Baby Boom Generation Has Been Plagued for

¶ … baby boom generation has been plagued for several years with the dilemma of how to handle the issue of marijuana. The issue has been an acrimonious one for several decades and it is one that has been attached to the baby boom generation and as said generation begins to reach retirement age the issue is no closer to a resolution than it was in the early 60's as the baby boomers were first reaching their teenage years.

The baby boomer generation is identified with many social issues that changed American society forever. The Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement come immediately to mind but the use of drugs such as LSD and marijuana are also identified with this generation. The Vietnam War ended; the Civil Rights Movement was successful; the dangers of LSD were exposed; and all that remains is the issue of marijuana.

Throughout the past several decades there have been on again and off again discussions relative to the legalization of marijuana and, in certain communities it actually has, but, for the most part marijuana remains illegal and the generation that argued so strongly for its legalization when they were younger has essentially adopted a stance of nonchalance (Dennis, 1999).

For whatever reason, the baby boomers have expressed little or no interest in the legalization of marijuana and have actually allowed the federal and state governments to actively pursue the enforcement of strict laws against the sale and use of said substance. This position of strict enforcement has resulted in an official War on Drugs that has resulted in the expenditure of millions of dollars, the loss of human life, and the imprisonment of millions of society's young adults.

The position of the baby boomer generation on the issue of the legalization of marijuana is difficult to understand. Living in a society where alcohol is a routine part of the socialization process and where the use of drugs for nearly every condition imaginable is promoted it is hard to fathom how marijuana remains illegal. In the media marijuana usage is still characterized by the image of a long-haired, constantly stoned individual who cannot hold a job and spends most of the day being unproductive.

This imagery, no doubt, contributes greatly to the fact that the United States has the largest prison system in the world populated mostly by drug offenders. This is a prison system that is eating up millions of dollars in tax money that could be used for other purposes. Strangely, it is the same generation that was once characterized by its use of marijuana that is now being characterized by the fact that it is incarcerating millions for its use.

The baby boomer generation, more than any other generation, should be aware of the fact that marijuana use is largely harmless (Room, 2006). The scientific evidence is overwhelming that the smoking of marijuana is no more dangerous than the use of alcohol and far less dangerous than the use of most of the prescription drugs that American use every day in abundance but American society holds strong in its failure to legal the use of marijuana.

The legalization, or even the decriminalization, of marijuana has been a harshly divided camp for some time. The one side of the issue is composed of right wing politicians and religious leaders who still identify marijuana with the criminal element. Ignoring the evidence to the contrary they still argue that marijuana is an addictive, mind altering substance that is the gateway drug.