Jamie Balkin
WRI 150
Blumenthal
October 21, 2014
High Profiles:
An Analysis on the Changes of the Stereotypical Marijuana User in Film
“What Jefferson was saying was, Hey! You know, we left this England place 'cause it was bogus; so if we don't get some cool rules ourselves - pronto - we'll just be bogus too! Get it”? This particular quote from The Fast Times at Ridgemont High, epitomizes the 1980s stoner stereotype in Jeff Spicoli, and mocks the ability for stoners to rationale and their ability to articulate thoughts. By showing Spicoli’s absurd political interest, it creates laughs. Whereas in the 1960s, the movie Easy Rider, narrated two American Hippies riding their motorcycles through the country to achieve truth to power, taking a…show more content… The problem has assumed the dimensions of a national emergency.” In June 1971, Nixon delivered the Special Message on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control to Congress, marking the start of the “War on Drugs,” a policy that every administration since Nixon has dedicated itself to pursuing and enlarging. Nixon briefly placed marijuana in Schedule One, the most limiting category of drugs, until reviewed by a commission he appointed headed by Republic Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer. The commission unanimously suggested decriminalizing the possession and distribution of marijuana for personal use in 1972. Nonetheless, Nixon disregarded the report and vetoed its…show more content… Smoking no longer needed meaning; it was simply there to be enjoyed. More people enjoyed it because more people stopped worrying about getting caught in the Seventies. As mentioned earlier, in the early 1970s, Schafer, chaired a presidential commission calling for the decriminalization and subsequent legalization, regulation and control of weed. The commission concluded with decriminalizing marijuana. The Schafer Commission’s overarching goal was to reduce substance abuse: "On the basis of our findings, discussed in previous Chapters, we have concluded that society should seek to discourage use, while concentrating its attention on the prevention and treatment of heavy and very heavy use. The Commission feels that the criminalization of possession of marihuana for personal use is socially self-defeating as a means of achieving this objective." Schafer truly wanted to help society address and fix the drug issue rather than instill fear in the public over possessing a single joint of marijuana. He understood that by focusing on helping people with addiction verse focusing on busting people with a curiosity he could control the amount of drug use. As a result of this major marijuana reform, changes in the user evolved and the surfacing of marijuana supporters and the tolerance for its use in society transformed as