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Cannabis - The Moment Has Arrived

 

            Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University shares his stance on marijuana in his editorial, "Why marijuana's moment has arrived ". Written for CNN, Zeilzer begins with background information on how the topic of cannabis came from being virtually never mentioned to a hot topic in the media. He refers to a few decades ago when movies such as Cheech and Chong's "Up in Smoke " as well as artists such as Peter Tosh, helped publicize the fight to legalize the famous plant. "Now marijuana has gone mainstream. Twenty three states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington have legalized pot for recreational use " (Zeilzer 3). After informing his audience Zeilzer goes on to give eight reasons on why he believes cannabis' moment in America is here. "Why marijuana's moment has arrived " contains many facts from various reliable sources on why marijuana is on the road to being legalized nationwide. .
             As his first reason, Zeilzer gives credit to generational change as to why cannabis is becoming more accepted in our culture. His reasoning being that the baby boomers grew up in an era where pot was becoming a norm and the generation before them who opposed the use of the plant are now extremely old or have already passed away. Using data from a credible source released in April 2014, Zeilzer informs his audience that 52% of baby boomers favor the legalization of cannabis. Adding a quote from Martin Lee, the director of the medical marijuana information service named Project CBD, "It's not just long-haired rebels and stoners. It's Mom and Dad, Republicans and Democrats, a real slice of America. " The use of quotes from other professionals helps strengthen Zeiglers point. The next point he highlights is how the war on drugs has failed. Comparing the war on drugs to when Congress tried to ban alcohol, he explains how it has crowded our prisons and keeps the highly expensive policing operations running.


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