http://nation.time.com/2014/03/04/washington-decriminalizes-marijuana/?iid=us-article-mostpop1
This article shows that the government is saying to the public that possessing marijuana is not all that bad. Changing the legislation from a jail sentence and a $1000 fine to just $25 is not going to scare off teenagers in portraying marijuana as being something socially unacceptable. As a human services student this has me concerned because as we spoke in class marijuana affects teenagers’ brains and it slows down their motivation. Marijuana also impairs teenager’s judgment and the decisions they make in situations that they face. So decriminalizing marijuana is a bad idea that will only decrease young people’s chances to make right decisions, so that they can do something positive instead of engaging in criminal behaviors while under the influence.
Interestingly enough this was mentioned during lecture. The legalization of marijuana in Colorado in a sense has promoted wide acceptance throughout the United States. Not having much percussion it is to be expected a rise in marijuana users. A 25 dollar fine is a simple slap in the hand. Do to the fact that Washington D.C has the highest arrest rate for marijuana possession makes it even worst. By raising the legal amount of marijuana one can carry around gives legitimate means for it to be illegally sold. From a human Service perspective, we can only imagine the effects it will have in the younger population. Decriminalizing marijuana is not the best decision. The negative effects truly override those of the positive.
I do not think that Washington should change the legislation from a jail sentence and $1000 fine to just $25 because now people especially teens are going to start to think that its not that much of a big crime anymore. This can cause teens to smoke more marijuana and not be scared to have it in their possession. As a human service worker, this bothers me because it can cause teens to lose brain cells as well as engage in negative behaviors due to impaired judgment because they are “high”. Theses factors can have a negative impact on a teens life and surely affect them in the future.
I agree with Luis’ comment. Since I am particularly interested in the youth population, there should be more restrictions on marijuana. Teenagers are not in the correct mind state and end up being incarcerated for things they could have avoided doing. Twenty-five dollars will not even affect our future generations of children to come.
I agree with all responses, and I am concerned about the minimal fine that is to be imposed. There are individuals who require medical marijuana, and by all means they should have it. Legalizing it as a street drug is a complete different matter. In class we learned that the three things the criminal has is, poor judgement, lack of impulse control and insight. Marihuana causes low motivational syndrome, damages the brain (and the frontal lobe is where most problem solving, and rational thinking take place) and it impars driving which makes the individual a danger to society. As I think about the criminal mind and the mind on marijuana, it appears that there are a lot of simular key points, and I wonder if we are inadvertently promoting the criminal mind.
I agree with everyone’s response. In my opinion, if marijuana is legalized it will definitely lead to more trouble and especially get the youth population in trouble. Thinking about marijuana being legalized, teenagers will stay at home all day getting high and doing poorly in school and doing absolutely nothing at home. This will lead for their future to be destroyed and it will eventually lead to negative outcomes in their lives. As a Human Services worker, working with the teenage population one must learn how to explain the effects of marijuana and what it does to the brain. Also, one must know agencies or rehabilitation centers where these youth may go to fix their marijuana problem. Lets face it, marijuana will lead these teenagers to make poor decisions, poor judgment and poor insight. Lastly, marijuana shouldn’t be legalized in any state because of the negative effects it will have on people. It should only be used for medical purposes.
While recreational pot usage is controversial, many people agree and believe that the drug should be legal for medical uses. Online Budz