Drug use and it's role in society has been a well discussed topic for a long time. This blog is going to talk about different aspects of drugs, drug use, and psychology.
- Is addiction the only reason people use drugs?
- Are there some drugs that improve the mental health of a person?
- How does communal drug use impact the social bonds of group?
Some drugs that will be talked about in this blog will include Cannabis, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and MDMA. These drugs are represented in popular culture and with drug use being highest for college aged adults and teens (National Institute on Drug Abuse), we need to dissect how those representations are influencing us, especially on a psychological level. To learn about the Nationwide trends and other trends surrounding illicit drug use, the National Institute on Drug Abuse's website, druguse.gov, has helpful charts and diagrams to go along with recent statistics.
Recently in many states the use of cannabis has been either decriminalized or legalized for recreational use. Before that marijuana was only allowed for medical use to help patients deal with the effects of chemotherapy, seizures and other illnesses. On November 4, 2014 voters in D.C. made the decision to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. People of color, mainly African Americans are targeted and arrested due to the unreasonable laws against that marijuana. According to the Washington Post, “eighty-eight percent of people convicted of marijuana possession in the city in recent years were black”.
Having meaningful conversations about drugs, drug use, the war on drugs, and the connections between mental health and drugs can help change the perceptions people have around that topic. Enabling psychologists, therapists, drug counselors to find more productive interventions for people affected by drug use. It can also help other people to understand how drugs can affect the brain and mental health of people.
The psychological effects of the short and long term, broad and narrow need to be discuss because drugs affect the people and communities around them. People deal with drug addicted family members, people get through in jail over small and large amounts of drugs, there are a lot of significant issues that are associated with drugs. With the opinion about certain drugs changing the public needs to be more aware about more than just the negatives.
What's your opinion on the states that are legalizing or decriminalizing recreational marijuana use?
The layout of your blog is excellent. The clean header and bolded segments are excellent for commanding one’s attention, and the external links are very helpful. Finishing your post with a question is an excellent way to finish off your post. I think having a controversial topic such as drug legalization will further discussion and encourage debate amongst classmates. I appreciate the fact that you touched on the racial biases within the legal system, as I am doing my blog on this very topic. Drug sentencing is done with little regard for society and race.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to mention the people most affected by the drug laws in this day and age. No one should be left out in the important discussions. Thank you for the comments about my post and the layout.
DeleteI think marijuana should be decriminalized at the very least in every state and I completely agree with you that the war on drugs, particularly marijuana, is a way to further marginalize minorities. I think the decriminalization laws should go a step further and pardon those with possession charges, since they still face hardship in finding work for something that is now legal/decriminalized. The recreational use can be tricky. I support it, but I understand why others do not. The fact that little is known about the safety of driving while under the influence, and the fact that it is impossible to pull drivers over and test them for that, seems to be a valid concern. I also know some corporations test employees and even in states like Colorado, employees will get fired if THC is detected in their sample. Do you think firing employees for using a legal substance at home should be legal? Do you think recreational and decriminalizing laws are a federal or a state issue?
ReplyDeletePardoning people that have been put in jail for drug charges would probably be very helpful, especially if they were lower income people just trying to survive through drugs in their area. I think that if people are using the substance in their own home and not letting it interfere with their work, especially when the safety or lives of other people are at stake, then it should be fine for them to use that legal substance. Though states can change their laws on a federal level that doesn't change so I think that for things to be cohesive federal laws needs to keep up with the majority state laws.
DeleteI think the decriminalization of marijuana is great because we waste so much money on putting them into jail for such a small amount and if legalized then we could regulate it and have people pay taxes on it. The thing I always find myself defending the legalization of marijuana is the fact that alcohol and cigarettes are legal, there are so many deaths due to drinking and cigarettes are by statistics harder to quit than heroin. These two substances are legal, we pay taxes on them, and they are regulated. Yet they have been proven to cause a lot of harm but it's okay because they are legal. I know there is the debate that legalizing marijuana is going to cause bigger drug problems, that it's a gate way drug but people are still using marijuana and most don't go onto harder drugs. Either way it's still going to be the so called gate way drug but we'll regulate it and pay taxes on it. We'll stop wasting time putting men and women in jail, taking up space, having more people out of jobs, and have a system just like we do with alcohol and cigarettes.
ReplyDeleteThe only downside as some others mentioned is how do we test someone when pulled over? We have methods for alcohol but what do they do piss someone on the side of the road with a quick test? It could cause potential problems with the unemployment rate because it's legal but your company says you can't and you get caught, you are out of a job. This could bring the unemployment rate up. This is a very touchy subject and there are so many pros and cons but honestly I am all for legalizing it. Two reasons regulation and taxes. It's not going away and we have an opportunity to change the way we view it.
I agree that the danger of drugs like Marijuana are comparable to alcohol and cigarettes though some might be a little worse than others. I think that there are some ways to test for marijuana in drivers and then another test for confirmation if they suspect it. Regulations will take a while to get into place but once it's figured out it should be easier for things to be legalized in other states.
DeleteThis is a great topic! I think it’s important to bring more awareness on this issue because drugs really do form this intertwining web within our communities. Drugs are link to crime, economics, and even families, so it’s important to have an open dialogue about it.
ReplyDeleteLegalizing marijuana has been an ongoing debate, but I can understand why people are against it. Though from the research I’ve done, marijuana has some great benefits for those battling cancer or dealing with other medical/psychological issues, so I think it’s important to revaluate our perception on this controversial subject.
I see both pros and cons regarding the decriminalization of marijuana, but many more pros than cons. Support for legalizing marijuana is growing. Just so I don’t repeat everything they said, I completely agree with all of Crytal and Amanda’s comments. Taxing and regulating the drug, and taking off the heavy burden it has on some people would highly benefit society. A police officer once joked to me that cops generally don’t call back up when they pull over someone who for marijuana, but they don’t hesitate to call back up when alcohol is involved. This is because a person who had been drinking is more likely to get violent (in their eyes). I know this is a complete joke, but there is some truth in that. I don’t think that marijuana particularly makes people violent. Because of that, and the other factors discussed above, I am support its decriminalization. Although scary, it may be better for society. It also would be interesting to give people second chances who have charges against them for marijuana, I don’t think they deserve harsh punishments because they aren't deliberately harming others.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like how you organized the blog- looks great! Very interesting read. Love the topic.
Like a lot of people, including many of the authors of the previous comments, I think marijuana should be legalized for recreational use on the federal level. The "war on drugs" has always been a complete farce and the US is spending a ridiculous amount of money incarcerating small time pot users. One thing I'd like to play devils advocate on is when you say people of color are target by police. Do you think they are actually targeted any more than others, or are they simply more likely to fall into the lifestyle that leads to regular marijuana use? Either way, great blog so far and I look forward to seeing your future posts.
ReplyDeleteYou have an interesting topic. Mine is also on drugs and I agree with many of the points you have made. My opinion on the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana for recreational use is that it was something that social was bound to happen and will most likely end up happening in every state. With the amount of marijuana use, it only seems smart for the government to make it legal so they can tax it. Also, it is something that has not been known to be fatally harmful to people so it should not be a major deal to be made legal. Decriminalizing it also keeps people out of jail that really do not have any business being in there compared to those they are around.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying your blog. Sorry I'm just coming to it as this assignment wraps up. You noted in this post about how you'd be focusing on certain drugs -- are you aware that heroine has recently come back in a massive, massive way in the states. At first blush, this is counter-intuitive. Heroine is far and away the most dangerous, it's still collapsed in other developed countries, and the use of needles makes the barrier for entry steeper for a would-be user. But if you dig a bit deeper, you find the reason is the proliferation of prescription pain killers. Heroin is made from the same base opiate, and comes at a fraction of the price. So a lot of pain pill addicts eventually make the switch and the drug is reconstituted.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed reading your blog. I'm all for legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana usage. I don't believe it is a gateway drug; if there even is such a thing as a gateway drug I would argue that it's alcohol instead of marijuana anyway. We could really use the money that the taxes of legal marijuana would bring in as well. There also wouldn't be people sitting in jail for years over something as silly as weed.
ReplyDeleteI like how you say that people need to have meaningful conversations about drugs and drug use in this post. I don't want to say that drugs are good or that it's ok to use them as much as you want without thinking about consequences, but some drugs like cannabis also aren't nearly as bad for your body or your mind as some people have been taught. So we need to talk honestly about drugs to figure out what can be made safely legal and what should never be legal, and I think this is a good first step to ending the war on drugs like it is today.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent blog, Jay! Really need this kind of information among the youth in our society today. Drug abuse is such a huge concern and very much abused by many - especially college aged young adults. The legalization of cannabis is it's own controversy with pros and cons. I think the con's outweigh the pros more but thats just my opinion. Even if they had to legalize it, i believe the laws should be much stricter than it currently is.
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