Young Voters Expected to Engulf the Marijuana Polls to Legalize It!

The New York Times reports that there may be an unexpected youth turnout to the polls this November if marijuana is on the ballot. This November, Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, and South Dakota will vote to consider legalizing marijuana. This article, “Measures to Legalize Pot May Lure Young To Polls”, illustrates the how young people ages 18 to 34 can have an huge affect on the outcome of this vote because this is on issue that most young voters feel strongly about. The supporters of legalizing marijuana “argue that regulating and taxing the drug just like alcohol will reduce crime at the border and could yield an additional $40 billion in revenue annually.” (Lorber) Even the chief of Seattle police explains how the drug cartels “thrive on marijuana prohibition” and how most of the profits of these cartels come from marijuana. The border war is dangerous and necessary but the money that is generated from illegal marijuana trafficking enables these cartels to buy guns, increasing the death toll on both Mexican and American soil. I agree with the position of this article. We should tax and regulate marijuana, putting the revenue into the hands of the U.S. economy. I’m sure that young voters who are intelligent enough to think critically about this issue will vote to legalize it! It is up to us to make an informed decision.
Lorber, Janie. The New York Times- Politics. Aug 5, 2010. Web Aug 2010.
http://thecaucus.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/measures-to-legalize-pot-may-lure-young-to-polls/

The Dangers of Marijuana

Writer of the, “How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain?” blog, Akudo Ejelonu, states the common reaction to marijuana that most people are cognizant of: “marijuana has harmful affects on the functions of the central nervous system and hinders the memory and movement of the user's brain.” Just as many Americans think that marijuana is bad for you, so does Purdue University’s wellness center. In their public announcement, they try to persuade the viewer take marijuana use more seriously through the use of ethos, pathos, and logos.

First, the creators of this ad are trying to establish their credibility as an accredited, intelligent University. Although they do prove their wealth of knowledge by using a statistic about marijuana, this could also be a biased fact. The, “Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Tippacanoe County,” is trying to keep all of its students away from drugs and alcohol. So of course they are going to skew marijuana facts to keep students from touching the substance. The text says that the, “most common illegal drug in fatally-injured drivers,” is marijuana; but they do not mention alcohol as being the number one cause of fatality in drivers because it is legal. This evidence is skewed to prove their point.

The image used in the ad evokes sympathy from the viewer by depicting a tragic accident. The viewer all of a sudden feels for the innocent person in the crash and the police men who have to clean it all up. They feel for anyone affected by the accident in which marijuana was used by a driver. It hits home for college students who actually do drive and smoke. The picture’s consistent gray tonality also adds to the grim and sorrowful tone of the image.

The argument appeals to logos as well: if you don’t want this to happen to you, then don’t smoke weed. It is only logical that this is a horrific accident associated with an illegal drug that slows brain activity. The red in the background of the text is an obvious warning sign. It is cautioning its viewers to think about the affects of tampering with any illegal substance.

“1-Stop Health Shop.” Student Wellness Office. Purdue University. Web. 1 Sep. 2010.

Exelon, Akudo. “How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain?” Biology 202. Serendip. 10 Jan. 2008. Web. 1 Sep. 2010. <http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1808>

Reefer Madness: The Real Reason Why Parents Want to Keep Marijuana Illegal

Almost anybody who has children (most likely parents ages 30-45), wants them to grow up to be the brightest, most talented people out there. When they see their pre-teens and teens succumbing to the newest “rap” trend, they do not know weather to be concerned or accepting. The real reason why parents don’t want to legalize weed is because it is taboo, they are ignorant, and it has a bad reputation. Most parents will admit that as a teen in the Woodstock age, they may have smoked weed a few times. But they in no way, shape, or form want their children anywhere near such a substance.

Weed is commonly depicted as a highly dangerous illegal gateway drug. It is abused in rap videos such as, “Blueberry yum yum,” by Ludacris, and “Smoke that Kush,” by Wayne Carter. It is even in alternative music such as MIA’s “I Fly Like Paper Get High Like Planes.” along with Bob Marley Songs. Parents see their kids listening to this and think that their kids will turn into “delinquents” if they are caught smoking weed. A great majority of the teenage population listens to Lil Wayne’s music; he is currently one of the hottest rappers in America. He has no problem taking drugs on stage, or smoking weed in his recording studio and airing it on his own CDs. In the photo above, he is depicted as a jailmate with tattoos on his eyes, his cheeks, his neck, and everywhere else. He has dreads, which make him look “dirty” to most parents, and even more horrid, he is advocating the smoking of weed. What most parents don’t know about this man is that he was in the gifted and talented program when he was younger, he is the most famous rapper alive earning a salary of $18,000,000 a year, and he is the CEO of Cash Money Records. Most parents can't call themselves quite as successful. Yet, they still look at this man and see everything that they do not want their own children to be. He is holding a joint and blowing smoke to look “cool,” or to depict a “badass” persona. On the other hand, if marijuana were actually legal, this would not be as taboo and inappropriate as it seems. Lil Wayne wants to appear this way to fans in order to attract a certain audience, but this really doesn’t say anything about weed itself. Parents just make the association subconsciously. He is shown front and center in this image to convey how powerful he is, and the fact that he is smoking a joint just adds to his dangerous guise.

If they are not aware that their very own neighbors could be smoking weed (likely with 28.4 million marijuana smokers in the US alone, according to dailytoke.com), parents would be surprised to know that even their own famous role models have smoked weed, including:

1. Seth Rogen

2. Cameron Diaz

3. Drew Barrymore

4. Justin Timberlake

5. Kimora Lee Simons

6. Charlize Theron

7. Mariah Carrey

8. Mathew McConaughey

9. Barbara Streisand

10. Paris Hilton

11. Jennifer Aniston

12. Paul McCartney

13. George W. Bush

14. Bill Clinton

15. Jack Nicholson

16. Michael Phelps

17. Al Gore

18. Whitney Houston

19. Steven King

20. Megan Fox

America’s sweetheart, Jennifer Aniston even admits that, "I enjoy smoking cannabis and see no harm in it.” It is merely marijuana's "taboo" reputation in society that has been blown way out of proportion.

Administrators. “Posts on Weed” My Daily Toke. Web. 24 Aug. 2010. <http://mydailytoke.com/tag/weed/page/4/>.

“Celebrity Cannabis Consumers.” Frank Discussion. Cannabis Activism Info & Resources. Web. 25 Aug. 2010. <http://frankdiscussion.netfirms.com/who_celebtokers.html>.

Raymond, Serena. “Richest Rappers of 2009” AOL Radio Blog. Web. 27 Aug. 2010. <http://www.aolradioblog.com/2009/07/20/richest-rappers-of-2009/>.

Marijuana's Facade as a Dangerous Drug

Many are under the impression that marijuana is bad for their physical health; and society likes to keep this impression of cannabis in existence. According to, the SAFER organization, “excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States and is associated with multiple adverse health consequences, including liver cirrhosis, various cancers, unintentional injuries, and violence,” while the most dangerous health risk from marijuana are slight damage to the airways over a prolonged period of time.

The image to the right is the book cover of a novel co-written by the leaders at NORML, SAFER, and the Marijuana Policy Project (Steve Fox, Paul Armentano, and Mason Tvert). The actual visual itself is a clear cup of beer with a small red reflection surrounded by a dark black background. The image already foreshadows the cautioning and thought-provoking text. The lighting and use of the red and black accents make the beer seem dangerous and toxic. The photographer is using ethos to shed light (as shown by the spotlight over the cup) on the real issue at hand: alcohol consumption. The focus is taken off of weed and is reflected onto the risks that are associated with drinking. The depiction of the cup of beer is making alcohol seem like a more dangerous threat than weed could ever be. It makes people question the credibility of people who claim that weed is more dangerous than alcohol. While the beer imagery comes off strong, the weed symbol is barely visible, fading into the white background. This is implying that weed is not as dangerous, and perhaps is a lighter, less toxic drug.

The text shown in the image is very bold and graphic. “Marijuana is safer,” is shown with a white background, usually associated with purity and innocence. The word, “Safer,” is the largest word on the page, setting the grounds for the next argumentative statement. The text about beer is in the black background, denoting a perilous, cautionary connotation. The text in its entirety makes the viewer stand back and re-evaluate their stance on the topic.

Steve Fox, Paul Armentano, and Mason Tvert establish their own credibility based on what they have been arguing about and fighting for, for years. Their websites all have emblems, information, reports, statistics, and many other indicators of established groups. The argument on the cover of their book appeals to logos because it is presenting a logical argument that sets the grounds for more thought-provoking questions. It makes people re-evaluate their morals and ethics. In a very understated way, this image also appeals to pathos. It highlights the true hypocrisy of the subject; it exposes the downfalls of beer and evokes sympathy from the viewer because it makes people wonder how they ever allowed the government to let more dangerous substances fall into the hands of our people. One that is proven safer by numerous scientific studies is still banned. This provokes a very touchy argument about alcohol versus weed.

Gable, Robert. The American Scientist (Magazine of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society. May 2006. Web 27 Aug. 2010. <http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/num2/the-toxicity-of-recreational-drugs/1>

“Marijuana is Far Less Toxic and Addictive than Alcohol.” SAFERchoice.org. SAFER. Web. 26, Aug. 2010. http://www.saferchoice.org/content/view/24/53/#toxic

Borden, David. ‘New Book Offer: "Marijuana is Safer -- So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?"’ Drug War Chronicle. 11 Sep. 2009. Web. 27 Aug. 2010.