Marijuana Smokers A Subculture example essay topic

A subculture is a group of people who share a distinctive set of cultural beliefs and behaviors that differ in some significant way from that of larger society. Marijuana smokers can be considered a subculture for many reasons. Marijuana is used by millions of people around the world, either for recreational, spiritual, or therapeutic reasons. Some call themselves the cannabis connoisseurs; people who respect cannabis and use it responsibly. Few drugs have been so politicized recently as marijuana has.

It is frequently praised by one side and condemned by the other, on the basis of emotional issues rather than an objective view of research. It was 1920 when smoking began to catch on in the United States. Its recreational use was restricted to jazz musicians and people in show business. "Reefer songs" became the rage of the jazz world. Marijuana clubs, called tea pads, appeared in every major city across the country. Authorities tolerated these establishments because it was not illegal or considered a social threat.

In the early 1930's marijuana became stereotyped as a violent drug, and by 1936 was illegal in all states. Marijuana research was at a stand still and the thought of it being a violent drug faded and the idea that it was a gateway drug emerged in the late 1940's early 1950's. In the 1960's marijuana became very popular among the young college crowd. This was looked at as a challenge to authority and the government. The effects of marijuana are minimal.

The high has a feeling of euphoria, peacefulness and well-being. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the active chemical in marijuana. It's estimated that a person would have to ingest a dose 20,000 to 40,000 times the average dose before death would occur. In the early 1990's sophisticated research on marijuana began. The scientists discovered THC stimulates special receptors in the brain.

Researchers have now isolated a natural substance that appears to produce the same effects as THC in the brain. Recently the medical uses of marijuana are being more and more accepted, and many marijuana smokers wonder how it can be harmful if it helps / treats patients. Marijuana smokers are a subculture because they share sets of beliefs, values, language, and other things that are different from the views of the larger society. They look at things another way because they are pro marijuana, which differs from the rest of society. It is the differences that distinguish part of a culture from the rest.

They speak the same language as the rest of the culture but they have a different set of definitions for certain words. On every marijuana related website I visited I found there was a glossary. All of them were very similar. Some examples of different words contained in the glossary follow. The words high, stoned, blazed, and wasted are all defined as being under the influence of marijuana.

Blades, skins, papers, and blunts are all synonyms for the paper used to roll marijuana. Joints and blunts are used to described as rolled marijuana, like a cigarette. The inhalation of marijuana smoke is called taking a hit, drag, or toke. A bong or bowl is used to smoke marijuana. There are hundreds of different names for marijuana, some of the most popular are: pot, reefer, weed, bud, chronic, ganja, green, grass, mary jane, and herb.

They also have some symbols that represent things. A very popular one is the marijuana leaf. It can be seen a lot of places such as a bumper sticker or in graffiti. 420 is another common one, it is the number used to represent marijuana or the smoking of it. The best explanation of this is it's the California police code for possession of marijuana. Their subculture has a number of beliefs that differ from mainstream society as well.

One belief is that marijuana use is increasing rapidly globally and The War on Drugs is a failure. This is one of their strongest beliefs. They are very correct about both points. The unsuccessful War on Drugs is very costly, and is continuing to keep the tax rate high.

A second belief is marijuana must be respected and used responsibly. Many marijuana smokers feel that teenager abuse it because they act so irresponsibly. Another strong belief is that pot is relatively less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. This is true if the facts and statistics are looked at. The last main belief is that marijuana should be decriminalized and people should be free to grow and consume it in their own homes. Part of this is true in California, the only state in which marijuana is decriminalized.

People are able to smoke marijuana without the legal penalties. Marijuana users have a certain etiquette they follow. I found a list of one hundred six of these, way too many to describe. The first five of these are: 1. Thou shall not turn down a smoke, never, 2. The person who rolls the joint (no matter whose weed it is) gets to spark it and take the first hits, 3.

If someone rolls a nice joint, it's good to give the person a compliment on his or her rolling skills, 4. If someone starts hogging the bowl or joint because it is their pot that is definitely not cool, 5. If someone is too uncoordinated to light the bowl or bong they must give control of the lighter to someone able to get it lit. These are their cultures values and unwritten law to be followed. These rules vary throughout the country but remain basically the same. The members of this subculture share certain preferences and habits.

The main reason people smoke pot is for the relaxing feeling that helps rid them of the daily stress life brings. A man who works as an insurance agent describes this by stating; "Smoking marijuana helps me see my life as a continuous whole. It allows me to step back from my daily concerns... By removing myself temporarily I can see how certain little things... are just not as important as I had once thought".

This man uses marijuana to unwind from the day. Music also plays a big role in the consumption of marijuana. Smokers claim that music sounds better when they are high. The same with television and movies, they appear clearer and funnier.

Social smoking allows for a better understanding of others and often facilitates intimate exchanges. And not to forget about the munchies (which is described in all the glossaries as well.) The desire to eat is a direct result of smoking and may be the closest thing to a universal response to marijuana. These things are particularly common among smokers. The rest of society views the marijuana smoking population in a disapprovingly way. There are a number of anti-drug activists out there trying to push stricter drug laws and end the use of illegal drugs altogether. Society imposed the stereotype that smokers are "potheads" and believes this to be very true.

But the smokers do not want to be associated with the "pothead" stereotype. They want very much to destroy the connection of marijuana with the tie-dyed, hippy era. Society just assumes smokers are useless, lazy, uneducated bums; which is very inaccurate. There are many hard working people out there that smoke marijuana recreation ally to relieve stress. First, this cannot be true because there are an inestimable amount of marijuana smokers that successfully keep their habit a secret.

These people are able to blend with society, allowing them to make friends / acquaintances that don't agree with smoking marijuana. People who use marijuana do not look negatively upon the rest of society. They relate and form bonds with the whole culture as normal people would. Marijuana smokers are a subculture for the reasons previously described above.

They share a different set of values, beliefs, and etc. from the rest of society. For example, they have their own terms that describe their practices. They don't mind society but part of society minds them, maybe one day marijuana use won't be as frowned upon. All of these things make marijuana smokers a subculture.