Deviant Behavior

Deviant Behavior Accepted

In Amsterdam, it is legal to smoke marijuana in certain shops and California legalizes medical marijuana but it cannot be smoked in public. Living in Minnesota, it is illegal to smoke marijuana. According to Parloff (2009), “California permits doctors to ‘recommend’ marijuana use for patients who suffer from specific serious diseases.” However, some doctors are recommending marijuana for “anxiety, headache, premenstrual syndrome, and trouble sleeping, as well as writer’s block” (Parloff, 2009). Allowing the use of marijuana as a medical necessity makes the use acceptable. Because the patients need marijuana to relieve their symptoms, using marijuana is not deviant. Minnesota does not allow the use or distribution of marijuana because of the classification of the drug.

California is interested in cracking down on the illegal distribution of marijuana by taxing businesses and changing the perception of the drug. The legal use, sale, and distribution of marijuana are being carefully guarded with education and changes in the policy. If the state and communities cannot regulate marijuana use, the communities will disintegrate into gangs and drugs as we have in Minnesota. Minnesota is against the use of marijuana for any purposes because it is difficult to regulate, which only increases the illegal use, sale, and distribution of the drug. According to Fitch (2009), “Las Angeles street crime has dropped precipitously.” Crime rates in Minnesota continue to climb as the ban against drugs increases. When comparing Los Angeles, California to Minneapolis, Minnesota; Minnesota shows a two to four percent increase on violent and property crime rates over California. The ban on marijuana use increases illegal activity as people will use, sell, or manufacture marijuana to increase their wealth. Depending on how marijuana is used, distributed or manufactured determines if it is deviant or acceptable.

If the person committing a crime is powerful or popular (such as a movie star), that person will receive a lesser punishment for the crime compared to a person who has less money or less of a status. The belief is that those with money can afford a lawyer to get them out of trouble because they are a star and they help society. Many influential people will receive treatment or a community-based service as retribution to society. Others who commit the same crime may have to serve time in prison, pay a large fine, or both.