Matt’s Blog

Seattle Post intelligencer said that it is not as good as Goodfellas which was an inspiration for Blow. It gives a good summary and explains what is happening in the movie without revealing anything too big. The directing is seen as alright and there are some parts in the script that have problems like leaving out what happens to some major characters. The review done by the website village voice gives a little too much of what will happen in the end of the movie. They said it wasn’t as good as they hoped for. It is better played than it is directed, and better shot than it is scripted. Most reviews thought it was good and only a few disliked it. They all say it wants to be like Goodfellas but it is not. They all start with a summary of the movie then onto how the directing and acting was. Acting seemed to be better than the directing.

“Scorches the screen with a badass bravado all its own. Smart, sexy, funny and dangerous this high-wire act is a movie and a half. “ 

“Blew its chance to be an epic drug opera. It’s only nostril-deep.” “Blow works for a scene or two, then stalls.”

Many people in the United States smoke marijuana. People of all races and classes use this illegal drug. Conversation about the legalization of marijuana is fiercely argued between the pot smokers and those who don’t smoke pot. If marijuana was legal, the government would be able control the buying and selling of this drug, making the streets safer and our country wealthier. Those who smoke pot feel that marijuana has never hurt anyone and will never hurt anyone.

Since pot is illegal, 734,000 people were arrested for marijuana related offenses during the year 2000 in the United States alone (Marijuana Myths). Good citizens as well as thugs and gang members who smoked marijuana were sent to jail. Organizations like NORML believe that responsible Americans who smoke marijuana recreationally and for medicinal use should no longer be seen as criminals. The Marijuana Legalization Organization (MLO) says that “people have a basic right to make choices for themselves as long as their actions do not harm others” (Marijuana Legalization). People who smoke marijuana are still Americans of all ages. The problem is that just because they smoke marijuana, the government treats them as criminals even though there are far worse people killing and committing worse crimes. Smoking should not make them a criminal. They still “pay taxes, love and support their families, and work hard to make a better life for their children” (Marijuana Myths). But, because it is illegal, the price of the product becomes high and causes some users to commit crimes in drug deals. Dealers usually have a lot of product on them and may carry a gun to protect them from getting robbed by users.

If marijuana was legal, the police force would have more time to focus on the crooks in our society rather than the stoners. Drugs dealers would lose business, the purchase of marijuana would be safer, the government would regulate the potency and price of the marijuana, and the government would make millions in profit. Jeffrey A. Miron, a visiting Professor of Economics at Harvard University, debated about the prohibition of marijuana and concluded that, “Marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement — $2.4 billion at the federal level and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels” (Costs of Marijuana). All this money could be used more efficiently like helping victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, researching a cure for cancer, or help funding the public schools in our country.

Many high school students report that it is easier to obtain illegal drugs than alcohol and tobacco (Marijuana Myths). Legalizing marijuana and enforcing a legal purchase age would significantly stop many minors from obtaining the drug just like alcohol and tobacco. Having to show ID and being a certain age would make the purchasing a lot more difficult for minors. This enforcement would allow responsible smokers to buy marijuana while keeping it out of the hands of young adults. Purchasing for a minor would be a crime just like it is for tobacco and alcohol now.

Most of the people who want marijuana to remain illegal are parents. They don’t want their children to play around with marijuana because some studies have shown that it may lead to other drug use. Erich Goode, Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook wrote is his book, Drugs in American Society, that “Marijuana users find the experience of becoming intoxicated on the drug unexciting, banal, and less pleasurable; hence he turns to more potent drugs to achieve the high he initially felt, but can no longer achieve, with marijuana” (Goode). Unfortunately the United States National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that “Marijuana does not cause people to use hard drugs. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the United States today. Therefore, people who have used heroine, cocaine, and LSD are likely to have used marijuana. Most marijuana users never use any other illegal drug…marijuana is a terminus rather than a gateway drug” (Myths and Facts). This means that there is no physical evidence that marijuana leads to other drug use. Marijuana does not provoke the user to get high using another drug. Not all marijuana smokers use hard drugs, but some people who do use hard drugs have used marijuana.

Studies conducted about marijuana and mental health done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that there is “an association between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and schizophrenia” (Marijuana and Mental Health). However the British medical journal Lancet (the world’s leading general medical journal) has made the conclusion that “the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health” (Myths and Facts). The National Institute on Drug Abuse also states that no one has ever died due to marijuana use. These studies show that marijuana is not as harmful as some people say.

Joining groups like NORML or the MLO will help them promote their statement and achieve their goal. Having many people support these groups will show the government that there are many people who want marijuana to be legal. Hopefully, a law will be passed and the responsible smokers will be able to smoke in peace.

Works Cited

“BalancedPolitics.org – Legalization of Marijuana (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against).” BalancedPolitics.org – Free Balanced, Non-Partisan Discussion of Political & Social. Ed. Joe Messerli. 04 July 2008. 22 Apr. 2009 <http://www.balancedpolitics.org/marijuana_legalization.htm>.

“Costs of Marijuana Prohibition: Economic Analysis.” Budgetary Implications of Marijuana, Prohibition in the United States. Marijuana Policy Project. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/>.

“FAQ’s – NORML.” Marijuana Law Reform – NORML. 29 Mar. 2009. 22 Apr. 2009 <http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3418#question1>.

Goode, Erich. “Does Marijuana Lead to Dangerous Drugs?” DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://www.druglibrary.org/special/goode/goode2.htm>.

“Marijuana and Mental Health.” National Institute on Drug Abuse. 06 May 2009. 7 May 2009 <http://www.drugabuse.gov/>.

Marijuana Legalization Organization. 2007. 30 Apr. 2009 <http://mjlegal.org/index.html>.

“Marijuana Myths.” Legalization of marijuana – PureTHC.com. 22 Apr. 2009 <http://www.legalizationofmarijuana.com/>.

“Myths and Facts About Marijuana.” Drug Policy Alliance Network: Alternatives to Marijuana Prohibition and the Drug War. 2009. 9DPA Network. 22 Apr. 2009 <http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/>.