The social history of cannabis dates back millennia. Throughout recorded history, humanity has used it in a variety of forms: Chinese herbalists noted the medical potential of cannabis thousands of years ago. This relationship changed dramatically when the U.S. government began a campaign of prohibition against hemp in 1937, which has continued (and intensified) to the present day.

Despite the U.S. governments' efforts, the industrial form of cannabis is cultivated in thirty-three nations, including China, Canada, and France to produce many useful products. The variety grown for industrial (fiber-producing) hemp is almost lacking in THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) which is the active ingredient in smoked marijuana. Because of this THC deficiency, industrial hemp is absolutely worthless for anyone seeking the 'high' associated with marijuana smoking. However, the sturdy fiber and nutritious seed and oil are used in beneficial applications. When processed into fabrics for clothes and linens, the plants' oils and resins as alternatives to petrochemical derivatives, or utilized in foods for humans or animals. These are accepted for sale or use in the US, while cultivation remains forbidden.

Hemp pioneers are making efforts to change antiquated, illogical policies against cannabis. Actor Woody Harrelson challenged the law by planting 4 hemp seeds in the state of Kentucky, for which he has been charged with cultivation of marijuana. He intends to challenge the government's position. Native American nations, including the Navajo and the Oglala Sioux, have begun programs of cultivation of cannabis hemp for industrial use. Although it is unclear how Federal authorities will react to growth of cannabis on native land, it should be obvious that treaties - enacted long before the cultivation of cannabis was outlawed by the US government - guarantee the rights of native peoples to grow a plant with a long history of beneficial uses; a plant grown by American farmers before the War for Independence!

Medical science now recognizes that cannabis has value in treating some illnesses. A different relative of the same plant (the THC-rich variety) has great healing potential. Since 1996 seven states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia), have recognized legitimate use of medical marijuana. All eight (including Washington, D.C.) passed, by a majority of the popular vote, laws recognizing patients' rights to use marijuana for conditions ranging from glaucoma to AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses. Hawaii recently became the first state to pass a bill in the state legislature, rather than through the direct method (voter initiative), recognizing ill individuals' rights to use the plant for medicinal purposes.

The most tragic part of the prohibition has been the terrible human cost of the 'War On Some Drugs'. The prison population swells with marijuana prisoners, most held for simple possession charges (no distribution involved). In 1998 alone there were over 680 000 marijuana arrests in the United State. Reasonable estimates of the cost to American taxpayers of the war on marijuana add up to more than US$9 billion every year.

The outgrowths of America's quixotic effort to eliminate this helpful 'weed' affect all Americans, and ultimately citizens of the world. Join with thousands of others in a community near you to speak up for an end to the madness. Use the day to write letters to your representatives; call or email politicians and demand that they free the weed (and more importantly, the millions imprisoned in the war)!