SOC201 Session Long Project Module 3 †Social Structure

SOC201 Session Long Project: Module 3 – Social Structure Group Conformity and the Decriminalization of Marijuana On December 6th, 2012, the state of Washington legalized the use and possession of marijuana by adults over the age of 21. There were already laws in place to provide for the medical use of marijuana before this date, therefore this new initiative (Initiative 502) pertained mainly to recreational marijuana users. According to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office the day prior to the law going into effect, â€Å"The Department of Justice is reviewing the legalization initiatives recently passed in Colorado and Washington State. The Departments responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged.†¦show more content†¦Group Polarization and the Decriminalization of Marijuana People who identify with each other as a group to achieve a common goal are indeed a force to be reckoned with in a democratic society. However, they can also be rallied together in a way that also seeks to limit personal freedom in a republican government such as the United States. This was demonstrated in 1937 as the elected officials of the U.S. government chose to lead the prohibition of the use and possession of marijuana under the pretense that the version of the active ingredient used in medicine and the same ingredient smoked produced drastically dissimilar effects. The source of information used in the arguments for the prohibition of marijuana were also unorthodox. In one excerpt from the House Hearing regarding the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, the Representative from Michigan stated â€Å"We know that is a habit that is spreading, particularly among youngsters. We learn that from the pages of the newspaper. You say that Michigan has always regulated it. We have a state law, but we do not seem to be able to get anywhere with it, because, as I have said, the habit is growing. The member of victims is increasing each year.† The response from Dr. William C. Woodward, the representative of the American Medical Association responded with the statement, â€Å"There is no evidence of that.† His account went largely unheard during this hearing, as the House had