Project Narrative Journal – Iesha Carson

Iesha Carson is a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. This research paper was written for Professor Carrie Mier’s CJUS P300, Addicted to Justice, in Fall 2020.  Professor Mier notes: “This is such a cool project – Iesha lives close to the Illinois boarder and wondered about perceptions of legality for cannabis between our states. She designed a super cool Survey Monkey survey and had some great data feedback. Creative and excellently done project during the time of COVID!” 

Project Narrative Journal

~ What path did you end up selecting for this project? What were your motivations for selecting this path?

I chose to go with the Data Analyst path. I chose this path because I prefer to work alone, and I felt that I do well with data and numbers, but this could also be a good way to get better. My motivations for selecting this path was mainly to learn. Although I fully support my project’s goal, I must admit that it is not of a huge importance in my day to day life.

~ Describe the project idea you had to fulfill your path in-depth and the strategy you implemented.

I read an article a couple of months ago after marijuana was legalized in Illinois that talked about how excited people were so much so that residents in surrounding states were traveling to make purchases. It got me wondering just how many people support marijuana and would do the same.

I decided to make a survey using Survey Monkey to ask people how they feel about marijuana and the legalization of it.

The questions were as followed:

1. Have you ever used marijuana?
2. Do you currently use marijuana?
3. Is marijuana legal where you live?
4. If not, do you wish it was?
5. If marijuana is illegal where you live, would you cross state lines to purchase it from a legal state?
6. If marijuana was legal where you live, would you try it?
7. Do you feel marijuana should be legal nationally?
8. What is your overall opinion about marijuana?
9. What is your gender?
10. How old are you?

~ What were your expectations regarding this project (accomplishments, outcomes, results?)

First, I was a bit unsure of how many responses I would get simply because marijuana is still illegal in many places so some people may not feel safe expressing opinions about it. Also, some people just do not want to be associated with marijuana talk because of the negative stigma it still has.

As far as results, I expected them to concur with the article I read. I figured nearly all the participants would support marijuana legalization as well show that people will indeed travel to buy it.

~ Describe what happened with your project – what did you accomplish, what were the results, what outcomes occurred? How did this match up with your expectations?

In total, I received 61 responses to analyze, which is way more than I thought I would have gotten so that is an accomplishment in my eyes.

Of the participants, about 74% of them were female. That was new to me since I tend to associate marijuana use with men. As far as age goes, the 18-24 age group and the 25-34 age group were tied at 34.43%.

Approximately 85% of the group reported that they have used marijuana before, which does not surprise me. I think that virtually everyone will try it at least once. Only 34.43% says that they currently use it, which could be a result of several factor such as legalization or jobs. I am still shocked that the number is low since I know that many people still use it illegally.

24.59% said that they would not try marijuana if it was legal in their state. The number is low but still higher than I was expecting. 81.97% agree that marijuana should be legal nationally. This number is more along the lines of what I was planning to receive. I learned that just because someone does not mind it being illegal, does not mean they would use it. Some of those people feel it should be for medical purposes only.

The main shocker is that almost 66% reported that they would not travel across state lines to purchase marijuana if it was illegal in their home state. I expected this number to be way lower when considering the article I read. I guess supporting marijuana does not mean people are willing to possibly go to jail or get fined for it.

Overall, my expectations were met in some ways but mostly challenged.

~ What is the number one take-away from this project or what stood out to you most?

I think the main thing I took away from this project was that there are still a lot of people who oppose the legalization of marijuana. From the comments, they feel very strongly about it as well. Here are a few opposing comments:

“It affects the way the brain processes stimuli in a dramatic way, and I’m not a huge fan of that. Also, I think it can often be a gateway drug.”

“You should never smoke it”

“It’s more dangerous than we have been led to believe.”

“It’s bad”

~ What have you learned about yourself, the class, and the community as a results of this project?

This ties into my response above. I learned that my community still has mixed feelings about marijuana. While many people support the use of marijuana, some still oppose, and some believe it should only be used for medicinal purposes. Of course, you also have the group that just does not care.

~ Have your personal values, opinions, or beliefs have changed as a result of this project, and if so, what changed?

No, nothing on my end has changed due to this project. My beliefs are very concrete. Yes, people may feel that marijuana is useless or a gateway drug but so are a lot of other OTC or prescription drugs who, by the way, have been recorded causing way more deaths than marijuana. I feel that the only way marijuana is harmful is if it gets laced with something harmful. The fact that it is natural and beneficial yet illegal in so many states still, make me suspicious.

~  Did your understanding of the course and its material change as a result of this project, and if so, how did it change?

As far as the subject of drugs, this is the most involved I have ever gotten into it. Drugs are not of huge priority in my studies, not that it is not important, just other subjects’ interest me more.

I learned that that this course is more than just learning but about getting involved as well. This course forced me out of my comfort zone a bit to do so.

~ If you could do this project again, what would you do differently (if anything)? Explain.

I would pace myself better. I recognize that I tend to procrastinate and although I did better than usual, I still could have managed some of my time better.

Also, this was my first-time using Survey Monkey, so I would have gotten the upgrade sooner for all the features in hopes of getter more diverse results.

~ If you could do something similar to this project again after this class, would you? Why or why not?

I would say not but I am not entirely sure. It may depend on the topic. Although I feel strongly about marijuana legalization, I am no activist about it. I may sign a petition, but it is not a strong enough support to protest about it. So, if the topic was something I love then maybe. However, I would not if I did not have the proper connections I need for some good results. I think in the end, I would not for the sake of not meeting the expectations I would like to.

~ Lastly, complete this sentence: Because of this project, I’ve learned…

I learned about managing time, gathering data, getting involved with the community and being exposed to more diverse lines of thought, outside of what I would think, when concerning the topic of marijuana legalization.