RCL Blog 9

History of a Public Controversy Memo

Group members: Amy and Khalida 

Part 1:

Timeline

• November  7-11: meet to choose topic and prepare research
• November 14-18: prepare storyboard and memo
• November 22-29: research more and write out the script for the narration of the video, find some visuals
• November 30: discuss work from over break, start figuring out how we are going to put the video together
• December 2: start to align visuals with narration
• December 5: put all videos and photos together
• December 7: record voice over
• December 8-9: finishing touches, editing, and adding background music

 

Work Days:

• 11/07/22
  • Activities accomplished:
    • Set group roles
      • Amy: Scribe
      • Khalida: Park Ranger/Goalkeeper
    • Created a shared google drive
    • Created a timeline for how we are going to break up the project
    • Discussed possible topics
    • Narrowed our options down to three topics and conducted base-level research on each 
      • Legalization of Marijuana 
      • Abortion
      • Gun Control
  • Topic Selected: Legalization of Marijuana at the federal level
• 11/09/22
  • Activities accomplished: 
    • Brainstormed possible arguments on both sides of the controversy
    • Assigned each group member a side of the controversy to research before our next meeting 
      • Amy: against legalization
      • Khalida: in support of legalization
• 11/11/22
  • Activities accomplished: 
  • Discussed our research and sources 
    • Marijuana as a gateway drug
      • https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/risk-of-other-drugs.html#:~:text=Researchers%20disagree%20on%20whether%20marijuana,drugs%2C%20like%20cocaine%20or%20heroin.&text=However%2C%20there%20is%20limited%20evidence,risk%20of%20using%20other%20drugs. 
    • Psychological addiction and health effects 
      • https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/index.html 
      • https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/medical-marijuana-faq 
    • Driving under the influence of marijuana may increase
      • https://www.iii.org/article/background-on-marijuana-and-impaired-driving#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20crash%20rates%20could%20increase%20after%20legalization.&text=The%20five%20states%20experienced%20a,illegal%20during%20the%20study%20period. 
• 11/14/22
  • Presented TED Talks
• 11/15/22 
  • Discussed revising our topic to fit a controversy
  • Changed to: whether marijuana should be considered a Schedule 1 drug 
  • Identified a flashpoint
    • Chris Williams, a medical marijuana business owner in Montana (where medical & recreational marijuana is legal), was raided by the FBI and convicted on marijuana charges and possessing firearms during a drug trafficking offense (8 felony counts). He faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 80 years in federal prison but luckily most of his charges were dropped after a judge intervened. 
• 11/16/22 
  • Worked on storyboard
  • Set goals for upcoming weeks
    • Goal 1: write out a script for all the narration
    • Goal 2: find photos that fit narration
    • Goal 3: find video clips to include 

Part 2:

 

• Description of the controversy
• Framing questions 
• How we will historicize the controversy
• Media we plan to use to use and why

 

The controversy that we will be analyzing in our “History of a Public Controversy” video is whether marijuana should be classified as a schedule 1 drug. We will be specifically looking at the conflict that exists with state and federal laws surrounding marijuana, which makes the topic controversial. Another contributing factor that identifies this issue as a controversy is the difference in health effects and research on marijuana. There is some research that suggests there can be negative physical and psychological effects from marijuana use. However, there is also research that supports the use of marijuana medicinally which is why many states have legalized medical marijuana use. Another issue that connects to this is marijuana’s potential as a gateway drug and the stigma that surrounds it that has led to its classification as a schedule 1 drug. 

We will historicize the controversy by focusing on the historical origins of its illegalization and classification as a schedule 1 drug. Some of the specifics we will be discussing in our video include the Controlled Substances Act, Boggs Act of 1952, and the Leary v. United States case. We will also be analyzing the origins of the controversy that stem from racist origins due to the fact that marijuana was common in black and hispanic communities. One example of this is Harry Anslinger, who used fear mongering in association with cannabis to make it seem like a highly dangerous and violent drug. He also put emphasis on use of the term marijuana in order to associate it with Mexican immigrants. Nixon’s criminalization of marijuana with his war on drugs campaign also had racist ties. We will analyze this along with the mass incarceration of the black and hispanic communities that results from marijuana’s classification as a schedule 1 drug. We are planning to use a variety of photographs and graphics that are associated with the issues we are talking about to better explain our topic. In addition to this, we also plan to use video clips from other outlets in the creation of our video. 

 

Framing Questions: 

1. Should marijuana be classified as a schedule 1 drug?
2. What ties does marijuana have with racism and the oppression hispanic and black communities in the United States?
3. What are the effects of conflicting laws on marijuana use between the state and federal level? 
4. What conflicting medical evidence further instigates the controversy of marijuana’s classification as a schedule 1 drug?
5. Based on the research done regarding marijuana, should it be fully legalized?
6. Should there be mandatory sentencing for marijuana related crimes?