Breathe in. Hold. Exhale. Choke it off.

Many people can and will agree on the fact that smoking marijuana is a learned behavior. Some people may even go so far as to say that it's an inevitable activity for certain subgroups of teenagers. One thing that some people may even accuse those who smoke pot of, is being addicted to the substance. To me, this is almost a ludicrous thought when people are applying it to a general population. Yes, there are people who genuinely get addicted to the substance. No, just because you've smoked marijuana twice in the span of a week does not mean that you're addicted.

The culture of America is to put a stigma on recreational drugs, with marijuana being in the limelight. However, and while I'm not condoning the use of marijuana, there are deadlier legal things out there like cigarettes and alcohol. I haven't been brushing up on my medical knowledge, but from my understanding, the health deficits of both of those far exceed those applied to marijuana.

Also, while not exactly of the same caliber or category, what most people believe is 'marijuana addiction,' can be easily applied to those who are relatively serious about a sport. They'll spend hours doing it a week and yet no one bats their wrists and scolds them for it. While yes, it's more productive, people discourage/ban the use of marijuana due to reasons that more so coincide with health issues.

What I think is that we as a society need to reestablish the thoughts that the general populace have conceived about this so that we are more accurate in our rhetoric. Addiction is not something to shrug off, but people are confusing addiction with something lesser and I think that there needs to be more of a distinction between those who simply smoke an excessive amount and those who are truly addicted.

"Marijuana Kills"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Zo5vLDC88
The featured clip is a classic scene from Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, when Harold and Kumar get high and decide they really, REALLY want White Castle. While watching TV, an "above the influence" type commercial titled "Marijuana Kills" airs; where a teenage boy gets baked with his buddy and shoots himself. The two fronts are polar opposite views of marijuana's effects. Harold and Kumar are laughing at the ad, because they are stoned and laid back and everything is hilarious, while the ad sets a serious. somber tone. Think about how this comedy movie gives the audience an automatic side to take; you are familiar with Harold and Kumar, so when they find something funny chances are that you do too. Therefore, the viewer probably also thinks the commercial is an overly dramatic joke and that pot is harmless, using rhetoric. In "Becoming a Marihuana User" Howard Becker explains that one requirement for being a 'certain type of person' who smokes pot is having the desire to be high off weed. It is clear that Harold and Kumar have the desire, despite the commercial's warnings, because they actually know what it feels like to be high. There lies another requirement: the stoner has to know what to expect, the symptoms, etc. The third key word, power, comes into play with how a "pot smoker" is portrayed in the media and text. When admired figures such as Harold and Kumar are found smoking weed it becomes immitatable. These guys are funny, Kumar is a chill guy, and even Harold, the polar opposite of Kumar, smokes weed which makes it a relatable guilty pleasure for all types of people. This is where the power of media, and which substances are portrayed in it, affect how we perceive groups(e.g. pot smokers). As long as artists, maybe those who partake in marujuana smoking, are the people who control our entertainment, such as films, things like weed will be portrayed as 'normal.'