Imam, Jareen. “‘I like weed, and I’m a good person’: Pot smokers fight stereotypes.” CNN. CNN.com, 11 September 2014. Web. 29 July 2015.
In paragraphs 1-4, we are introduced to an anonymous 31 year old man who lives in Ohio. He’s a father, a registered voter with the Republican party, goes to church, donates to charity, is a business man at an insurance firm, and even gives piano lessons to disabled children. He sounds like a normal man doesn’t he? Well the only difference is, he smokes marijuana. He smokes it before putting on some Netflix to relieve his stressful day. He remains anonymous so his activities can’t be known in his small town because of the bad wrap surrounding marijuana.
Marijuana for the past couple years has always been given a bad wrap, but now in 2015 people are starting to realize that in fact, marijuana has way more benefits than detriments. According to a CNN International survey, 55% of Americans believe that cannabis should be legalized, with half of the respondents claiming that they have smoke the drug as well. Laws concerning marijuana prohibition should be amended, because as we saw in the earlier paragraphs, there are many normal everyday humans that enjoy it.
Paragraph 6 highlights the outcome of Colorado legalization, showing that marijuana purchases aren’t slowing down. In fact, Washington D.C. plus other states are following suit such as Washington, Oregon, Alaska (which already legalized after this article) and New Hampshire where the preliminary vote went through.
The following paragraphs highlight more normal people who would smoke marijuana once it becomes legal, including those who are engineers and college students. They say that it’s a “viable” alternative to alcohol, it’s relaxing, and stimulates creativity. According to another lady, who is 21, said it helps her fall asleep at night. She says it’s a “sleep remedy” after her long work hours as a security dispatcher at the university. In fact she seemed very enthusiastic about smoking because she wrote to CNN that “I LOVE POT!” because it does allow her to unwind and relax. She recommends that everyone should try it. Due to the consistent smoking in college, she says it keeps her well rested throughout the year and that it doesn’t affect her grades. She’s on the Dean’s List due to her straight A’s. Her parents know about her activity, but only worry about the legal aspect of the drug.
The rest of the article gives other productive members of society’s stories about why they smoke. One is a computer engineer with two degrees who uses it to keep him emotionally healthy and happy. He wants it to be legal in Hawaii because he says that it’s a “boon to society”. Another is a magazine write, author, and journalist. He says it allows her to be creative and cut down on drinking. He says it also allows him to be a productive citizen. One testimony is from a security guard who says he wants it legal because he would stop drinking alcohol immediately. He says alcohol makes him a bad angry person and he would prefer to smoke without causing problems. The last testimony is from a veteran and retired electrical engineer. He found that it would keep him in line with his studies and that allowed him to graduate with good grades.
All in all, this whole article is a great perspective with many testimonies from everyday normal people. They just simply enjoy marijuana to relax, concentrate, become creative, and much more.