Ngoc Quyen Nguyen Soc 385 Week 4 paper January 2008 Marijuana Should Not Be Made Legal An interview

w was given out to see how the society felt about legal marijuana. It was found that there were many relationships on the attitude that the respondent felt about legal marijuana. The relationships aroused between ages, total family income, college degree, and homeowner or renter. Individuals attitudes were strongly influenced by age, income, college degree, and homeowner or renter. Therefore, a cross examination will be made to look at these relationships. Questions were asked if the respondents believed should marijuana be made legal or not legal. It was unclear on how many respondents were participated in the interview. The results were broken down into five groups between ages, total family income, college degree, and homeowner or renter. Respondents age categories were placed from 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, and 50+. Respondents total family income was ranging from 24,999 or less; 25,000 to 39,999; 40,000 to 59,999; and 60,000 or more. Respondents college degree was broken down to no college degree and college degree. Last but not least, respondents homeowner or renter was sorting from owns home, pays rent, and other.
Should Marijuana Be Made Legal * Age Categories Crosstabulation Age Categories 30-39 40-49 67 53 29.0% 27.6% 164 139 71.0% 72.4% 231 192 100.0% 100.0%

Should Marijuana Be Made Legal

Legal Not Legal

Total

Count % within Age Categories Count % within Age Categories Count % within Age Categories

18-29 41 25.5% 120 74.5% 161 100.0%

50+ 50 14.5% 296 85.5% 346 100.0%

Total 211 22.7% 719 77.3% 930 100.0%

Above are the age categories of respondents. Ranging from 18 years of age through 50 years and older, the respondents were asked their thought about should marijuana be made legal. Surprisingly, at least 71% of the respondent gave their responds that marijuana should not be legal. Group from 50 years and older have the strongest feeling ranging at 85.5% thought that marijuana should not be legal. The highest percentage of those that thought marijuana should be legal was ranging from 30-39 years of age. The percentage was at 29%. At the same time, group from 50 years and older have the lowest percentage at 14.4% thought that marijuana should be legal.
Should Marijuana Be Made Legal * Total Family Income Crosstabulation Total Family Income 25,000 to 40,000 to 39,999 59,999 55 30 30.2% 127 69.8% 182 100.0% 20.0% 120 80.0% 150 100.0%

Should Marijuana Be Made Legal

Legal

Not Legal

Total

Count % within Total Family Income Count % within Total Family Income Count % within Total Family Income

24,999 or less 79 22.6% 270 77.4% 349 100.0%

60,000 or more 47 18.9% 202 81.1% 249 100.0%

Total 211 22.7% 719 77.3% 930 100.0%

The next table shows the total family income of respondents based on the question of should marijuana be made legal. The income was ranging from 24,999 to 60,000 or more. Again, at least 69.8% of the respondents agreed that marijuana should not be legal. Respondents that had family income of 60,000 or more felt that marijuana should not be legal ranging from 81.1%. Also, the same group thought that marijuana should be legal ranging at 18.9%. Respondents that had family income 25,000 to 39,999 had the lowest believed that marijuana should not be legal at 68.8%. At the same time, the respondents had the highest believed that marijuana should not be legal at 30.2%.

Should Marijuana Be Made Legal * College Degree Crosstabulation College Degree No College College degree degree 152 58 21.6% 25.9% 552 166 78.4% 74.1% 704 224 100.0% 100.0%

Should Marijuana Be Made Legal

Legal Not Legal

Total

Count % within College Degree Count % within College Degree Count % within College Degree

Total 210 22.6% 718 77.4% 928 100.0%

This table shows college degree of the respondents on attitude about should marijuana be made legal. With or without college degree, respondents felt strongly that marijuana should not be legalized. However, respondents who did not have college degree have higher percentage compare to respondents who had college degree. No college degree has 78%.4 compare to college degree with 74.1% felt that marijuana should not be legalized.
Should Marijuana Be Made Legal * Homeowner or Renter Crosstabulation Homeowner or Renter owns home pays rent other 61 43 4 19.5% 252 80.5% 313 100.0% 28.7% 107 71.3% 150 100.0% 36.4% 7 63.6% 11 100.0%

Should Marijuana Be Made Legal

Legal

Not Legal

Total

Count % within Homeowner or Renter Count % within Homeowner or Renter Count % within Homeowner or Renter

Total 108 22.8% 366 77.2% 474 100.0%

This table shows respondents of homeowner or renter. This table is related to the table Total Family Income above, but this will be explained later. This table is ranging from respondent that owns home, pays rent, or other. Those that own homes have the highest feeling that marijuana should not be legal compare to other. Respondent owns home had 80.5% compare to other at 63.6%. Again, respondent whom owns home had the least favored of legal marijuana at 19.5% compared to other at 36.4%.

By looking at four tables above, they showed correlation. Most of the respondents agreed that marijuana should not be made legally. Also, the respondents age, income, college degree, or homeowner can influenced the way he or she felt about legal marijuana. People from different backgrounds are likely to have different sets of attitudes and values. Respondents at 50 years and older, made 60,000 or more, owned home, and did not have a college degree strongly felt that marijuana should be illegal. Respondents at 30-39, made 25,000 to 39,999, did not own home or paid rent, had college degree felt that marijuana should be legal. In society, we learned that using drug is bad. The society taught everyone that marijuana is far too dangerous compare to alcohol and tobacco. Teenage use of marijuana remains serious public health problems. Smoking marijuana can relax a person and elevate their mood. However, marijuana can blocked an individual sensory awareness and produce more hallucinogenic response. Not to mention, impaired memory and ability to learn that caused when use marijuana. The use of marijuana can limit individual actions and pose a significant threat to the individual and society. Our society taught us about the danger of marijuana through school, T.V. commercials, newspapers, friends, families, or some of us even experienced ourselves. These thoughts already imbedded in our head. Therefore, it is not surprising that more than half of the respondents felt that marijuana should be illegal. Using marijuana is morality wrong and it is the ideology of our society. Respondents age 50 or more strongly approved that marijuana should be illegal mainly due to health and their social understanding of marijuana compare to younger respondents. Respondents with age range 30-39 had the least approved of illegal

marijuana. The reason behind this is that individuals ranging from age 30-39 might be too stress from family, social life, children, and job that they need to seek other alternative like drugs and marijuana. Total family income also plays a role in individual. Individuals income can influences the responses in the interview. The higher an individuals income got, the more established and higher class he or she is. Individuals with higher income may blame the individuals with lower income for social problems. Higher class individuals could held responsible for low class who abuse marijuana and face many health and social problems and often will do anything to buy drugs which include stealing and selling drugs. Total family income also related to respondents of homeowner or renter. Those owned home had more income compare to those that paid rent or other. Again, income goes in hand with homeowner or renter. Those with higher income may also feel that our government participates in the War on Drugs. If marijuana is illegal, the government would stop spent tax money dealing with marijuana offenses. The government can save billion of dollars which focus in education programs other important causes. Education can also influence individuals about their responds of marijuana legal or illegal. Surprisingly, people with college degree did not feel strongly about illegal marijuana compare to those with out college degree. Total family income also related to respondents of homeowner or renter. Those owned home had more income compare to those that paid rent or other. Again, income goes in hand with homeowner or renter. Those with higher income may also feel that our government participates in the War on Drugs. If marijuana is illegal, the government would stop spent tax money dealing with

marijuana offenses. The government can save billion of dollars which focus in education programs other important causes. Education can also influence individuals about their responds of marijuana legal or illegal. Surprisingly, people with college degree did not feel strongly about illegal marijuana compare to those with out college degree. Our society got the impression that marijuana is bad and is a harmful drug addiction. However, it never taught that marijuana can be used as medicine. With college degree, an individual can know that marijuana can use as medicine because it helps stimulate appetite and relieve nausea in cancer and AIDS patients. Another reason why individuals with college degree did not feel strongly about marijuana should be illegal because they might use marijuana due to stress because of school.

Discussion After I looked at the four tables above, I was confused at first because I could not find any correlation of to how the respondents got influenced in their answers according to age, income, homeowner, and college degree. Some information did not make sense. I do know that over half of the respondents thought that marijuana should be illegal despite age, income, homeowner, and college degree. The only reason to explain this is the social norm everyone learned in society. As a child going through adulthood, he or she learned from social institution that marijuana is morality wrong. If there would be more information on this topic, I want to know the location of these people was. I have found that in different countries, marijuana is legal compare to the United States. Also, I would like to ask more questions about legal marijuana that

related to medical conditions. I want to know how people responds if marijuana can treat chronic illnesses. I am in the age group of 18-29, total family income of 60,000 or more, college educated, and other when it comes to homeowner or renter. If I were to answered should marijuana be made legal, I would say no. However, I would totally support the rights of sick people to help them by using marijuana as medicine. In this case, these sick people should not abuse their use of marijuana. Again, I am following my social norm and what Ive been taught about marijuana.