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Generational opinions on marijuana usage

North Platte “High”

Josie Koubek, Online Editor|January 26, 2018|4 Views

Over the last few decades, society has seen a change in drug culture. Over 30 states across the U.S. have legalized the use of marijuana in some form, the most recent being West Virginia. Since this change began, people all across the country have debated on whether the recreational use of marijuana should be legalized.

“I don’t think recrational should be legalized but medical should be,” said senior Cameron Goana. He said that it seems like it has become more popular to smoke weed and use drugs within the last two years. “It is extremely common for my peers to smoke weed, not my friends, but my class,” said Goana.
Not everyone shares the same viewpoint as Goana. 46-year-old community member, Sherri Monfee, has a different opinion. “I believe marijuana is more dangerous because it is still inhaled, so you have some of the same risk factors with cigarettes, but you also have the additional impairments,” said Monfee.

She believes there are some generational differences that cause a divide. “[Marijuana] has become far more accepted and there seems to be a division with age and political affiliation,” said Monfee. She also believes there is a lack in education on the topic. “The data is not there. It is almost like we are watching a living experiment,” said Monfee.

In 2012, Colorado was the first state to legalize the uses of recreational marijuana and recently California, Washington, and other states have followed in their footsteps. “It’s not as dangerous as they make it out to be, it’s not very different than alcohol,” said Dave Vecchio, age 73.
He explains that it is all about the way you look at things. Vecchio said, “Maybe I’ll try it when I get to be 85. It won’t matter, really.”