Over the last forty years, each decade has played host to a new form of popular, illegal narcotic. These drugs came into mass popularity based on the political, social, and economic factors surrounding the time. The political factors that existed in the 1960's made marijuana the most popular drug of the time. LSD was made popular in the 1970's because of a social factor that existed. The 1980's were a time of economic boom.
Because people had more money, they were looking for a more intense and expensive high. This made cocaine the new drug of choice. The 1990's have shown that history may repeat itself. Now in our society, marijuana has comeback to its popular status because of a social issue that exists today.
The political platforms of the 1960's provided perfect timing for marijuana to reach mainstream society. With outspoken individuals like John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Martin Luther King Jr.
and Malcolm X people began to stop, and think about issues of equality, peace and love. This created an ideal mind set for the introduction of marijuana.
Marijuana is a mixture of small leaves, stems, and seeds of the female hemp plant. "THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the active component of the plant, which brings on the high"ÃÂ(How to tell if your kids are using drugs, Dimoff, Timothy, and Steve Caeper). Many users define the high as " intensifying all aspects of life (listening to music, eating, watching television)"ÃÂ (http://www.druglibrary.org/special/novak/high_culture1.htm,William Novak). It makes the user feel " relaxed, free, creative, and outside the normal restraints of time, and space"ÃÂ (Boyd, Neil, High Society). Marijuana's most common effects occur in the mind of the user. " Ideas may flow more quickly, and the smoker may find himself thinking more imaginatively and perhaps gaining a new perspective on a familiar scene or...