I chose to interview a young, African American male named, Marcus Cooks, who previously struggled with the usage of marijuana and alcohol. I interviewed him on November 14, 2016. He explained why he began abusing these substances and how it negatively impacted his life. He stated why he started using them and who exposed him to this dangerous lifestyle. Also, he told me how he quit using these substances, on his own, and how he started to change the way that he lived. Marcus’s story is an exact replica of many people that struggled with an addiction, and how he overcomes it. Marcus was an average student in high school, and he was a football player. He did not have many friends until he started playing football. Once he became friends with …show more content…
Marcus went to Job Corps in Kentucky, where he met his fiancé, and became a welder. At the time him and his girlfriend would smoke marijuana together and other users would join them. He said, “Drinking started to become an everyday thing for me; I would come home from work and drink a whole bottle of Vodka. Every day I had to have a beer or Vodka; I would drink it just like water” (personal communication, M. Cook, November 16, 2016). Later, Marcus and his girlfriend moved to Nashville, where he got a job as a welder. He said, “I was making good money” (personal communication, M. Cook, November 14, 2016). Marcus was earning a lot of money, but his addiction was taking more than half of his earnings. He started hosting parties where alcohol was heavily involved. Marcus says, “I was making all of this money and I had nothing to show for it. I earned $2,000 every week, but my savings account was being drained. I saw how much money that I was spending on weed and alcohol and I knew that it was time to stop” (personal communication, M. Cook, November 14, 2016). Reality started to kick in once Marcus saw his hard earned earnings were …show more content…
Marcus made the decision to drink less and stop smoking marijuana completely. He stated, “I didn’t want to stop smoking because that was my only way out of my problem, but I had to man up and face my problem head on” (personal communication, M. Cook, November 14, 2016). Marcus said that it was very hard to stop smoking, so he started smoking less so he could stop eventually. Even though he quit smoking eventually he still smoked occasionally, he said, “I still smoked every now and again because at times I would get so overwhelmed with problems, but I still got back on track” (personal communication, M. Cook, November 16, 2016). Marcus change of life inspired his girlfriend to quit smoking and drinking. They both got promotions on their job, and they were able to save them enough money to buy a
Marijuana, since it was discovered, has been used as a recreational drug by many people meaning it has been used for people to get “high”. Marijuana has been always viewed as a safe drug to use with no serious side effects. However, different studies show that the only harm marijuana can cause is to individuals who use it for recreational use and are under the age of 18. Many marijuana users think that it does not have serious side effects such as other drugs like, cocaine, crack, meth, and heroin
Overtime people have researched marijuana heavily and learned a lot. Enough to change most of society's opinions about it to further allow possibilities of use. For example we have learned that marijuana helps people fight lots of diseases, such as cancer. The real reason however that marijuana is making so much headway into become legalized is because of the money potentials. The government wants more money and if they had to change some rules to do it then they will. Honestly I don't see why it
Since the discovery of marijuana, it has been used as a recreational drug by many individuals. Marijuana is being seen as a “safe” drug to use in which many marijuana users believe that it does not have serious side effects like cocaine, crack, and heroin. Moreover, since the 20th Century, doctors have prescribe marijuana for the use to deal with the bad effects of having glaucoma and cancer. In United States, even though marijuana is suitable to use for medical reasons on a state government level
on the legalization of Marijuana is highly controversial in the United States. This illicit drug is derived from the dried leaves, seed and flower of Cannabis plants, which are found to have addictive properties. It is highly accessible because of the growing transaction of Marijuana in the street. The most common way to ingest Marijuana is through smoking and oral consumption. It can be used as an ingredient in food and it can also be brewed as tea. People consuming Marijuana overtime can develop
Philosophy 109 October 20, 2014 Analysis Paper: Marijuana Legalization In this analysis paper I will argue on why Marijuana should become legalized in the United States of America. In the United States Marijuana is federally illegal and cannot be used unless for health reasons. Currently in the USA there are two conflicting parties debating on whether Marijuana should become federally legal or stay prohibited. In the two articles, “Marijuana Legalization is a risk not worth taking” and “Repeal
Marijuana Research Paper My hopes of doing this research project were to specifically determine what effects marijuana in combination with different substances had on the body. I also decided to determine the differences between marijuana and tobacco, due to the high misconceptions about both of them in society today. First of all, I had begun to due research specifically on the subject "Is marijuana more dangerous than tobacco," but due to the lack of information, I had to broaden my
Marijuana legalization Marijuana—a prominently used, yet widely opposed substance. Marijuana usage has been and is an immensely debated subject within the states. Many liberal states favor the drug due to its economic and medicinal values. However, many conservative states abhor the narcotic due to its psychoactive effects on the brain and its minimal medicinal value. These anti-marijuana fans emphasize the drug’s relation to the usage of more potent substances such as cocaine. Overall, there
society than legal drugs such as alcohol, yet it is federally illegal. It is established scientific fact that marijuana is not toxic to humans; marijuana overdoses are nearly impossible, and marijuana is not nearly as addictive as alcohol or tobacco. But, the marijuana prohibition continues to be thriving. Marijuana prohibition causes more problems than it solves. This nation spends too much money where it could be making more money. If America were to legalize marijuana, it would cause a healthier
Debate on why Marijuana should be legalized Marijuana is a public name for an illegal substance (drug) produced from the Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) plant. It is also called weed, ganja, grass, kaya and pot. The drug has many chemical compounds and in particular, it has THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) which is responsible for changing mind functions leading to alternations of cognition, mood, behavior, perception and consciousness. “It is the most widely used illicit substance in the world” (World
interaction. As told by Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”, we need to feel secure in our social environment and have a sense of belonging. What do most people at a young age desire in this world? Fitting in. When talking about society and substance usage, common themes such as: peer pressure, social media, and “the party scene” are very prevalent. Stacy Zeiger (2006), stated in an article on peer pressure, “When children start school, their parents begin to lose the influence they once had. By the
President of USA From: Think Tank for a better USA " Scenario: A Date: 27th February 2014 Word count: 1796" "" The Context! Our country is facing a huge dilemma with respect to criminal charges for marijuana possessions. The country is divided into two factions - one being the freedom demanding, marijuana legalizing while the other being the anti-drug, let us crush all the drugs and drug takers. The effects of a policy in this regard spills out and affects more parties than the ones directly involved
The issue of legalizing marijuana has been around for decades and there are many people on either side of the issue. Millions of people support the legalization of marijuana and those people have reasons as to why they think marijuana should be legalized throughout the United States. People for the legalization of the drug argue it will boost the already weak economy and bring in large sums of money for the national and state governments. Another claim they have made is that it will help prevent
Charles Stimson’s “Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized” is an essay that argues against the legalization in California, as well as the common arguments that “pro-marijuana activist” use to further their agenda. He insists, “Marijuana is a dangerous substance that should remain illegal under state law.” as well as asserting that most marijuana activists simply do not understand what decriminalization will entail. In his argument, he identifies the five arguments activist use and attempts to refute
The marijuana use has been a controversial topic for a long time now. The health risks and benefits are constantly being debated, and there are millions of recreational users throughout the world (Truong). The main problem with marijuana is that, unlike tobacco and other drugs, it is relatively simple to grow and harvest by even the most inexperienced of gardeners, and thus makes it difficult for government figures to legalize it. Tobacco and alcohol, the two most widely used drugs in the world,
dividing the country for many years now is the legalization of medicinal marijuana. While the government has left the issue up to individual state’s legislations, the pressing debate at hand has been calling for a federal law to nationally legalize marijuana for medical purposes. For years now, it has been something that has been highly debated and something that people on both sides feel highly passionate about. What if medical marijuana could save the life of one of your loved family members but that