Marijuana: Perceived Risk, Legalization, and Alcohol Comparison
This paper explores marijuana from a psychosocial perspective, focusing on two interconnected issues. The first examines how perceived risk shapes marijuana use trends among adolescents and considers what the growing social and legal acceptance of cannabis may mean for younger generations. Drawing on evidence from Colorado's early legalization experience, it highlights both economic benefits and negative consequences including increased teen use and traffic accidents. The second issue evaluates the scientific rationale behind comparing marijuana to alcohol, weighing evidence on violence, dependency rates, and genetic risk factors for schizophrenia. The paper concludes that, while marijuana may be no more harmful than alcohol, this alone does not constitute a complete argument for legalization.
- Perceived Risk and Marijuana Use Among Youth: How perceived risk shapes adolescent marijuana use trends
- Colorado Legalization: Early Outcomes and Social Implications: Economic gains, teen use increases, and cultural normalization in Colorado
- Comparing Marijuana and Alcohol: The Scientific Case: Scientific evidence on cannabis versus alcohol harms and dependency
- Policy Considerations and the Limits of the Alcohol Argument: Why being safer than alcohol alone does not justify legalization
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds abstract policy arguments in concrete, documented real-world evidence from Colorado's legalization experience, making its claims tangible and credible.
- It maintains a balanced analytical tone, presenting arguments for and against legalization without overstating either side, which strengthens its intellectual credibility.
- The comparative framework—positioning marijuana against alcohol—is a rhetorically effective strategy that reframes the debate around demonstrable harm rather than moral judgment.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses counterargument acknowledgment: after presenting evidence that marijuana may be less harmful than alcohol, it concedes that this comparison does not by itself justify legalization. This "yes, but" structure shows the writer can hold complexity, a hallmark of mature academic argumentation.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized around two discrete issues, each functioning almost as a standalone mini-essay with its own thesis, evidence, and works cited. The first issue centers on perceived risk and generational impact; the second addresses the marijuana-versus-alcohol scientific debate. Each section moves from broader social observation to specific empirical evidence before arriving at a qualified conclusion. This parallel structure makes the argument easy to follow while allowing each issue to be treated with appropriate depth.
Perceived Risk and Marijuana Use Among Youth
The concept of perceived risk is demonstrated most clearly by use trends related to marijuana among adolescents. Use has fallen and risen over the course of modern history based on how dangerous the drug is perceived to be. What impact will the current attitude of accepting medical and recreational marijuana have on today's youth — tomorrow's parents, leaders, and change-makers?
Even before the legalization of marijuana, there was a tacit social acceptance of the drug, particularly within many subcultures such as on college campuses, in the music industry, and among artists. Legalizing the drug could theoretically reduce its perception as a kind of "forbidden fruit" and actually make it less of a rite of passage for teenage rebellion. Legalization might also make the current use of drug tests for various occupations less accepted, or at least call them into question. While it is difficult to imagine marijuana use becoming completely accepted — much as there is unlikely to be a return to the four-martini working lunch popular in the 1950s — it is possible that someday using marijuana will simply be viewed as a teenage way of testing one's limits, like drinking in college, or as a minor rather than major vice.
Colorado Legalization: Early Outcomes and Social Implications
In the short run, legalization in Colorado has had some unexpected negative effects. Documented abuse among teens increased, as reflected in a rise in school-related problems and emergency room visits for edible marijuana (Haun). According to Denver Police Commander William Nagle, marijuana-related traffic accidents increased, but so did the number of people entering treatment, due to reduced stigma (Golstein). The economy also improved: "it's nearly impossible to find warehouse space in Denver, because of the commercialization of marijuana" (Golstein).
Overall, these experiences point to the relatively swift acceptance of the drug into Colorado's culture as a recreational substance. The positive economic effects for the state are likely to make legalization more attractive elsewhere. However, drug abuse of any kind is a serious problem for young people — both with legal and illicit substances — and the need for education and treatment of addiction will not abate. Ideally, funds once devoted to policing the substance would be diverted to treatment, but that will not necessarily reduce the risks of traffic fatalities. When a substance is perceived as benign, users may take more risks behind the wheel. There may also be a rise in goods containing edible marijuana, which is particularly easy to over-consume. As use increases — including the prescription of marijuana as a pain remedy — there will be a corresponding increase in debate about the extent to which the drug should be socially accepted in various recreational contexts, from college parties to work-related socializing.
Works Cited
Golstein, Hilary. "Lessons from legalizing marijuana use in Colorado." WKYC. 15 Aug. 2015.
Haun, Melanie. "The unexpected side effects of legalizing weed." Newsweek. 6 Jun. 2015. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
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