Marijuana Reform

Paper Summary:

During the 1960s it is estimated that nearly 45 million Americans used marijuana at least once. This paper attempts to determine why, with so many people using the drug, the fight for legalization in the 1970s was so unsuccessful. It looks at how between the public's mistrust in the government due to Vietnam and political scandals, the lack of evidence that marijuana had any significant harms and the advent of NORML (National Organization For Reform Of Marijuana Laws) and other advocacy groups the marijuana movement, by all estimates should have had greater success. In order to determine the reason for its unsuccessful conclusion, the paper closely examines the public debate over marijuana during the 1970s, the effects NORML had on public sentiment and President Nixon and President Carter's stance on marijuana and their relationships with the reform movement.

From the Paper:

"Until the 1960's most Americans listened to the propaganda the government stated about the harms of marijuana. Much of this propaganda aimed at maintaining the drug as one used by marginalized individuals that made them aggressive and crazy. The ad campaigns of the 1920's through the 1950's turned middle class America avidly against the drug. As the times changed so did many people's attitudes. By the time the 1960's approached, a new era of young people began to emerge. This group was much more free thinking and skeptical of the government. Unlike the parents of many 1960's youth, who had been through a depression and a World War, this new generation was less reliant on government assistance and information. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anderson, Patrick.1981. High in America, Viking Press, New York.
• Curtis, Richard. 1998. The Improbable Transformation of Inner-City Neighborhoods: Crime, Violence, Drugs, and Youth in the 1990s, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Summer.
• GETTMAN V. DEA Legal Brief: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT. JON GETTMAN AND HIGH TIMES MAGAZINE, Petitioners v. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, Respondent
• Grinspoon, L. 1971. Marijuana Reconsidered, Harvard University Press.
• Musto, D.F. 1991. Opium, Cocaine and Marijuana in American History, Scientific American, July, pp.40-49.

More papers on Marijuana Reform:

• Persuasive Essay # 103575 : "Benefits of Ending Marijuana Prohibition"
• Analytical Essay # 28389 : "Legalization of Marijuana"
• Argumentative Essay # 95011 : "The U.S. Drug Policy"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: