INTRO/METHODS Section

INTRO/METHODS Section

Introduction

            The debate on whether marijuana should be recreationally legalized or not is as old as the war on drugs itself.  Although marijuana has been illegal for about as the long as the drug has been popular, supporters vouch for the drug’s legalization due to their benefit that the drug brings to the field of medicine, as well as communities and their economies. In their eyes, legalizing marijuana would provide an alternative care option for patients, reduce drug related violence, create jobs within government regulated dispensaries and promote consumer safety by making information on the drug more accessible. Communities can also save money by making sure that police funding is going towards more important issues such as public safety, as state and local governments would have access to a new source of tax revenue. The opposing side of this debate would argue that marijuana is a dangerous drug that can incite crimes and act as a gateway drug. Leading users to try other, more dangerous drugs. However, the use of marijuana cannot be directly proven to cause users to commit crimes or progress to the use of other drugs. In fact, “It’s worth noting that research has shown alcohol to be more dangerous than marijuana. . . and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s fact sheet on the drug says that ‘no death from overdose of marijuana has ever been reported’” (history.com, pp. 6).  Since its rise to popularity in the early 1930’s, marijuana has been widely known for its medicating and stress relieving capabilities, which would explain why the demand for this drug is high. When using the drug, “Many people experience a pleasant euphoria and a sense of relaxation. . . heightened sensory perception, laughter, altered perception of time, and increased appetite” (drugabuse.gov, pp. 1). Unlike government regulated drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, the wide usage of marijuana has shown that its benefits outweigh its hinderances.

In today’s day in age, there is more national support by the public for reformations of the laws that criminalize the use of marijuana. Polls conducted over the last few years have shown that “more than half of the country is in favor of legalizing marijuana. . . The Drug Policy Alliance believes marijuana should be removed from the criminal justice system. . .” (drugpolicy.org, pp. 1). The question I sought to answer in this report: should marijuana be nationally legalized? A similar study was conducted using a survey to gauge how many people support or do not support the legalization of marijuana, and the results acquired can change the perspectives of those who may not believe that the legalization of marijuana would be widely beneficial. Coming from a background where the use of marijuana was more acceptable than the use of alcohol, I think that those who do not support the legalization of marijuana should look at all of the beneficiaries, the communities where the drug has been legalized, and try to understand that there is more good to the drug than the negative way it has been portrayed thus far.

Methods

Participants: Those who took part in this study were students at the University of Iowa, ranging in ages from 18 to 22 years old, during the current fall semester of 2018. The total number of participants in this study was seventy students, both members of Kappa Sigma, a fraternity on campus, and other students not involved with greek life on campus.

Procedure: Participants were asked to complete an anonymous online survey containing a series of questions pertaining to the topic of whether marijuana should be nationally legalized or not. The first question acquired basic demographic information, asking for their age and gender. The second question was a poll with the topic heading of “Marijuana should be nationally legalized”, giving participants the option of replying with “strongly agree”, “agree”, “somewhat agree”, “somewhat disagree”, “disagree”, and “strongly disagree”. This poll was created to acquire a general understanding on where the participants sided on this topic. From there, the third section of the survey asked, “How do the benefits of marijuana use compare to its hinderances?” to which the participants had the option of replying with “The benefits outweigh the hinderances”, “The benefits are equal to the hinderances”, and “The hinderances outweigh the benefits”. This question was asked to see what participants thought about the actual use of the drug, regardless of whether they use the drug themselves or not or their position on its legalization. These questions were delivered on Facebook.com, using the website’s polling and survey features, on an invite only basis. The participants had approximately 3 days to complete these questions.

Data Analysis: The results acquired in this survey were then copied down onto a bar graph to see the comparison of the data. The two sections of the survey that were of most importance were the second and third sections because those sections represent the core questions asked when it comes to the debate of marijuana legalization. The data acquired from these sections best reflect the participants’ opinion on the over topic at hand.