Introduction
Last week, I was going through my Facebook and I found this really
interesting video that my friend posted up on his wall. The video was found on
YouTube titled “Cop steals Pot for brownies and calls 911 after getting high.”
The police officer and his wife decided to call 911 because they thought they
overdose on eating brownies that were made of marijuana. One phrase that the
police officer said that really stood out to me was “I don’t know we made
brownies. And I think we’re dead. Time is going by really slow.” The things
that police officer said was hilarious, but after watching the video, I
realized that there are really not that much reports about usage of marijuana
on the news even though we are surrounded by it everywhere today.
The popularity for smoking marijuana
has dramatically risen among the population within America ever since
California passed the nation’s first medical marijuana law in 1996 allowing
people to use marijuana for medical purposes. I have noticed that almost everywhere
you go, there are either people that you know or strangers that smoke marijuana
as if it was nothing in America. Although I have never tried marijuana myself,
I live in an environment where I am constantly surrounded by marijuana usage
almost every day whether it is with my friends or even at the park. The history
and effects of marijuana has led this nation into a state of conflict where
this supposedly medicinal drug has touched about almost all the lives of
everyone who resides in this country, even though marijuana is legal for
recreational use in some states but illegal on the federal level.
Action
As I live in a world where most people see marijuana as illegal
drug that causes severe health problems and physical impairments, it is
important for people to first understand what marijuana truly is and not just
how society depicts it as. When people smell marijuana in the neighborhood,
they first assume that the people who are smoking it are bad and dangerous
people such as gangsters or low life’s. We cannot rely on our current media and
social networks into understanding a problem within our society because there
are so many faults and misinformation that the media purposefully projects in
order to get a certain reaction. Therefore, my action is to make a stand for marijuana by going out into our own
neighborhood and digging deep down into the history and medical reports on
marijuana into truly understanding how dangerous marijuana is. Is this a drug
that should be marked as illegal on the federal level? Should citizens
especially blacks be arrested for the possession of marijuana? The big
question, is smoking marijuana really bad for you like how society portrays it
as? The segregation amongst one another can only distance use even further from
the truth; we all need to come together and united our knowledge into promoting
and understanding what the truth truly is.
Research
Marijuana, a product obtained
from the plant Cannabis Sativa, originated from Central Asia that has been used
for its euphoric effects for over 4000 years. There have been numerous
documentations on the use of marijuana from different places such as Egypt,
China, Russia, Africa, and etc. According to the scholarly journal titled
“Cannabis (Marijuana) – Effects on Human Behavior and Performance” by Marilyn
A. Huestis, China was the first to recognize the medicinal properties of
marijuana 2700 years ago for the relief of pain, muscle spasms, convulsions,
epilepsy and asthma. Other than China, marijuana was introduced to Europe in
1842 by a surgeon who decided to adopt the use of marijuana after observing the
therapeutic uses of it in India. Cannabis can be found growing in large areas
of the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia as well as Latin
America and Africa which are the major producers of illicit cannabis. The
recreational use of marijuana started after the Mexican Revolution of 1910
where the Mexicans that immigrated to the U.S. introduced marijuana to the
American culture. In 1996, California was the first state that legalized the
medicinal use of marijuana.
The effects of marijuana are
produced through this substance that is found in marijuana called
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which has both psychological and physiological
effects on the human body such as euphoria which is the typical reason why it
is abused. Marijuana also causes cognitive impairment, short-term memory,
increased heart rate and etc. However, there have been studies on marijuana
that reveals its great potential in the field of medicine, which has allowed
this drug to become legal as a medicinal drug. Some of those benefits of
marijuana are: combats depression and anxiety, slows the spread of cancer
cells, treats epilepsy, active pain killer, and slows the progression of
Alzheimer’s. In The Huffington Post website, Matt Ferner wrote an article about
an interview conducted with Dr. Oz who is a famous TV medical expert. According
to the article, Dr. O states “I think most of us have come around to believe
that marijuana is hugely beneficial when used correctly for medicinal
purposes.” The effects of marijuana can vary depending on how one uses it, but
like all other medicines, it can be both good and bad for you.
Community members
Ruby Li,
"A lot of people around me smoke marijuana, even though I don't like the
smell of it, there is nothing wrong for smoking weed."
Pongson Mak,
"Marijuana has always been a controversial issue within the United States.
I feel that many people have a negative perception of weed because of the
previous drug war during Reagan's era. However, I personally feel that there is
nothing wrong with smoking weed especially if it is for medicinal use; although
recreational use is fine as long as you are using it safely."
Benson Ye, “I
hate the smell of marijuana. But I agree with people smoking it for medical
use.”
Li Cen, "I do not support people to smoke marijuana other than medical use. I believe age restriction is needed to prevent people under 18 to purchase or smoke marijuana."
Reflection
Coming to the end of this project, my
understanding of civic engagement has definitely changed from initial point
where I was first ask to define civil engagement. At the beginning, civil
engagement was just a term that I was asked to define but I never got to
understand the true meaning behind civil engagement until I went out and
experienced it myself. People who advocate for marijuana do not blindly support
it because they are a user. Many people within the community actually have done
their own research into what marijuana is and they are extremely knowledgeable
in this field. People are working to make a difference in the community which
resulted in the legalization of marijuana. It is really different when you just
define civic engagement compared to when you actually see it and understand it
on a deeper level.
When I first started this project, I did
not realize how many people out there actually smoke marijuana because of the
negative views that surround this subject. I have met some people that are
extremely intelligent and successful who smoke marijuana which surprised me as
well. I expected there to be a lot of people but not this much. The
neighborhood was practically filled with people that smoke marijuana. When I
went out into the community, I did not experience any challenges at all while
interviewing and talking to community members. Everyone was extremely open and
nice once I brought up the issue of smoking weed because they all understand
how the issue of smoking marijuana needs to be resolved. When I was talking to
the community members, there were a lot of feedbacks that I receive that
surprised me because their knowledge in marijuana far surpassed what I would
have expected. I thought that most people use marijuana because they like the
high and abuse it, but it is not like that at all. If I were to redo this
assignment, there would be nothing that I would change; I would consider this
project to be a smooth and successful one. I feel that members surrounding my
community already have a clear knowledge of what marijuana is and the effects
of marijuana. The only way my blog is going to affect the community is by
bringing out their knowledge and understanding into the light and reinforcing
their belief on what marijuana truly is.
Reference
Belonsky Andrew. History of Marijuana
Prohibition: Policing Pot and Weed Laws. Web. 26
April. 2014. Death and Taxes. http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/181675/history-of-marijuana-prohibition-policing-pot-weed-laws/
Ferner, Matt. Dr. Oz Backs Medical Marijuana ,
Says It’s ‘Hugely Beneficial’. The
Huffington Post. (2014)
Huestis, A. Marilyn. Cannabis (Marijuana) —
Effects on human behavior and performance. Forensic
Science Review, 14:15. 2002.
Shim, Eileen. 10 Surprising Health Benefits of
Medical Marijuana. PolicyMic. 09 Mar.
2014. Web. 28 April 2014.
http://www.policymic.com/articles/84675/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana
Szalavitz, Maia. Prop 19 Analysis: Will Marijuana Legalization
Increase Use? Healthland 7
Oct. 2010 Web. 29 April 2014. Time.http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/07/prop-19-analysis-will-marijuana-legalization-increase%C2%A0use/#307_marijuana
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