The term "yellow journalism" has been around for generations now, and most people know one of our nation's prime authors of it, William Randolph Hearst.

But did you know he's the reason you can't buy pot over the counter? That's right -- he's the man behind the reefer madness.

And why, you might ask? Was he a champion of public health? Was he concerned about the possible effects rampant intoxication would have on society at large? Was he a prudish ninny afraid of a little fun?

No, it was worse than any of that -- he manipulated the public and created a social issue where there wasn't one to begin with, just to ensure the profits of a side venture of his weren't impacted. With the onset of the decorticator, his lumber-based paper mills were in jeopardy. So, he did something about it.


I have to tell you that I have never smoked pot in my life, but I have nothing against it. I just have a fear of smoking anything or inhaling anything into my lungs. (I'm also afraid of puncturing my veins to inject/extract anything. I have to turn my head when the doctor takes a blood sample.) But most people I know have smoked pot at one point or another. None of them has become addicted. I don't know anyone who has attacked anyone else or stolen anything to get "pot money." When people have pot-related regrets, they're usually about wasting time, being a little stupid and/or having to associate with a greasy, work-avoidant loser who was selling the pot at the time. So, it's kinda like playing video games or Dungeons and Dragons to my mind, not something that needs to be aggressively outlawed or demonized. But I digress...

So, thanks to Mr. Hearst, we've de-forested lands needlessly, advanced the chemical industry at the expense of a naturally-grown product (nylon ropes vs. hemp), furthered racism and prejudice against immigrants, and criminalized something that not only didn't need to be criminalized, but wasn't familiar to the public until he sensationalized it in the first place.

And looking at his tactics, I can see them utilized over and over, year after year, simply by changing out the subject to be vilified and the imagined effects. How often are we going to fall for it?