Should Marijuana Be Legalized - 2179 Words

The American coalition- an anti-immigrant group in 1980 had this to say about the drug, â€Å"Marihuana, perhaps now the most insidious of narcotics, is a direct byproduct of unrestricted Mexican immigration.† It is through seclusion, Nixon’s outright war on drugs, and society’s fervent dislike for marijuana user that the subculture grew. It came to a point where one could not discern fact from myth about marijuana in the 60s/70s war on drugs, mainly because no research was allowed. We must ask ourselves, why was this so, why was this one psychedelic drug as Nixon called it â€Å" Public Enemy Number One†. This drug became somewhat of a political tool to twist and turn making sure the general public’s ignorance stayed unabated, during a whole†¦show more content†¦Nixon’s call for â€Å" The war on drugs† may have made him seen caring and wanting the best for his nation, but as a result the drug re-emerged in a political and social stage, thus making marijuana smokers and supporters active participants in the politics surrounding their favourite drug. One would usually find marijuana smokers in the 60s in college, students, musicians/artists, who used it as a way to distinguish themselves and show their free spirit and individuality- they were â€Å"hippies†. However, hippies of the 60s had different reasons for smoking than those who smoked in the 70s . Those that smoked in the 60 were all about unity and peace for al l, experimentation with psychedelic drugs and were mostly calm and non-violent. They weren’t necessarily political but rather wanted to keep politics out of it. These different groups in the 70s were essentially fighting conformity by smoking marijuana and dressing differently from the norm, staging protests against the Vietnam War and preaching peace instead. They were showing they were free to do what they wanted, when they wanted and would not be stopped by any governmental forces. Marijuana has quickly moved from being all about the individual and the spirit too much more; the collective and its rights, peace not war, all this became politicized just at the turn of the new