I don't think that people realize the effects of the legalization of marijuana on teenagers. Now, marijuana is even easier for teenagers to get their hands on. Obviously minors have friends or even family members that are over the age of 18, and many of the older "friends" have no problem with dealing it to the younger kids. According to The Week, "drug addiction specialists are predicting sizable increases in marijuana addiction (in CO)". I saw evidence to support this firsthand, after talking to several of my good friends who attend high school in Broomfield, Colorado. They say that pot is more prevalent then ever in their school. They told me that more and more of their friends are smoking. One of my friends even told me that one of her teachers doesn't allow the kids to eat in class anymore, because tons of kids are bringing food with pot in it to school. It would be interesting to see Colorado test scores and/or grades change within the next year. With kids going as far as consuming pot in school, I am sure that many of them will have suffering grades. Personally, I think that the cons of legalizing marijuana greatly outweigh the pros, and that the legalization of marijuana was a huge mistake. Do you think that the legalization of marijuana was a good decision? Will the US legalize marijuana as a whole in the future? How will this change our culture and morals?
3 comments:
When I first heard about the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, I thought that it actually might help to reduce usage rates. My thinking was that because many kids do it to look cool, it might not be viewed as "cool" anymore after being legalized, and then kids might not do it as much. After reading your post, I realize that this theory was completely incorrect. Legalizing pot was definitely a bad decision, and I think that after seeing the devastating effects that it seems to be having on Colorado, the US as a whole definitely will not legalize it. I think that this shows just how irresponsible people can be without law.
Interesting blog post, Madeleine! I believe that the scores will drop, but whether or not it is a significant drop I do not know.
Also comparing and contrasting the sale of cigarettes and marijuana should be done by the government. It doesn't make sense for cigarettes be legal and marijuana not. Because cigarettes are far more harmful. Personally, I believe neither should be legal. These are only a few reasons why it is so difficult to make these types of decisions by the government
Madeleine - Your blog post was a very interesting read for me. I would call myself an advocate for legalization of marijuana, and on the whole I disagree with the points you make, but they are still valid arguments. Your firsthand experience with your friends is also unique, as it provides a first hand view of how legalization has affected schools in the short term. However, the evidence you provide is somewhat vague. While it's interesting, it isn't factual, but rather based on guesses of your friends. What is tangible, though, are the heavy taxes the government has put on legalization of marijuana, and the state is predicted to receive about $70 million in revenue from these taxes, much of which will be put into schools (Evidence here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/colorado-voters-approve-big-tax-on-recreational-marijuana/.) I think that such a substantial amount of money will have a hugely positive effect on schools, regardless of marijuana-using students.
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