uses. Through simply re-legalizing

the hemp and marijuana plant in North America, our national economy would,

once again, become the same force of nature that other countries have looked to

for hundreds of years. This process is truly simple as socially spreading the

physical and economic wealth around. Instead of the federal government

intruding upon the rights of private citizens and placing restrictions on them, by

outlawing hemp and marijuana, re-legalizing the naturally occurring healing

plants will give the North American economy the generational super-boost it so

desperately needs. It is a fact that our national economy is in a tailspin. The re-

legalization of hemp and marijuana will help to secure our national economy with

living wage jobs, lower cost health insurance plans, and it will re-establish North

America as a global super-power. If North American lawmakers will take heed to

the ebb and flow of history, this Republic will, once again, become a nation that is

well respected among other global continents.

One of the greatest products that would come from the production of hemp is

bio-fuel. The national production of hemp fuel would reduce, and eventually

negate, North Americas need for any foreign oil for fueling our stateside vehicles.

It would be safe to say that it would only take 5 – 10 years for most new vehicles,

being produced in North America, to be changed over to the lower cost, no

pollution emission, hemp fueled vehicles. It would be simply amazing how much

money North America would save by no longer relying on foreign oil suppliers.

By relying on our own beautiful crops of hemp, that are literally a forever crop,

our Republic would enter an economic boom that North America has never seen

before.

Hemp and marijuana have been successfully used economically, medically and

recreationally for over 10,000 years by countries across the globe – so even

hinting to the myth that the healing and economic power of hemp and marijuana

should be against the law is absolutely ludicrous at best. In the 21st Century,

federal, re-legalization of hemp and marijuana is not only smart legislation, it is a

move that the next 7 generations will praise us for.