Group Discussion, 11/10

The discussion topic for of my discussion was the question of the legalization of marijuana in the U.S. Specifically I focused on California's Prop 19, which would have legalized pot in the state for casual use. It was voted against by a margin of 54% to 46%. I thought this was a really interesting topic because there are so many different takes on marijuana. Some people support it claiming that it is not as harmful as the government claims and that it stimulates the economy (especially in the case of California), as it brings in much needed income. And of course others are against pot, saying that the drug makes people lazy, overly relaxed and ineffective. We also looked at other places in the world where marijuana has been legalized (i.e., Amsterdam) and their drug policies. Even in Amsterdam where pot has been legal (under certain circumstances) for awhile, the Dutch government has decreased the number of 'coffee houses' from 75 to 35 in the past few years. The beginning of the discussion was a little slow, as most of the audience didn't know what Prop 19 was. As time went on, it became apparent that the audience had some strong views on the topic. Some people went as far as to share some of their personal experiences with the rest of the class. The brief video clip of Oaksterdam University that I shared at the beginning definitely helped the audience understand what California's stance on marijuana is like at the moment. I also think that comparing pot to alcohol was a good idea because in a way they are similar drugs but the laws governing them are totally different. Overall, I thought I did a good job of initiating the conversation and keeping it flowing. I was confident with the material and knew my arguments. I think the outline sort of restricted the potential of the discussion. If it had been more open-ended with the audience generating the questions themselves, it might have been more interesting.