Romelo Perry

UWRT 1101
Robert Arnold
Ethnography

How does one convince to outsiders the ways of a typically teenage use of marijuana? Its
illegal all the facts that people want to know are that, its bad., It kills brain cells, it makes
you stupid, and they are just going to be high school dropouts. People that say these things
dont even know all the facts of marijuana and what it is actually used for. I am here to educate
you on how the Stoner, or Pothead subculture isnt a bad thing, marijuana is actually
beneficial to a lot of people who are sick or have disorders.
I chose the overall subculture of Stoners because I feel like the use of marijuana is
usually looked down upon by people who dont even know about the plant. Yes, plant, cannabis,
marijuana is a preparation of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a medicine. So, for even the
people in the world that dont support marijuana because of religious reasons is basically
hypocritical because there God put marijuana on the earth for it to be used. The sole reason
people assume marijuana as a drug is because of what they have heard about
tetrahydrocannabinol or what people know as THC. THC is a very strong psychoactive
constituent and if not used properly or altered into something outside of the cannabis plant, can
be very dangerous. So, based off of that information people feel like marijuana is deadly.
If you actually do your research on the cause of deaths by marijuana itself, you will be
surprised to find out that marijuana itself has never caused any deaths. The deaths by being under
the influence of marijuana will equal the amount of deaths by sober drivers and something legal

like alcohol has caused more deaths than both. Interested enough, yet? If not maybe you will be
surprised to find out that the earliest recorded uses of marijuana date back to the 3rd millennium
BC. Yes, there have been stoners or pot smokers on Earth that long. So maybe your great great
great grandparents consumed the drug before it was determined illegal or bad for people to use.
Most people are familiar at least a little with the psychedelic stage in America. The
psychedelic sixties are the term used to describe the time in the 1960s where mostly everyone
and their grandmother consumed crazy drugs from marijuana to cocaine to heroin. In this time in
history there were many deaths due to overdose of the drug cocaine and heroin and off of those
facts, people assume that marijuana is a bad thing. The 1960s was a time where people broke the
rules from music to fashion and even with manners. The 60s are often referred to as the best of
times or the worse of times. This dynamic was controversial, an exciting time for our youth, and
our legacy.
As I watched videos on YouTube of people that were actually use marijuana, yes they
smoke weed and record themselves doing it and are actually somewhat famous for doing it and
actually make money to smoke weed and record themselves, crazy right? But as I examined the
different YouTube videos I noticed that each one was similar in ways of what people already
stereotype potheads to show and that is typically that, there eyes usually get red or low, there
mouth gets really dry, and they get really hungry or what they refer to as the munchies.
Stereotypically only teenagers and older African American people are known to use marijuana in
illegal countries or people that have no clue of any knowledge of marijuana they would say its
the immigrants, but its not. Marijuana users can be a Caucasian 34-year-old school teacher that is
really stressed or just enjoy the heightened mood affect that smoking weed gives, also known as
being high.

The stereotypes of stoners have remained the same in ways over the years and more and
more people are being convinced that it is a bad thing, so how come it is becoming more and
more popular? Oh, its just the rebel teenagers in this generation that just dont care about the
future of America and dont want to work for anything, but is that really the case if it is
becoming legal in more and more states for medical use? It cant just be the teenage population
that may or may not know the actual benefits of cannabis and I promise you, that if you actually
knew that your opinion will be changed and you will not judge stoners as hard as you do.
The stoner population isnt full of rebel teenagers that dont care about the future of
America, some people that have smoked weed have actually gone on to be quite successful.
There are pro athletes that have gotten into trouble for consuming marijuana, the most known
and talked about player was top Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Leveon Bell. How could a star
NFL running back be so quick and elusive if marijuana is known to Slow you down or Make
you lazy. Other successful people to consume weed are Artist, most classified as Hip-Hop Artist
because that is all they rap about now a day if you listen, but it was also raped about when Hip
Hop music was started. Hip Hop Artist Snoop Dogg is one of the most popular artist around the
world, and he has been charged on numerous accounts for smoking weed, but how come he is so
successful if he smokes so much weed?
People who smoke weed arent people who dont care about their well being, they are
normal everyday people just like You & I. They dont dress any differently, they dont look any
differently, we probably see at least 8 people that smoke weed everyday that we go out of our
house. I feel like the stereotype that marijuana is the gateway drug also meaning it is the
leading cause of people to go on to use other drugs such as cocaine, is really exaggerated because
people that use cocaine also smoke weed usually. This stereotype really bothers me because just

because people that abuse cocaine and end up living reckless lives doesnt mean that weed is the
bad thing that causes them to go on to use cocaine. People that use cocaine dont use it because
they want to try something other then weed they use it because they are drug addicts and want
that next level of high and people that use weed arent drug addicts. Often people associate
stoners with drug addicts but thats not the case.
Often times the stoner subculture might feel as if they dont belong because it is illegal to
smoke weed and they might be becoming more and more popular but the people who feel as if
weed is the worse thing ever and is just a drug people use that can kill them, they could feel
insulted. A lot of crime and violence is often associated with people who smoke weed but if you
search the crime rate of states who have made recreational use of marijuana legal their crime rate
is actually less than that of states who havent legalized weed. I feel like this may be true because
when a person is riding around or somewhere smoking weed and they see a cop pull up or pull
behind them they may realize that it is illegal and try to flee the scene which causes violence and
more charges to them other than the weed. Someone maybe selling dope out somewhere and be
in the wrong neighborhood and get robbed or murdered for the amount that they have on them
for a quick buck or to use for there very own.
I feel like if all states legalized weed for recreational use with the laws they have in
Colorado that the world could be a better place because not only will the crime rate go down, but
people could feel the feeling that stoners do and better understand why they smoke so much or
are in a better mental place than normal people. I feel that if we legalize weed around the country
and see the improvements that people wont look down on stoners so much. The stoner
population isnt harmless like everyone thinks or says and I feel like if legalized that would be
realized.

Watching the videos that I did I never saw someone upset or mad when they were high or
about to smoke, I observed each person and they often times seemed more relaxed and care free
and at peace than someone who doesnt smoke. Who wouldnt want to feel that way by just
smoking a little pot and it actually being legal to do? After a long day of work or school you
could just use one of the many methods potheads use to smoke weed.
Of course there are the basic methods that everyone knows about like smoking a blunt or
joint or even in a cigarette, but as I researched I wanted to know some of the other ways people
used to smoke weed. In the very first video I watched the guy used what is known as a bong. A
bong is a tall pipe piece where you put your mouth and in the bottom you put water or ice
depending on how creative you want to be. There are numerous types and designs of bongs that
come in different shapes and sizes. The guy in the video was being paid to use some new piece
that was supposed to be, as he described amazing, smooth, and a big ripper.
In another video I watched it was more of a cheaper, quicker approach where the friends
lit the bottom of a water bottle on fire enough that there was a small hole and melted a socket
tool piece into the top of the cap. I found it crazy that everyday items could be used to smoke
weed, but according to the friends in the video it was referred to as a geeb piece. They put the
weed into the socket that is melted into the water bottle lid and put the bottle into water until it
was filled up and then lit the weed and slowly lifted the bottle and the smoke filled. The friends
in the video referred to the smoke as milky which I assumed is a good thing considering how
high they were after they smoked it. Apparently this method of smoking weed saves the weed
more and gets you just as high as smoking a blunt or joint or bong and its cheaper.
I will close out my document by saying that we should always give people a chance. No
matter the type of person or what they do differently, everyone deserves a chance. As I stated

earlier, a person that smokes weed varies and we are surrounded by them and just because they
may smoke a joint every now and then, that doesnt mean they are a criminal. It may be illegal
but that doesnt necessarily mean they are a criminal, because they arent harming anyone. I feel
like the stoner population is often times misunderstood and hopefully my paper, shows to you
that they just want to be treated equally.