51: The War on Weed: Smoke Signals by Martin A. Lee

“The prestige of the government had undoubtedly been lowered considerably by prohibition”, Albert Einstein observed when he visited the United States in the early 1920s. “Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than laws which cannot be enforced.”

In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and Nat discuss Smoke Signals by Martin A. Lee. In this book we take a walk through the history of marijuana, from it being a legal, useful plant and the third largest crop in the U.S to it being illegal and harshly but selectively punished. We see how racism and the variety of political backgrounds have shaped the PR of this ancient plant.

“It was a move that served as a pretext for harassing Mexicans. Just as opium legalization in San Francisco 40 years earlier was directed at another despised minority, the Chinese. In each case the target of the prohibition was not the drug so much as those most associated with its use. Typically in the United States drug statutes have been aimed or selectively enforced against a feared or disparaged group within society.”

We cover a wide range of topics, including:

• The history of marijuana, benefits and uses
• Arguments for and against legalization
• Political figures and their contribution to The War on Drugs
• Effects of consumption, psychedelics and edibles
• Tangents on wellness retreats, duels and fact checking fake news

And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Smoke Signals by Martin A. Lee!

You can also listen on Google Play Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or in any other podcasting app by searching “Made You Think.”

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Homo Deus by Yuval Harari for more on the domestication of plants and animals. Or for a totally different type of episode check out Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter as a counter to this linear, fact based book.

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Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show

• Marijuana [00:32]
• Neolithic period [01:21]
• Recreational drug use [02:42]
• Colorado [02:49]
• World War I [03:57]
• World War II [03:58]
• Virginia [05:27]
• New York [05:28]
• Maryland [05:31]
• Washington, DC [05:32]
• Austin, Texas [05:38]
• Shaman [06:18]
• Biochemistry [06:23]
• THC [06:26]
• Psychedelics [06:50]
• Spirit Journeys [06:53]
• Hindu texts [07:03]
• Soma [07:06]
• Moses [07:52]
• God [07:53]
• Ten Commandments [07:54]
• Ayahuasca [07:59]
• LSD [08:10]
• High on Mount Sinai? – Hebrew University’s professor’s theory – Reuters [08:18]
• The Burning Bush (Ex 3:1–6): A study of natural phenomena as manifestation of divine presence in the Old Testament and in African context [08:18]
• Hebrew University [08:27]
• Israel [08:28]
• Sinai Peninsula [08:31]
• Amazon Jungle [08:35]
• Higher Consciousness [09:43]
• Joe Rogan Experience #1133 – Dennis McKenna [10:25]
• Silicide [10:26]
• Mushrooms [10:27]
• Pharmacological research [10:44]
• Hemp [12:54]
• CBD [13:56]
• Omega 3 [15:18]
• Declaration of Independence [15:28]
• Cotton [16:22]
• Tobacco [16:23]
• Dietary fat [18:33]
• Duels [18:40]
• WeWork [19:01]
• Estrogen [23:26]
• Cooking oils [24:46]
• Soy Oil [24:52]
• Corn Oil [24:52]
• Canola Oil [24:57]
• Arizona [25:32]
• Miraval Retreat [25:38]
• Mindfulness [25:38]
• Healing crystals [26:34]
• Mysticism [26:39]
• Civil war [28:26]
• Hashish candy [28:28]
• Sears Roebuck Catalog [28:30]
• Sativa [28:53]
• Indica [28:54]
• Edibles [30:11]
• Salvia [31:30]
• Paris [32:15]
• Prohibition [32:54]
• Mexican Revolution [33:35]
• California [35:03]
• Texas [35:11]
• Ivy League [39:23]
• FDA [41:18]
• Patents [41:27]
• Marinol [41:42]
• Whey protein [41:57]
• Keto Diet [42:11]
• Epilepsy [42:29]
• Skin diseases [42:32]
• Autoimmune disorders [42:34]
• Obesity [42:37]
• Glaucoma [42:56]
• Parkinson's [43:24]
• Federal Marijuana Farm [43:52]
• California Cannabis Law [44:10]
• Syria [44:48]