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Well-Educated/Wealthy People Who Smoke Marijuana Regularly 

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Well-Educated/Wealthy People Who Smoke Marijuana Regularly 

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I chose to focus on the deviance found in well-educated and wealthy people who smoke weed regularly. In our society, we measure success by degrees, but furthermore wealth. Typically, when society thinks about ‘potheads’ it is targeted toward those who are uneducated and impoverished; typically labeled as having no future and going nowhere with their lives. Therefore, well-educated/wealthy who are ‘potheads’ break the stereotypes of who smokes weed and can be seen as deviant. As the use of marijuana is increasing, it is important to continue the discussion on the uses of marijuana and look at scientific research rather than going with the preconceived notion that smoking weed is entirely wrong and that only the uneducated and impoverished do so.

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When talking about the well-educated/wealthy people who chose to smoke weed of the ABCs, Behavior can be most commonly applied.  Due to the nature of smoking weed being a choice and intentionally used for recreational purposes a majority of the time, behavior is most common.

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When viewing wealthy/well-educated people who smoke marijuana it’s best to view it from a social constructionist/relativist conception. The most important reason for this is that smoking weed is not inherently deviant. There is much debate about whether smoking weed is acceptable or if it should even be fully legalized. According to Gallup, 17% of Americans smoked weed in 2023 while only 11% smoked weed in 2011. The most important evidence that these statistics provide is that Americans' view on the acceptance of smoking weed is changing rapidly and there may be no concrete set of norms surrounding this behavior. In regards to strain theory, it may be possible that there is no clear set of norms regarding this issue across America. As of Nov 2023, marijuana is legalized to some extent in nearly half of American states, clearly, this deviance holds a clear divide in what is acceptable and what is not.

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Although I don’t agree with the negative stigma surrounding smoking weed, I would say that the stigma and acts of well educated/wealthy people who smoke weed does have a negative impact on society. According to the Association for Psychological Science those who smoke weed regularly, “..ended up in a lower social class than their parents, with lower-paying, less skilled and less prestigious jobs than those who were not regular cannabis smokers,” (Association for Psychological Science). A question could be raised of are there less wealthy people who smoke weed because they chose not to smoke weed, or are there less wealthy people who smoke weed because they are removed from the higher class? Either way, the stigma negatively affects the income class of those who smoke weed as they are denied by employers of high-paying jobs and therefore in turn make less money, and move into lower income classes.

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The stigma that can be most associated with the well-educated/wealthy who smoke weed is blemishes of individual character. When weed was becoming more popular in the United States, the stigma that surrounded those who used weed were criminals who not only illegally smoked weed, but who also stole, raped, and murdered (Ivanov). Although these preconceived notions have lessened, the stigma that follows them remains. This stigma is so strong towards personal character that it can affect the job opportunities of those who smoke weed. It is possible that the stigma is so strong that employers deny job opportunities to applicants if they know that the applicant smokes weed. This may be why college graduates are only half as likely to smoke weed as those without a college degree (Gallup). It could be inferred that those with college degrees don’t want to risk the time and money that they put into their degrees and waste job opportunities to simply get high. Due to this, well-educated/wealthy people remain in the minority when it comes to people who smoke weed. This stigma may be discredited or discreditable and that is entirely up to the one who is being deviant. If the well-educated/wealthy person who is smoking weed is able to hide their behavior and pass it is likely that the deviance would remain unknown. The process of this, in Goffman’s terms, is known as normalization and would likely result in passing. This would mean that the behavior is a discreditable stigma. On the other hand, some might be unable to pass and therefore their stigma would become discredited as it would be known by those around them.

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“10 Key Reasons Why People Smoke Marijuana.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/finding-a-new-home/202110/10-key-reasons-why-people-smoke-marijuana. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.

“Amanda Reiman, Phd, Founder of Personal Plants.” Interview, 18 Aug. 2023, www.onlineeducation.com/women-breaking-barriers/interviews/amanda-reiman.

Goffman. Erving, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. New York: Touchstone
(Reissue edition). 1986. 2 ISBN: 978-06716224422

“High Times: The Evolution of the Stigma on Marijuana and Attempts to Tear It Down.” Lake Forest College, www.lakeforest.edu/news/high-times-the-evolution-of-the-stigma-on-marijuana-and-attempts-to-tear-it-down#:~:text=Due%20to%20the%20psychoactive%20properties,Blaszcak%2DBoxe%2C%202014). Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.

“Long-Term Pot Use Linked to Financial, Social Problems in Midlife.” Association for Psychological Science - APS, 4 Apr. 2016, www.psychologicalscience.org/publications/observer/obsonline/long-term-pot-use-linked-to-financial-social-problems-in-midlife.html#:~:text=A%20research%20study%20that%20followed,were%20not%20regular%20cannabis%20smokers.

What Percentage of Americans Smoke Marijuana?, news.gallup.com/poll/284135/percentage-americans-smoke-marijuana.aspx. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.

Where Is Marijuana Legal? A Guide to Marijuana Legalization, www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/where-is-marijuana-legal-a-guide-to-marijuana-legalization. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.

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Selection is the S that can most commonly be applied to the deviance found in well-educated/wealthy individuals who choose to smoke weed. According to Psychology Today, 38% of those who smoke marijuana do so for recreational purposes. Reasons for the well-educated to smoke marijuana include enjoyment, conformity, curiosity, boredom, and stress relief. Due to these reasons and statistics, smoking marijuana is typically a choice with intention. Due to the choice nature of smoking weed and how it does not physically save any lives, it is selection.

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While looking for research regarding how well educated/wealthy people smoke weed view their own behavior, it was near impossible to find any remarks made by those individuals. This raises the question of why these individuals have no research in regards to their deviance? Could it be that they are fearful of letting their deviance become known in fear of losing their positions or jobs as discussed in Blemished Individual Character portion of this assignment? Despite the lack of research likely due to the stigma surrounding smoking weed, Dr. Amanda Reiman expresses her personal experiences with smoking weed online. It is important to pay attention to what Dr. Reiman says as someone with a PhD which is a highly respectable degree in our society that typically pays well and shows success. Dr. Reiman explains that she smokes weed to ease her anxiety, more specifically when it comes to separation of herself from her work. Furthermore, Dr. Reiman goes further into explanation of her marijuana use when she explains that she used marijuana to ease chronic pain. She explains that when she started to use weed it was illegal, but she felt a need so strong to use marijuana that she began to illegally grow her own weed. Most importantly, Dr. Reiman wanted to change how society views substance use. Dr. Reiman does not particularly regard her behavior as deviant, and in fact advocates for it to not be seen as such. However, it is important to note that while doing so she reminds her followers that smoking weed does come with risk and that she encourages a ‘balanced’ relationship with cannabis.