Legalization of Recreational Marijuana & Adolescents in California

The Social Impact of Legalization of Recreational Marijuana on Adolescents in California Name Institution/ Affiliation Date Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Introduction PAGEREF _Toc4868623 \h 1Problem statement PAGEREF _Toc4868624 \h 1Literature review PAGEREF _Toc4868625 \h 2Methodology PAGEREF _Toc4868626 \h 4Data collection. PAGEREF _Toc4868627 \h 4Sampling PAGEREF _Toc4868628 \h 5Proposal Budget PAGEREF _Toc4868629 \h 5Ethical consideration PAGEREF _Toc4868630 \h 6References PAGEREF _Toc4868631 \h 7 Introduction Drug and substance consumption has increased all over the world, with an estimate of twenty million people in more than 120 countries been affected. The sequence around production, intake, and administration of the illicit drugs has rapidly improved. These rapid changes have been recorded in developing countries involving more significant populations such as Asia and Latin America. For instance, many Europe countries experienced waves of heroin consumption between the 1960s and 1990s (De & Estrada, 2015). The trends to consumption keep increasing with the emergence of new drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. Typically, these illicit drugs have played an integral role in the emergence and development of social and economic problems in communities. In the United States, multiple studies have been established to examine the social, physiological, and medical impacts of marijuana since its legalization in Washington and Colorado in the past seven years. Currently, nine states have legalized marijuana, and the number is expected to increase in the future. Studies in the past have established similarity of adverse effects from state to state (Caulkins, 2015). Problem statement Heated confusion and misinformation around the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana has been a subject of debate. Although these concepts are not similar, different people have found it hard to differentiate between the two aspects. Whereas legalizations account for the use of cannabis in the confines of the law, decriminalization means the illicit trafficking and consumption. In November 2012, Washington and Colorado's voters unanimously supported the certification of marijuana. However, the states only authorize recreational marijuana to persons older than twenty-one years. As a result, licensed retail marijuana shops have been established (Caulkins, 2015). Since then, nine more states have authorized the practices in their land among them California. Although researchers have confirmed the legalization have led to various social benefits related to social justice, crime, and public health in medical marijuana, increased drawbacks have emerged among the adolescents who have found their way in the gaps (Jones, 2019). Therefore, the study seeks to examine the social effects in the legalization of recreational marijuana to adolescents in the state of California. Literature review Available information submits that drug and substance among the young people is narrowed to a small minority who experiment with illicit drugs at an early age. Further, evidence suggests that youths who use such substances in the old generations are more likely to develop drug problems later in life, such as addiction and cognitive ailments (Vaughn et ...