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Originally Posted by MaskTVMaura
I think that the major moral objection to pot has to do with the "illegality" of it (and the unchallenged belief that every law on the books is there for a GOOD REASON, i.e. to protect the average consumer) -- therefore I believe the cotton-growers still are the major reason.
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It was made illegal because it was the drug of choice for minorities and non conformists. Both of which were considered to be a seeping sore to this nation early on.
The cotton industry had very little to due with it becoming illegal they just happened to get the perks. Keep in mind the cotton industry not only could easily switch over to a higher profit producing crop (hemp) with zero side effects. Many cotton fields and farmers were indeed hemp farmers first before they had to switch anyways (same with tobacco and a few others). The paint industry took a mild hit, though was able to come up with a substitute for hemp oil so they also did not object much to the congressional meeting either. In reality the only industry to object to hemp becoming illegal was the bird seed industry. To this day they still have an exemption that allows them to include sterilized hemp seeds in bird food. No other seed can put such a sheen on feathers as hemp does.
Though the correlation between hemp and marijuana legalization seems to run hand in hand, it is a funny double edged sword. Hemp production is illegal because it would be "to hard" for the DEA and the police to be able to enforce marijuana cultivation due to how similar the plants look. The other edge of that sword of course is simple genetics. If hemp were legal to grow and produce cross pollination would occur in outdoor crops rapidly and thus would weaken the outdoor grown marijuana crops, eventually making them useless.
The main issue stands as to why marijuana is illegal. The answer still remains the same. It is more profitable and convenient to keep illegal. It still is favored by radicals and minorities and thus gives an easy way to bust, enslave, and remove the rights from those that do not conform. Then the drug just makes way to much money being illegal for everyone who enforces every aspect of it.