Fred E. Foldvary suggested in his recent piece that the most probable lobbyists behind marijuana prohibition is tobacco and alcohol. I have a more likely suspect. The following is poorly remembered hearsay, but I have heard that when hemp and marijuana were originally outlawed, it was the petrochemicals industry that was behind it most strongly.

Apparently, somebody had a patent for a synthetic fiber, and the outlawing of hemp would benefit their bottom line considerably.

The other major benefactor is the pharmaceutical industry. At present, there really isn't a single legal medication that acquired via any channel other than big pharmaceutical. If marijuana is as effective as its proponents say it is, the legalization of its medical use alone would be a severe hit to the pharmaceutical industry.

Finally, general drug legalization would likely destroy the American Medical Association. With doctors as the gatekeepers for nearly every medical substance known to man, they gain a monopoly on medical services. If drugs in general were legalized, a lot of people would likely end up getting their medicine by other channels, thus lowering considerably the demand for a doctor's time, and therefore the price, and therefore, the amount of time doctors can spend on the golf course.

- Daryl Sawyer