To get a better understanding on how the general public views the legalization of marijuana in Washington State, I decided to take a survey. I set up a set of simple question to get opinions, ages, and races to compile my results. Which found that the younger demographic, (16-25) had the highest numbers supporting marijuana as not being detrimental to their lives. Finally I discuss the findings in detail, and speculate on what the future hold for the taboo of marijuana.
Introduction.
The year is 2015 and marijuana is now legal in Washington State, both recreationally and medicinally, but what are the side effects? This question not only regards health concerns in general but also considers younger generations exposed to marijuana no longer as much a taboo as it was 10 years ago. Would it be helpful to nationally legalize marijuana thereby making it less of a forbidden fruit for teens and young adults? As an avid supporter of medical marijuana for all its medicinal uses I chose to study how teens and adults in Washington are coming to view the newly legalized pot industry. I began my research after reading the article, "Legalizing Marijuana Would Harm Teens," by Robert Margolis. Margolis addresses some of the studies for which he is basing his argument such as if teens smoke pot they will develop negative habits at home and outside of home, affecting all aspects of their life. The author also claims, "a drug like marijuana is too dangerous to legalize," and that if marijuana is legalized it will fall into the hands of children like alcohol and tobacco already do (Margolis). He goes on to list the mental and physical side effects claiming, "THC, the active ingredient in marijuana," activates the reward areas of the brain where dopamine is regulated (Margolis). .
In my opinion the legalization of marijuana has helped take something that most people considered taboo and shine light on the benefits of its medical uses.
