The changing social constructions of marijuana users.
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom A
Start Date
17-5-2012
End Date
17-5-2012
Abstract
The social construction of marijuana users and the effects of marijuana have been undergoing a continual process of definition and redefinition across time. According to public opinion polls, the attitudes and perceptions regarding marijuana have grown more favorable over the last eight decades. Public opinion has many potential influences including government, news media, and mass media. This research focuses on the how changing perceptions of marijuana have been reflected in the mass media (movies and documentaries) and the real world similarities in society. Relying on several sources, I have compiled a nearly comprehensive listing of 817 films produced from 1934 to 2011 that contain some reference to marijuana. These films were coded in terms of how they framed marijuana and its effects according to four classifications (favorable, unfavorable, both, and neutral). I have organized these representations by year of release and then linked this information to the dates of relevant public opinion polls regarding marijuana and important legislative events. The data show there is a potential correlation between these films and their effect on public opinion and policies regarding medical and recreational uses of marijuana.
Recommended Citation
Grimmer, Brian, "The changing social constructions of marijuana users." (2012). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 47.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2012/posters/47
Poster Number
30
Additional Mentoring Department
Sociology
The changing social constructions of marijuana users.
SURC Ballroom A
The social construction of marijuana users and the effects of marijuana have been undergoing a continual process of definition and redefinition across time. According to public opinion polls, the attitudes and perceptions regarding marijuana have grown more favorable over the last eight decades. Public opinion has many potential influences including government, news media, and mass media. This research focuses on the how changing perceptions of marijuana have been reflected in the mass media (movies and documentaries) and the real world similarities in society. Relying on several sources, I have compiled a nearly comprehensive listing of 817 films produced from 1934 to 2011 that contain some reference to marijuana. These films were coded in terms of how they framed marijuana and its effects according to four classifications (favorable, unfavorable, both, and neutral). I have organized these representations by year of release and then linked this information to the dates of relevant public opinion polls regarding marijuana and important legislative events. The data show there is a potential correlation between these films and their effect on public opinion and policies regarding medical and recreational uses of marijuana.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Nelson Pichardo, Karen Francis-McWhite, Ian Buvit