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Nicole Liggiero SOC 112 Final Milestone Legalizing Marijuana October 15, 2023

The social issue I am researching is the legalization of marijuana. This problem has existed for a long time and has produced issues in various cultures and societies. Numerous people have served time in prison for the crime of marijuana possession, use, and distribution, even though the drug is currently being considered for legalization on a national level. The perception of marijuana as a substance is frequently strained or even unfavorable. Due to psychological influences, moral dilemmas, and already negative connotations, this social issue can become challenging at times. Marijuana has several facets, including cultural, sociological, and potential uses in the future. I have been able to see the wider picture of societal issues, such the legalization of marijuana in the US, by researching them from a sociological perspective. The definition of sociological perspective is to examine, investigate, or view the world from a sociological point of view. Although marijuana is prohibited on a federal level in the United States, individual states are seeking to legalize and decriminalize marijuana use and possession. Extremes like legal vs. illegal marijuana possession and use legislation have made people more conscious of the effects the problem has on society. Sociological themes such as culture, social roles, social inequality, and social change illustrate how the problem is related to its effects. 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). For the past 40 years, experts have found that men are more inclined than women to support the legalization of cannabis (Felson et al., 2019). Women often consume cannabis less frequently and less frequently than men and less personal usage is linked to greater risk estimations and lower levels of legalization support (Felson et al., 2019). According to several studies, mothers are more prone to interpret the legalization of marijuana as a family issue than as a personal one. There is reason to believe that women's perspectives on this problem may have started to match more with men's views as gender expectations and roles have changed, which could account for kinder sentiments over time. In the event that both sets of gender expectations have changed concurrently, there can be a negligible net effect (Felson et al., 2019). 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

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to descriptive norms. College students who thought average 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). Stoners are or have good attitudes toward rebellious adolescents, showing a clear connection to their parent subcultures; they frequently mistrust law enforcement and advocate vegetarianism, affordable housing changes, and left-wing politics. Stoners often oppose "the system," but they rarely provide a clear definition of what "the system" is or why it is harmful ( Stoners – Subcultures and Sociology , n.d.). Political opposition and marijuana usage are required by stonerism's homology; although not all marijuana users are stoners, all stoners are marijuana users. A user who wishes to remain anonymous posted on the marijuana site r/trees ( Stoners – Subcultures and Sociology , n.d.). 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). The target of drug crime enforcement has historically been and remains communities of color. In addition, many areas have had difficulty breaking into the lucrative legal marijuana market. Many states have difficult, opaque licensing and application procedures based on previous regulatory agency interactions.

Some states won't accept applications from anyone who has been arrested or has misdemeanor drug possession convictions, including marijuana possession (Mjr&L, 2022). 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. According to studies, racial prejudice makes black males four times more likely than white men to be charged with a crime. Decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana possession has decreased the number of arrests made on the basis of race. Since states legalized marijuana, crime rates have dropped, whereas in states without legalization, crime rates rose, arrests of adult blacks increased, and arrests of adult whites remained unchanged (Jaeger, 2021). 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. In my opinion, 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.

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References - Felson, J., Adamczyk, A., & Thomas, C. (2019). How and why have attitudes about cannabis legalization changed so much? Social Science Research , 78 , 12–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.12.011 - Stoners – Subcultures and Sociology . (n.d.). https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultures-and-scenes/stoners/ - 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/ - Hentze, I. (2021, November 1). Cannabis & Employment Laws. NCSL. www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment-laws.aspx - Jaeger, K. (2021, November 2). Legalizing Marijuana Reduces 'Race-based Arrests,' American Medical Association Study Finds. Marijuana Moment. www.marijuanamoment.net/legalizing- marijuana-reduces-race-based-arrests-american-medical-association-study-finds

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