SOC 112 Final Project PowerPoint Template (4)

pptx

School

Southern New Hampshire University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

112

Subject

Sociology

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

pptx

Pages

7

Uploaded by BaronHeat13532

Report
Milestone Two: Mapping the Issue SOC 112: Introduction to Sociology Nicole Liggiero Legalization of Marijuana
Social Issue - Although legalizing cannabis is marketed as a way to enhance social fairness, it may instead worsen socioeconomic and health inequalities. A criminal history can have negative effects on one's health and financial situation. Cannabis legalization results in a decrease in adult arrests, although racial discrepancies in arrest rates continue ( Cannabis Legalization in the US: Population Health Impacts , 2021). - The differential effects of legalized market characteristics on social class, color, ethnicity, and age should be studied more thoroughly. This includes the location of cannabis retailers, marketing tactics, product design, and potency. Researchers should assess whether the social equality attempts in cannabis policy reform are having the desired impact or creating new injustices in light of recent disputes over its efficacy ( Cannabis Legalization in the US: Population Health Impacts , 2021). 2
Cultural Beliefs and Biases • In NESARC surveys, there were increases in past-year cannabis usage and cannabis use disorder among certain racial/ethnic groups. Between 2002 and 2007, no racial/ethnic increases were observed in NSDUH (Carliner et al., 2017). But compared to Blacks or Hispanics, Whites increased their prevalence of recent cannabis usage at a far faster rate between 2007 and 2014. Adults at all income levels had a considerable rise in past-year cannabis use and cannabis use disorder between NESARC Wave 1 and NESARC-III. However, those with the lowest earnings were at the greatest risk and experienced the greatest rates of growth in cannabis use and disorder over the previous year. Between 2007 and 2014, the NSDUH found that men and women of all socioeconomic levels used cannabis in the previous year (Carliner et al., 2017). • These increases were larger in males than in women among persons with yearly household earnings under $50,000. Both daily (more than 300 days per year) and irregular cannabis users showed similar patterns in the previous year (Carliner et al., 2017). 3
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
  • Access to all documents
  • Unlimited textbook solutions
  • 24/7 expert homework help
Social Roles - As a result of new medicinal theories, regulations, and narratives, attitudes toward marijuana use have changed (Pages, 2018). Of course, marijuana is still used recreationally, and research indicates that the distinctions between marijuana used for medical purposes and marijuana used recreationally are neither strict nor impenetrable. Users might, for instance, consume marijuana both for recreational purposes and as a medicinal need. In conclusion, marijuana usage continues to be influenced by social situations and norms as well as societal perceptions and laws (Pages, 2018). - Cannabis users assume a higher proportion of other students also use cannabis, according to descriptive norms. College students who thought normal students had used marijuana in the previous month were three times as likely to have used it themselves than those who thought typical students hadn't (Buckner, 2013). - In the only study to date that looked at the particular influence of social norms on cannabis use behaviors, multivariate analysis revealed a significant relationship between cannabis use frequency and both descriptive and injunctive norms about friends but not social expectations (Buckner, 2013). 4
Social Inequalities - Although hardly all Americans smoke marijuana, over two-thirds now think it should be legal. Social justice justifications underpin the legalization argument for millions of people. Reform has been mostly driven by disgust at the costly and racially biased drug war, in which black people have been nearly four times as likely as white people to be arrested for marijuana possession despite having identical usage rates (Milov, 2019). - Employer bias and racial arrests are two instances of social injustices brought on by marijuana legalization. State-level legalization of marijuana does not shield both medical and recreational users from discrimination in the workplace. In the absence of a position that is subject to federal regulation, employers use their own judgment when establishing business drug testing programs. A few states, notably New York, have strengthened their anti-discrimination laws to shield those who test positive for cannabis from repercussions from their work (Hentze, 2021). These kinds of laws make it easier to distinguish between legal and illegal uses of marijuana for recreational and medical purposes while also assisting us in understanding societal inequities. 5
Existing Social Conditions - Legalizing marijuana poses a social problem by addressing socioeconomic trends like crime and unemployment. Legalizing marijuana would result in fewer arrests and more individuals being able to work without fear of being fired for testing positive for marijuana during a drug test. - if marijuana were made legal in all 50 states, crime would go down and employment would rise since the marijuana sector creates jobs in a variety of fields, including construction, distribution, customer service, accounting, and customer service. In addition, I'd want to see politicians issue arrest warrants for people who are already in jail for marijuana-related offenses retroactively, and I believe that the taxes collected from the marijuana industry should go toward paying off individuals who were jailed for their "crimes." 6
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
  • Access to all documents
  • Unlimited textbook solutions
  • 24/7 expert homework help
References - Cannabis Legalization In The US: Population Health Impacts . (2021). https://doi.org/10.1377/hpb20210701.500845 - Carliner, H., Brown, Q. L., Sarvet, A. L., & Hasin, D. S. (2017). Cannabis use, attitudes, and legal status in the U.S.: A review. Preventive Medicine , 104 , 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.07.008 - Pages, S. (2018, April 20). A sociological look at marijuana and its users - there’s research on that . https://thesocietypages.org/trot/2018/04/20/a-sociological-look- at-marijuana-and-its-users/ - Buckner, J. D. (2013). College cannabis use: the unique roles of social norms, motives, and expectancies. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs , 74 (5), 720– 726. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2013.74.720 - Milov, S. (2019, October 5). Marijuana reform should focus on inequality. The Atlantic . https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/marijuana-reform- should-focus-inequality/599383/ - Mjr&L. (2022, April 4). Racial disparities in the legalized marijuana industry . Michigan Journal of Race & Law. https://mjrl.org/2022/04/07/racial-disparities-in-the- legalized-marijuana-industry/ 7