Government stance on marijuana, underage drinking fosters illicit activity
For today's youth, alcohol and marijuana use is ingrained in the generation's culture. The incongruity between the law and the mindset of citizens is evident in pop culture and on college campuses such as USC.
Despite their illegality, current television, music and movies imply smoking pot and underage drinking are acceptable, harboring an underground culture that acts in opposition to the law.
On weekends, underage drinking and marijuana smoking are considered trivial. This nonchalant philosophy is not due to ignorance of the law; students here know full well how severe the consequences are for getting caught.
According to DrugAbuse.gov, 16.7 million Americans smoked marijuana in 2009 at least in the month prior to being surveyed. After a 40-year War on Drugs, this figure clearly demonstrates that top-down domestic policies are futile.
Culture is founded in the people's values and refuses to conform to outside demands. Revered rap stars Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller and Lil Wayne all have numerous songs that glamorize "blunt toking" and "liquor sipping."
Showtime's beloved TV show "Weeds" recently completed its seventh season; by highlighting the popularity of pot smoking and making drug dealing ordinary, this show illustrates the inability of government to regulate pop culture.
"Stoner" films like "Dazed and Confused" also affirm the eminence of marijuana use and underage drinking. Domestic policy should recognize this culture and accommodate their practices rather than to suppress them.
The illegality of alcohol and marijuana has innumerable unintended consequences. The huge profit margins have enticed aspiring young people to deal marijuana because the cash is simply worth the risk.
The perverse effect of the illegality of underage drinking is also conspicuous. The production of fake identification occurs here in Carolina's dorm rooms, where business-minded students take advantage of the local demand.
Columbia's electric bar scene attracts many underclassmen, making a fake ID a necessary accessory for fitting in with the older students. Concern for the law is much outweighed by the desire to drink and be socially accepted.
Drug laws have diverged from our culture, resulting in a discrepancy between what people do and what the government allows.
The government's relentless pursuit of pot smokers and underage drinkers has done nothing but fuel the anti-establishment culture and foster widespread hostility toward the law.
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