The Deep State and American politics
Former U.S. President Trump has pledged to destroy the Deep State. Among his supporters, the Deep State is perceived as a secretive force that never comes out into the open, manipulating politics and the economy behind the scenes. These forces are referred to by various names, including the military-industrial complex, international finance capital, and even the Rothschilds, Freemasons, and Illuminati. Some Trump supporters believe that these forces are trying to control not only the United States, but the entire world.
Five major conglomerates with significant power in the U.S. political economy
It is often said that conglomerates run the United States, the world’s largest economy. These zaibatsu also have a great influence on the world economy. In Japan, major zaibatsu such as Mitsui, Mitsubishi, and Sumitomo once formed huge corporate groups that had a major influence on the domestic political economy. Similarly, in the United States, there are five major zaibatsu (Rockefeller, Morgan, Mellon, DuPont, and Carnegie), and these zaibatsu are deeply involved in the American economy.
History of hemp and its uses
Hemp is one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history and has been used for many purposes as food, clothing, paper, and medicine. Its tough fiber was widely used to make rope and cloth, and hemp seeds and oil were valued as a health food due to their high nutritional value. In the 20th century, however, hemp suddenly found itself on the chopping block, especially in the United States, where it was strictly regulated.
Modern American history is the history of marijuana vs. oil
In 1848, the California Gold Rush began, and the population, which was less than 20,000 at the time, exploded to 100,000 the following year in 1849, 250,000 in 1852, and 380,000 in 1860. Levi Strauss, who had his eye on the gold rush, made pants out of canvas, which was used to make canvas canvas canvas, and sold Levi’s 501, which was dyed indigo blue, durable, quick-drying, and did not show mud stains, making him the most profitable man in the gold rush. According to the U.S. Census of 1850, there were more than 8,000 marijuana farms in the U.S. alone with farms of more than 2,000 acres (173 times the size of the Tokyo Dome).
Cannabis, an indispensable part of everyday life, was also widely known for its usefulness in the medical field, and many cannabis dispensaries were opened. The Lancet” that “cannabis, in its purest state, if only used in the right way, is one of the most valuable medicines for mankind,” also encouraged the medical use of cannabis.
In 1896, Rudolph Diesel developed an engine designed for use with vegetable oils, including hemp. Also, Henry Ford of the Ford Motor Company began operating a biomass conversion plant based in Michigan to produce cannabis fuel.
Cannabis grows with about one-quarter the water content of cotton and requires only about half the land area to produce one ton of hemp. It also enriches the soil and does not require large amounts of fertilizer as cotton does. Furthermore, a 1916 USDA report revealed that hemp fields could produce up to four times as much paper as conventional trees, and the advantages of hemp have been a known story since that time.
Prohibition and Deep State crackdown on marijuana
Petroleum-based synthetic fibers such as nylon, Auron, and Dacron, developed by DuPont during the 1930s and 1940s, were a major change in the American hemp industry. The products developed by DuPont brought about major changes in the way textiles were manufactured and used in the mid-20th century, shaping the petroleum industry. However, the U.S., which was trying to secure military supplies during wartime, including the outbreak of war between Japan and the U.S. in 1941, produced the movie “Marijuana for Victory” to encourage marijuana cultivation, and the marijuana industry seemed to be reviving for a time, with 1 million acres of marijuana being grown throughout the Midwest. However, when the war ended, all marijuana processing plants were closed.
DuPont, oil, cotton, and pharmaceutical industry collusion
Notable were synthetic fibers such as nylon, developed by DuPont, and the pharmaceutical industry and the proliferation of petroleum-derived products funded by the Rockefellers and Carnegies. For these companies, hemp was a potentially powerful competitor. DuPont was funded by U.S. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, who used his position to spread hemp propaganda. Fearing that hemp posed a threat to their industries, the textile, pharmaceutical, petroleum, and plastics industries colluded to protect their interests by demonizing hemp.
Harry Anslinger's harsh propaganda against hemp
In the 1930s, Harry Anslinger, the first director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, developed a harsh propaganda campaign against marijuana. Anslinger positioned marijuana as a dangerous drug and claimed that its use caused violence, crime, and moral decay, and he stoked fears by associating marijuana use with Mexican immigrants and African Americans in particular. He also promoted the scientifically unsubstantiated claim that marijuana use leads to addiction to hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Andrew Mellon was related to Harry Anslinger as his uncle-in-law.
Anti-marijuana film - Reefer Madness - 1936
Reefer Madness is a propaganda film produced in the United States in 1936 that highlights the supposed dangers and negative effects of marijuana use. A good American young man tries marijuana, and as a result, he is ruled by hallucinations, goes crazy, and causes catastrophic behavior such as rape, murder, car accidents, prostitution, and eventually shooting his friend to death in a delirious state. He concluded that this was all caused by marijuana. The film consisted of fear-mongering that was not based on facts and promoted social fear and prejudice against marijuana.
U.S. Cannabis Taxation Act of 1937
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was a law enacted to regulate the cultivation, distribution, sale, and possession of marijuana in the United States. This law essentially prohibited the use of marijuana. High taxes were imposed on the marijuana trade, and all persons involved in the trade were required to purchase special tax stamps. The high taxes and strict regulations made the commercial trade of marijuana virtually impossible and effectively banned the use of marijuana.
The tacit LaGuardia report and scientific studies
But not everyone was against marijuana: in 1939, New York City Mayor Fiorello Henry LaGuardia brought together 31 scientists to conduct a five-year scientific experiment on marijuana use. It was the first scientific experiment on marijuana conducted in the world. The LaGuardia report showed that marijuana use did not lead to addiction in the medical sense and was not a decisive factor in serious crimes. But Anslinger neglected this report and intensified his negative campaign against hemp.
International bans and their impact
Anslinger’s propaganda had international repercussions, leading many countries to ban marijuana. As a result, environmental problems such as air and ocean pollution caused by the global oil and plastic industries worsened. Compared to the past, when farmers produced their own fiber, medicine, and food, modern agriculture has become heavily dependent on chemical pesticides and petroleum-based products.
Tightened hemp regulations with no scientific basis
In 1956, the U.S. enacted the Narcotics Control Act, which made marijuana equivalent to heroin, and in 1961, at the urging of Anslinger, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was enacted. 1972, despite a National Commission on Drug Abuse and Marijuana’s investigation, which clearly ruled out the dangers of marijuana, the U.S. President Nixon established the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) and stepped up enforcement, President Nixon established the DEA(Drug Enforcement Administration) to strengthen the control of marijuana. Although the marijuana policy eased temporarily during the Carter era, the Reagan and Bush administrations from the 1980s onward campaigned against marijuana and tightened regulations, with the Clinton administration arresting 30,000 people for marijuana possession.
Now hemp is legal in 38 states.
However, it was HIV/AIDS patients who sought its use as medical marijuana in the 1980s and 1990s because of its effectiveness in relieving pain and reducing appetite, a side effect of the drug. Then, in 1998, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington legalized medical marijuana, and as of 2024, 24 states have lifted the ban on marijuana for recreational use, and 38 states have approved marijuana for recreational or medical use. Marijuana has decided to move from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 and is on its way to changing not only state laws but federal laws as well. The Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations have taken a policy that emphasized state law and drew a line in the sand with federal law.
Don't let the Deep State control you.
The prohibition of marijuana by the Deep State and corporations with vested interests has been heavily influenced by economic and political dynamics. The result has been environmental problems and social injustice. We are called upon to have a dispassionate perspective based on historical background and scientific evidence, and not be misled by superficial propaganda. We need to take the first step toward building a more sustainable and just society through a re-evaluation of marijuana. To reclaim marijuana is to reclaim Japan. And to reclaim cannabis is to reclaim the world. Ironically, it is the U.S. that has spoken out to reclaim the world, having severed the traditional culture of marijuana that is Japan’s base culture. In America, marijuana is a symbol of reclaiming our nation’s history and founding principles. Japan, which has had cannabis as its core culture since the Jomon period, needs to change the status quo. To reclaim marijuana is to reclaim Japan. In Japan, marijuana is a symbol of restoring the history and ideals of the founding of the nation.