Monday, September 20, 2010

Politics and Alcohol - A Great Mixer to Delay Cannabis Law Reform

It is probably one of the worst kept secrets in the world, but the Alcohol industry doesn't want cannabis legalized for medicinal purposes, and especially not for private home use.
Now, call me cynical (or even a conspiracy theorist), but I don't think that the Alcohol Lobby opposes Cannabis reform for altruistic reasons.
Now don't get the Chilli Man wrong. I like a good beer or two in the evening, or on the weekend (give me a reason). It is relaxing, and refreshing after a hard day doing the Super Hero type things that Chilli Man does.
If Cannabis were legal in my country, the alcohol industry would still get its cut from me. Marijuana is my medicine, alcohol is my 'getting high' drug. Having said that, I only drink one brand of beer, which is from a privately owned company and is 5.8% Alc/vol. I only drink two or three a night, so even if I did stop, I doubt anyone would notice.

Insert obligatory alcoholic beverage image here:


















The Alcohol Industry employs a lot of people and keeps a lot of people happy (or unhappy if you can't control your Alcohol intake).

According to Alternet, there is mounting evidence that the Alcohol Lobby and certain Police groups (in opposition to their members) are the primary financial backers to California's anti Prop-19 group 'Public Safety First'.

I'll repeat what I've read of other opinion pieces. The Alcohol sector stands to lose a lot of money if cannabis is legalized across Western cultures. The Pharmaceutical Industry, another anti-Prop 19 heavy-weight will also lose a lot if a non-patentable drug is available to grow in our homes. Lastly, it is widely rumoured that Narcotic divisions of certain Police Departments will have a hard time justifying expenses if their one 'easy catch' offence is no longer available.

Will every state or territory in every Western country have to fight this type of attack when they see the light and try to pass a legalization motion for cannabis?

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