if you dig deep theres articles that show in the early 1900's the industrial revolution changes what is made up of hemp, clothing for example became cheaper to make out of cotton due to the manufacturing process. that same revolution also saw major political ties with overseas oil companies in an effort to reduce the cost. this did work, but as people did not want to stop using hemp, the government had little control over the profit they could make. the only way they could make it illegal was to exaggerate the the drug thc. back in those days, people could not count on a vote of the people to change anything. once the government gave back alcohol, they make marijuana illegal. the working class accepted this for the most part. it wasnt until later when technology allowed us to have more revenue that people wanted to experiment with various drugs, making nixon an asshole. once the "war on drugs" was established it was no longer classified as a minor offense and relabeled in the same class as heroin. we saw more revenue in prisons, more government jobs, and an increase in violence. nixon took that and turned it around saying that the illegal drugs were the cause and not his greedy ass fault. since then all presidents are faced with the same problem. were so dependant on drug money to run the country that making marijuana completely legal is the same process as switching everyone over to renewable resources. it wil take a long time, but it can be done, and as we see, it slowly is. if we just flipped the switch, hundreds of thousands would be out of there six figure incomes and working at burger king while trying to learn a new career path. most people are not humble enough to put themselves in that situation. we have a mindset that i earned this, and it cannot be taken away. this may be true, but they dont understand the incredible impact it will have on the environment, overall health, and our childrens future. we are a greedy people, and america doesnt want to give up a small piece of there pie.