Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History (Version D.E.A.)

So I was doing a search on the decriminalization of drugs in Portugal and the first thing I got was a link to the D.E.A.'s site about the topic. After reading it I stumbled onto the D.E.A. museum's website where I found two things. The first was a very extensive gift shop of items ranging from small misting fans to plug-in heated mugs to t-shirts and teddy bears for children. The next thing that caught my eye was a tab with the same title as my thread minus "version DEA." I was amazed at what I read and shocked at the level of propaganda in the Exhibit Intro. It begins like this:

"Since the 19th century when Americans first discovered new wonder drugs like morphine, heroin, and cocaine, our society has confronted the problem of drug abuse and addiction." I must point out that I think this is the first sentence the D.E.A. has ever issued that didn't include marijuana with "heroin and cocaine."

The next paragraph carefully cites that drug policy changed during WWII. "When the 20th century began, the United States--grappling with its first drug epidemic--gradually instituted effective restrictions: at home through domestic law enforcement and overseas by spearheading a world movement to limit opium and coca crops. By World War II, American drug use had become so rare, it was seen as a marginal social problem. The first epidemic was forgotten." It definitely had nothing to do with those Hemp For Victory videos.

The third paragraph finally gets down to business about cannabis. "During the 1960s, drugs like marijuana, amphetamines, and psychedelics came on the scene, and a new generation embraced drugs. With the drug culture exploding, our government developed new laws and agencies to address the problem. In 1973, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was created to enforce federal drug laws. In the 1970s, cocaine reappeared. Then, a decade later, crack appeared, spreading addiction and violence at epidemic levels." This is the first mention of cannabis ever becoming a problem. Its like they believe (or want us to believe) that it has the same effects as L.S.D. They leave out all the vicious murders and rapes and suicides we hear about marijuana causing in the 20's and 30's.

The final paragraph sums up all the lies by describing what the D.E.A.'s primary goal is.
"Today, the DEA's biggest challenge is the dramatic change in organized crime. While American criminals once controlled drug trafficking on U.S. soil, today sophisticated and powerful criminal groups headquartered in foreign countries control the drug trade in the United States." That's funny the D.E.A. seems pretty focused on domestic marijuana dispensaries and who is growing in the national forest as they fly around in their fully equipped attack chopper.

I just felt like posting this because it shows how outdated and biased the views on cannabis are of the administration that is supposed to be dedicated to drug intelligence. I figured someone could use this information in a letter to a rep. or in a debate on the topic. It certainly proves that the D.E.A. will say whatever it needs to say to make itself seem like a hero to the world. Eventually it turns into one of those situations where you've already told 10,000 lies, the only thing left to do is lie some more.