10/5/08

The First Marijuana P.O.W - Samuel R Caldwell - Oct 2nd 1937

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After a decade of U.S. government scare propaganda that convinced Americans that crazed Mexicans, blacks and fans of jazz clubs were pushing marijuana "reefers" on school children and honest youths, turning them into raving murderers, politicians decided to act.

The U.S. Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act. Growing and selling marijuana were still legal, but only if you bought a $1 government stamp. And that stamp was not for sale.
On the day the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act was enacted -- Oct. 2, 1937 -- the FBI and Denver, Colo., police raided the Lexington Hotel and arrested Samuel R. Caldwell, 58, an unemployed labourer and Moses Baca, 26. On Oct. 5, Caldwell went into the history trivia books as the first marijuana seller convicted under U.S. federal law. His customer, Baca, was found guilty of possession.

Caldwell's wares, two marijuana cigarettes, deeply offended Judge Foster Symes, who said: "I consider marijuana the worst of all narcotics, far worse than the use of morphine or cocaine. Under its influence men become beasts. Marijuana destroys life itself. I have no sympathy with those who sell this weed. The government is going to enforce this new law to the letter."

Caldwell was sentenced to four years of hard labour in Leavenworth Penitentiary, plus a $1,000 fine. Baca received 18 months incarceration. Both men served every day of their sentence. A year after Caldwell was released from prison, he died.

1 comment:

Tim Giangiobbe said...

This was all part of DuPonts and William Randolph Hearsts Plan to Eliminate anything in their path to profit.The Inventor of Nylon Wallace Hume Carothers just Happened to commit suicide april 29th of 1937 in Philadelphia.He took cyanide THEY SAY.Shortly afterward Cannabis was Illegal and The Patent for Nylon that became Quite profitable during WW-2 was in the hands of DuPont and William Randolph Hearst Just Happened to have quite a Few shares and Profited of course.
The Lies and Deceit continue.

The Wealthy Elite such as Hearst have always manipulated commodities,human resources,the banks and Press and Major ways.
The Wealthy Elite are Deflating the Dollar SLOWLy and Insidiuously they will do THE EVIL they do!!

The Well paid Goldman Sachs Minions that make Millions Assures the Wealthy Their Billions.
The Inflation followed by Deflation with Inflation again all during a Ten Year Period insidiously make the wealthy more wealthy and The Poor even more Poverty stricken.

The Apathetic Upper Middle class Think they are Immune.
Inflation and Taxes will Hit the Upper Class That Appears Wealthy and is Comfortable and Apathetic but hardly as wealthy as the Elite Pulling the strings.
The MisDirected Dogma The TeaBagger are Spewing has SOME Merit but is WHACKED and Blaming the wrong culprit.

The Problems are Neither a CONSERVATIVE or a LIBERAL Issue they are American ISSUES.
The Social Discourse Created by Lies and Deceit are the Usual Propaganda In action.
OTHERWISE the Constitutionalists are making sense.

The Reefer Madness Continues.
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