Week 3 | Issue 1: Marijuana Use - Contemporary Moral Problems (Course Guide)

The Use of Marijuana

Marijuana Use

Key Questions

Are there benefits to marijuana use? What are they?
Should marijuana use be a fundamental right?
Who can buy it?

Key Terms

Fundamental rights
Scheduled drugs
Decriminalization
Legalization
Regulation
Addiction
New Jim Crow

Key People

Bernard Noble
Jeff Mizansky

A Six Part Piece of Journalism: High Time: An Editorial Series on Marijuana Legalization

An Editorial Series on Marijuana Legalization (New York Times)

The links below provide full text access to all six parts of the New York Times piece via our library database U.S. Newsstream. Western students and staff may need to log in with their Western credentials.

Additional Course Documents

ProCon: Should Recreational Marijuana Be Legal?
Example: Pro
- Legalizing recreational marijuana results in helpful regulation of a safe drug, without increasing potential negative consequences.
Example: Con
- Legalizing recreational marijuana comes with serious societal costs.
| Britannica ProCon.org | Website
Colorado Marijuana Laws
Medical marijuana and recreational marijuana are legal in Colorado. While medical marijuana has been legal in the state since 2000, recreational marijuana was not legalized until a decade later, in 2012. | Colorado Cannibis Informational Portal | Website
How long can you detect cannabis (marijuana) in the body?
Drug tests can detect THC, in urine, blood, and hair for many days after use, while saliva tests can only detect THC for a few hours. This is because of the way the body metabolizes THC. | Medical News Today | Website
Legal Use of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Begins in Oregon (NYTimes)
On Jan. 1, 2023, Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the adult use of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic that has shown significant promise for treating severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and end-of-life anxiety among the terminally ill, among other mental health conditions. | Library Database | US Newsstream | Login with your Western ID

Presentation for Marijuana Advisory Referendum - La Crosse County (PowerPoint)
Claims, argument, and analysis for the legalization of marijuana.