The Great Barrier of our Reefer
“Divorcery! Violence! Murder! Suicide! And the ultimate end of the marijuana addict: hopeless insanity!”
If someone approached you while walking down the city streets of Vancouver toking on a joint you just purchased from the local dispensary and blurted out the above phrase, you would assume that person is on something far stronger than you. It is also likely that your grandparents (and quite possibly your parents) would agree with this crazed lunatic’s antics.
For over eighty years the criminalisation of marijuana has been based on fear mongering propaganda incepted by racist business tycoons and politicians as a way to target, attack and arrest urban black men. The pre-mentioned phrase was the tagline of the 1932 film trailer for Reefer Madness. A film created and funded by these prominent figures to further solidify the ‘dangers’ of this drug amongst the public that would ultimately fuel an ideological perception lasting almost a century.
Today, the world is a far more educated and understanding place then it was when Reefer Madness was released. The rise of the internet allowed individuals to become educated on any subject their heart desired, whilst social media provided a podium to be heard. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have become a feeding ground for social movements in the attempt to change political discourse. Australia’s recent marriage amendment to allow same-sex marriage was strongly driven by online conversations and various support groups, ultimately pressuring those in power to act.
So how has social media’s global influence been imperative in changing the narrative of the acceptance and legalisation of marijuana?
First and foremost, one way in which the people are combating the negative stigma surrounding the devil’s lettuce is changing the perception of who is using this drug and the actual effects of consuming it. If you posed the question, “what does a typical pot smoker look like?” a mere decade ago, the general consensus would have been a derelict male, sitting on a couch all day, gorging himself on pizza whilst his future slowly dwindled away. The American anti-pot association released this advertisement in 2008 depicting a similar scenario where a girl has become deflated (figuratively and literally) after taking up pot smoking. This campaign is now infamous for its non-factual base and has been subject to multiple hilarious parodies, including this from Family Guy.
In a response to the plethora of anti-pot advertisements released over the years based purely on scare tactics, Cut.com took the initiative and created this hilarious viral video in the attempt to associate the ganja with more positive stereotypes. This unique way of presenting the smoking of Cannabis into public discourse using three white, elderly, middle-class women, helps stifle the negative associations attached to the plant.
A changed perception of who smokes the Mary-Jane is just one way in which communities have approached this social movement. A more impactful and presentable case to argue is simply by stating the facts. The Facebook page Marijuana is Safer, whose mission statement is in the title, aims to educate people on the positive associations with the plant, as well as debunking the endless amounts of myths often attached to it.
While there is still a large debate around the recreational use of Cannabis, it has become widely accepted that the plant has many medicinal benefits.These medical properties of the plant have been a key driver in the acceptance of it as a whole.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is the central cannabinoid found in Cannabis and acts as a suppressant to se who suffer from epileptic seizures. Billy Caldwell, an autistic twelve-year-old from the United Kingdom suffers from extreme epileptic seizures daily. What started as a small story mid last year from a concerned mother when Billy’s (illegal at the time) CBD oil was confiscated, soon grew into a national story when he was hospitalised shortly after due to an epileptic episode. Something that could have easily been prevented with a small dose of CBD. Concerned citizens nation wide took to social media utilising hashtags such as #EndourPain and #KeepBillyAlive to spark debate and ultimately pressure members of parliament to act. Billy has since been granted a licence for medical marijuana use and has paved the way for others who are in need of the plant to drastically improve their day to day lives. Billy’s case is a true representation of the power that lobbying via social media can have.
Social media is undeniably involved in every facet of the modern day world. Many will argue the negatives effects of these Silicon Valley by-products but they have irrefutably made the world a more educated place where those in power can be held accountable and with enough support, force change. Without these platforms I wouldn’t have written this, you wouldn’t have read it, and both of us would still think that having a toke of the smoke would ultimately lead to hopeless insanity!
