Why is Alcohol legal and Marijuana illegal?
Hemp represented a threat to the cotton and wood pulp industries. Harry J. Anslinger, the guy that was charged with forming the Bureau of Narcotics (now known as the DEA) needed something more than opiates to get his agency going (and advance his career). He teamed up with William Randolph Hearst, who owned a lot of timber that he sold back to his newspapers. Hearst wanted to protect his profits, Anslinger wanted to make a name for himself. Hearst threw his yellow journalism skills into the mix, and it became illegal. It stays illegal for 2 reasons — continued opposition by the industries that would be affected by increased hemp production, and an irrational linkage of marijuana with harder drugs.
