Is the push for legalization of marijuana due to a conspiracy between GMO giant Monsanto and the U.S. government? Some people in the organic food community seem to think so.

Monsanto is consistently ranked as one of the most hated companies in the world, but despite this the company enjoys the benefits of having friends in high places who wield considerable amounts of power. Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton has even backed the corporate giant and GMO foods. According to some, one of the reason for the push of legalization of cannabis is so Monsanto can can let loose genetically modified marijuana on consumers. Monsanto is losing money due to lawsuits, and from many countries banning its product Round Up, and some GMO foods and seeds. If the U.S. makes cannabis legal and Monsanto, as some believe, has GMO marijuana ready to go, it could make the company very rich.

According to Natural Society, talk among organic communities is that Monsanto has worked on GMO marijuana for years now. Many believe that GMO marijuana is ready to be sold and that this is why the U.S. government is beginning to push for legalization of the drug and conspiring with Monsanto to make the company the front-runner in producing marijuana for consumers. The theory comes in part, from what is happening in Uruguay, who is the first country to fully legalize marijuana. Uruguay regulations will be looked at by other countries in the world and if they work, they could become a blueprint for future laws in the U.S. Since 1974 smoking marijuana has been legal in Uruguay, but there was never any written rule on how people were suppose to obtain the plant. With the new laws users of marijuana now have to register, they will be allowed as individuals to grow six plants, or to purchase it from a pharmacy. The maximum amount allowed to be purchased is 40 grams per individual at a cost of one dollar a gram. The hope is to prevent abuse, to have a way of identifying users who may have a potential substance abuse problem, and to put a dent in the black market. Uruguay will use protected land to grow marijuana for its citizens who smoke. Some people are opposed to this plan, they are concerned with personal freedom infringements due to the registration clause of the new law, the limits on the amount one can smoke and the fact that government will be dictating what kind of marijuana one can purchase.

According to the President of Uruguay they are not looking to make a lot of money off of the sale of marijuana, but the law, as it is, brings to light questions of what exactly could happen if the U.S legalizes it. In states like Colorado where it is legal, the marijuana industry is bringing large amounts of revenue into the state. If the U.S. makes it legal and it becomes a cash crop, which it will, like soy and corn, who will benefit from it? As of now companies like Dow, Monsanto and DuPont benefit the most from the two biggest crops grown in the U.S., much more so than farmers. According to a report from Phys Org. 95 percent of all soy and about 88 percent of all corn is genetically modified.

Soy and corn are used in almost all food products, one only has to look at the ingredients of the food in their pantries to see this. Monsanto, DuPont and Dow see cannabis as the next big cash crop. The plant has medicinal uses, recreational uses, and its cousin hemp has potential to be used in paper, energy, and plastic production, plus much more, the list of possible uses is almost endless. If any of the companies were to obtain a patent for a strain they engineer, the possible profits and control over future potential uses could be staggering.

As of now Monsanto denies any involvement in cannabis and claims that the accusations of the company working on GMO pot are just internet rumors. If the rumors are true, what would it mean for U.S. consumers? It more than likely will lead to laws that restrict the cultivation, sale, use, and possession of the plant. Most likely the laws will benefit large corporations like Monsanto, Dow, and DuPont and leave the little people to deal with the consequences.

Marijuana should become legal but are Americans willing to turn it over to “Big Business” and allow them to control the plant, are they willing to have the natural plant genetically modified and to be owned, so as to prevent others from growing it? Are they willing to risk lawsuits from the corporate giant because Monsanto’s GMO pot seeds managed to find away on their property? Is the push for legalization of marijuana less about the needs of the people when it comes to their health and personal use, or is the U.S. government conspiring to put more money in Monsanto’s pocket? Advocates for legalization may not want to think of these issues but maybe they should.



Opinion by Jessica Hamel

Sources:

Inquisitr: Is the U.S. Government Aiming to Legalize Weed So Monsanto Can Unleash GMO Marijuana?

The Aspen Times: Colson: Watch for a ‘Frankenpot’ Federal Turnaround

Photo of Marijuana Courtesy of Katheirne Hitt]s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License

Photo of Monsanto Banner Courtesy of Stephen Melkisethian’s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License

Photo of Marijuana Courtesy of Scott Beale’s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License

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