Cultural Attitudes Regarding Social Policy

Marijuana has a deep history in America, being in the Americas since 1545 when the Spanish brought it over with them. Later, it was again brought over with the English colonists to Jamestown. Here it was used as a large cash crop similar to tobacco and was used as a major source of fiber. Later in the 1890s, a similar plant, hemp, became another large cash crop in the southern half of the US even replacing cotton. Around this time marijuana was also used in medications, although it was not on the scale of cocaine and opium, being used to treat everything from labor pains to rheumatism, “any disorder of the extremities or back, characterized by pain and stiffness” (The Definition of Rheumatism). Further on, in the 1920s marijuana became increasingly more popular with jazz musicians and even special cafes/clubs opening for its use. It was not until the 1930s when a campaign conducted by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics whom labeled marijuana as the harmful “gateway drug” it is seen as today. Though

Marijuana is a very well-known and commonly used drug. Yet, there are many different attitudes and meanings attached to it. So why is there such a variation in people’s attitudes towards marijuana. This can be explained and understood by using the symbolic interactionism theory. Marijuana is a very controversial topic among Americans and much research has been done regarding it. The Pew Research Center has gathered information on the opinions Americans have towards the legalization of marijuana. The data shows what percentage of Americans think it should be legal or not. There is also data on reasons why they have their opinions and meanings toward marijuana. This data helps to further understand and apply this theory to the use of marijuana.

The role of how marijuana is used in the United States is being reexamined, rethought, and recalibrated, Barcott emphasize throughout his book. The new adjustment in America's relationship with cannabis cannot be measured in just monetary or social terms, “there are more profound movements going ahead here; social realignments, social alterations, and budgetary modifications” Barcott believes. Barcott show marijuana came to be one of the most vilified drugs in the market ever since the war on drugs was announced in the 1980s. However, the author shows how those who were against that movement are now cheerful that the way of that line of thinking is finally coming to a close. “Weed the

because of the Mexican Revolution. These immigrants brought along a new culture and customs one of them being the use of Marijuana as a medicine and relaxant. Marijuana which had been known as “cannabis” by Americans was not illegal in the U.S. and was in fact commonly used for industrial and medical purposes. Citizens in the Western states were uneasy of the newcomers and with rising tensions in those states it was not a difficult task for the media to take advantage of the citizen’s unease and pit them against the newcomers and their customs. Harry Anslinger, who is considered the father of the war on weed was a prominent figure of prohibition during the time, used the media to demonize marijuana by using racist tactics. He made several racist claims such as, “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S. and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others”(huffpost.com). In succeeding in painting the Mexican immigrants in a bad light, the media also managed to arouse people’s fear towards the unknown effects of Marijuana The outlawing of marijuana would provide authorities with an opportunity to control Mexican immigrants.( Although the prohibition of marijuana was founded on racism one has to wonder if things are really the same today. Facts have continuously managed to show that

The legalization of recreational marijuana is an important debate, one that could really cause drastic changes in societies. Marijuana has entered a dark stage in the pathway of legalization, and it is correlating with the prohibition stage that alcohol rested in. The debate can often reach a nasty level between individuals taking sides with the topic. Legalization of marijuana can be very beneficial under regulated circumstances, therefore making all of the negative views less important.

The topic of legalizing recreational marijuana in the United States has been a very controversial one. States such as Colorado and Washington have gone on the offensive and have legalized recreational marijuana and have enjoyed the high revenues brought in from cannabis sale. On the other hand other states have kept low profiles because they are wary of the possible negative outcomes of legalizing recreational marijuana and are using the states of Colorado and Washington as guinea pigs to see what their next course of action on this controversial topic should be. This is not only a highly debated topic among politicians, but also by the people. According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center 52% of Americans

In 1937, Hearst teamed up with Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN), Harry J. Anslinger, to spark a nation-wide smear campaign against Cannabis known widely as “Reefer Madness”. Cannabis was never really referred to as “marijuana” because marijuana is a type of wild mexican tobacco, a completely different plant. Hearst and Anslinger added a mexican name to Cannabis to make it’s image as a mexican product more easily hated by the American public. This campaign depicted african-americans and mexican immigrants as beasts who, when and after smoking marijuana, would seek to rape white women. The campaign claimed to congress that marijuana caused insanity, violence, and death. The inaccurate claims were based on no scientific research or studies

While marijuana was not actually outlawed until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 it was a part of the country and society since before the arrival of its current transplanted inhabitants. Hemp is the name of a species of Cannabis that has been used throughout history for many things including rope, clothing, medicine, oils and other such novelties. Marijuana and hemp are both of the species Cannabis Sativa and occur naturally along with a score of other variations of the plant. Marijuana is simply a form of hemp that is higher in delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana’s naturally occurring psychoactive chemical. Today we hear many nicknames for marijuana including: weed, pot, budda, grass, and bud to name a few. Marijuana has long been used by the indigenous peoples of North and South America for many things, from medical to religious purposes. Of course a select few Europeans exploited narcotics and different types of marijuana. However, in Europe it was not a widespread phenomenon, and neither was it from the time of colonization or even industrialization in America. It was not until the era of the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution, known as prohibition, that marijuana became a widely used substance in the U.S..

Today in America, millions of American citizens are both confused and outraged by the fact that there are still laws that are preventing people from using one of the most popular and controversial, illegal substances in the world: marijuana. According to recent polls, fifty percent of Americans want marijuana to be completely legal and decriminalized (Blodget), and a whopping eighty percent of Americans want it to be at least legalized for medical use (RangelMD). So why do so many Americans want marijuana to be legalized? To some this question can be easily answered, but to others, it’s not so simple. There are way too many reasons to count why

Hemp was legal tender in most of the Americas from 1631 to the early 1800s, you could buy anything with hemp, even pay taxes. (Herer, 1) The first law passed on Marijuana in the

Since the first efforts to legalize marijuana in the 1960s, Americans have become progressively more accepting of requests to liberalize laws restricting possession and use of marijuana, but the shift has not been a straight line. After 11 states decriminalized marijuana possession in the 1970s, recoil led by suburban parents led too much harsher implementation of drug laws. But since California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, outlooks toward the drug have relaxed significantly.("A Brief History of Public Opinion on Marijuana Legalization.")

The history of marijuana is quite interesting. Marijuana has gone from being an important crop of the early settlers, to being outlawed in many countries, including the United States. To better understand marijuana, I will trace it back to its origins, and explain how marijuana was used in the beginning. I will then take a closer look at the history of marijuana in the United States and how this plant has evolved over the years. An interesting fact that one should ponder is that ?in 1762 Virginia imposed penalties on those who did not produce it [marijuana]? (Sloman 21). This is quite a contrast to how marijuana is treated today. If one is caught growing, selling, or even using marijuana, there is consequences

To begin with Marijuana “Cannabis” is the most widely recognized illicit medication on the planet. Many structures have been utilized for a huge number of years for therapeutic, social and stylish impacts. Universal arrangements and the laws of most nations preclude developing, offering and having pot. Weed makes an unlawful market with a sum of billions of dollars every year. A great many people are captured for having the medication and number of detainees got to jail for offering it. Today, the question would be whether to change the laws to make it lawful to create, offer and have marijuana and if that it chose what tenets ought to apply. Even though in a few states it is lawful greater part of the states regardless it stays unlawful. Its utilization is across the board among young people. As indicated by a yearly overview of center and secondary school understudies, rates of marijuana utilize have steadied in the previous couple of years following quite a long while of increment.

Even our flags were from cannabis fibers. Best of all they come pesticide free! 75-90% of all paper in the world was made with cannabis hemp fiber including paper for books, Bibles, maps, paper money, stocks & bonds, newspaper, etc. Hemp paper lasted 50 to 100 times longer.” (DigitalHemp)

Marijuana has become one of the most used illegal substances in the United States. (Pawson 2014). Accoding to Pawson and Kelly, marijuana use is an increasingly normalized behavior which is shifting the public’s view of it. Continued normalization could potentially change it from something that is sometimes seen as morally wrong to something that will seem as normal as smoking a cigarette. Their goal was to examine marijuana use as a cultural practice and how that can define the values of youth. After they completed their observations it was found that in the younger generations marijuana was a not seen as a violation of moral code but rather and up and coming social normality (Pawson 2014).