Marijuana in the US -Science, Ideological Dialectics, and predicted flows from Latin America

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Marijuana in the US -Science, Ideological Dialectics, and predicted flows from Latin America

Journal Title: Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR) - Year 2018, Vol 5, Issue 1

Abstract

Counter-intuititvely, it is socio-historical, geographic traits, and natural conditions which led to marijuana’s stigmization as drug. Besides, its stigmization in U.S. is rather related with racialorign of its introduction; it was first brought by black slaves and Mexican refugees fleeing from Mexico Revolution in 1910. Despite previous prevalence of its consumption over tobacco, since 1920s the white’s racist fear and ant sentiments led to its prohibition. However, since late-2000s scientists began revealing that marijuana’s defects had been hitherto exaggerated and that its harm is even less than that of alcohol-drink. Besides, the racist origin of marijuana prohibition lately came into light, suppressing any antimarijuana stance as a strong ideological tool. As a result, by 2016 more than a half of Americans consume or have consumed marijuana. And anti-racist appeal against marijuana-restriction is serving as a strong ideological and moraalistic apparatus to suppress any further warning against marijuana-overdose or over-diffusion. But while it’s soaring demand is hardly met by domestic production, which is feasible only in California for natural condition. Then the majority should come from Latin American imports. That raises another question: how would its flow pattern be? Expectedly, the major flow of Latin American import of U.S. marijuana should start from Colombia, who has not only legalized but also set marijuana as a core item for national industrialization from 2017. But its government cannot control the custom procedure of Central American countries and Mexico, by where its products have to pass to arrive at U.S. market, the main export target. Then, they need mediators or retailers. It is here when drug cartels of Mexico, located between Colombia and U.S., can make indirect influence. They will not engage themselves into the business for its low profitability. However, from 1980s when they traded with Colombia cartels, they have secured their covert path. Besides, some of numerous politicians/businessmen who collude with those drug-cartels might seek marijuana’s monopolistic retailing, by acquiring/bidding for access to drug cartels’ own secret-roads for drugtrafficking, which is more efficient than using low-developed infrastructure of Mexico with very-slow administrative procedures. But if this occurs, for the part of U.S. authority, they have to bear more burden to struggle throughout Central America. Now they have to expand their vigilance from only drug-cartels, to also their colluding politicians’/businessmen’s activities, perhaps covering the majority of Mexican territory. Although marijuana’s defect is much less than other drugs’ one, still its over-diffusion can affect the society; furthermore, if it is imported through Mexico in monopoly or smuggling, then other problems can occur. Since mid-2000s, following the sharp increase of studies on marijuana/cannabis’ real effects, U.S. society is now tolerant with marijuana-smoking. And in various respects, more recently the loosening of social restraint against marijuana-consumption is becoming more apparent and visible. By now, furthermore, the American political conservatism’s nature seems to be more distant from whether to regulate marijuana-consumption, in two respects: (1) since 2010s, the self-restraint and indulgence-avoidance became no longer the core value in American conservatism , replaced by emphasis on economic protectionism and American exceptional ism [1]. In fact, the restraint is never of social values for the white working class [2], which is the main basis for current Trump government. With accumulating scientific findings showing marijuana’s lower harmfulness and political phase moving away from the issue of drug/substance use, currently the social barriers to marijuana- consumption in U.S. is rapidly weakening. However, due to natural condition, only California in the U.S. can produce massive cannabis/marijuana and the increasing demand would be supplied from outside that is, Latin America.

Authors and Affiliations

Ki Hoon Jun

Keywords

Marijuana Legalization Racial origin Ideological dialectics Monopoly Secret tunnel

EP ID EP591639
DOI 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.05.001154
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