The same reason the ACA is law is the same reason marijuana is illegal - the lobbyists in state governments and more prominently, in Washington, DC. Just follow the money. Figures exist stating medical insurance company lobbyists poured ridiculous amounts of money into Washington influencing the result of the legislation to have it passed and upheld, and it is a fact that there are at least five health insurance lobbyists in Washington for every congressman. Why hasn't the media told me anything about this insanity?
But I digress. Going back to marijuana, there are five major groups we can point the finger at for why marijuana is still illegal in the majority of the country:
But I digress. Going back to marijuana, there are five major groups we can point the finger at for why marijuana is still illegal in the majority of the country:
1.) Police Unions: Police departments across the country
have become dependent on federal drug war grants to finance their budget. In
March, we published a story revealing that a police union lobbyist in
California coordinated the effort to defeat Prop 19, a ballot measure in 2010
to legalize marijuana, while helping his police department clients collect tens
of millions in federal marijuana-eradication grants. And it’s not just in
California. Federal lobbying disclosures show that other police union lobbyists
have pushed for stiffer penalties for marijuana-related crimes nationwide.
2.) Private Prisons Corporations: Private prison
corporations make millions by incarcerating people who have been imprisoned for
drug crimes, including marijuana. Corrections Corporation of America, one of the largest for-profit prison
companies, revealed in a regulatory filing that continuing the drug war is part
in parcel to their business strategy. Prison companies have spent millions
bankrolling pro-drug war politicians and have used secretive front groups, like
the American Legislative Exchange Council, to pass harsh sentencing
requirements for drug crimes.
3.) Alcohol and Beer Companies: Fearing competition for the
dollars Americans spend on leisure, alcohol and tobacco interests have lobbied
to keep marijuana out of reach. For instance, the California Beer & Beverage Distributors contributed campaign contributions to a committee set upto prevent marijuana from being legalized and taxed.
4.) Pharmaceutical Corporations: Like the sin industries
listed above, pharmaceutical interests would like to keep marijuana illegal so
American don’t have the option of cheap medical alternatives to their products.
Howard Wooldridge, a retired police officer who now lobbies the government to
relax marijuana prohibition laws, told Republic Report that next to police
unions, the “second biggest opponent on Capitol Hill is big pharma” because
marijuana can replace “everything from Advil to Vicodin and other expensive
pills.”
5.) Prison Guard Unions: Prison guard unions have a vested
interest in keeping people behind bars just like for-profit prison companies.
In 2008, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association spent a
whopping $1 million to defeat a measure that would have “reduced sentences and
parole times for nonviolent drug offenders while emphasizing drug treatment
over prison.”
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