Chicken or the egg with a fiery twist…
What came first? The chicken or the egg… this question has been changed to ask about cannabis in the media. “Was TV making Americans more tolerant of marijuana use? Or was the increase in American marijuana users encouraging TV to depict the drug less negatively?” Cannabis has been aired more on television today than it ever has been in the history of media. Is this the reason for the increase in marijuana usage or is this just a reflection of what the world has been doing for centuries? Long before the DEA was brought about. Seeing it on television definitely makes the topic less harsh that what it really is. Marijuana first aired on a show called Different Strokes in 1983, with a message of “say no to drugs”, which was what most of the messages were when marijuana was ever brought up (Full House and growing pains in the 1980’s) and in the 90’s a cartoon called Cartoon All-stars to the Rescue was another preaching of saying no to drugs and one of the last. It got moved to different shows like Rosanne and That 70’s Show and treated with a new “frankness.”
The Parents Television Counsel argue and think that if marijuana is shown on television it only makes it seem both more acceptable and normal. Which is true, it exploits pot as what everyone does everywhere, and that everyone knows it. In the real world everyone might do it but there are certainly more fatal consequences. TV show writers are using television as a tool for pro-legalization every time they show marijuana is that light. In a study done by ABC it said the 81 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana and TV just might be one of the main supporting reasons. If you can use television as a tool to inform people about other illegal concerns dealing with sex and violence why is it frowned upon when talking about marijuana?
A straight forward and blunt sign that marijuana is growing with the help of television is that its not just on sitcoms anymore, its been moved and made into series on networks like The Discovery Channel and National Geographic’s showing how its grown and used as a business. The media view on Cannabis has gone from special episodes of trying to teach the youth to say no to drugs and now show up as informational documentaries. Seeing marijuana become larger and a easier to talk about topic through television has even opened it up to be talked about easier. Normal enough to write a 500 word assignment about the progression it has made. Yes people talk about marijuana more and it is a much more of an open topic than it was in the 80’s but people have been doing it before and will continue to use it medically or not. People are just more aware of it than ever before and is that really a bad thing?
