Stigma Regarding Marijuana Use Goes Beyond Stoner Stereotypes

Weed is legal in California, but smokers still face a lot of hidden consequences to using a now-legal substance in addition to the stigma that follows cannabis. People have lost their homes and jobs due to the simple fact that they use recreational or medical marijuana. The legalization of marijuana is often related to alcohol, so for the sake of making a point, let’s refer to marijuana as alcohol.

            Friday nights are for relaxing with friends and sharing a beer on your day off from work. The best way to enjoy the weekend is to have a couple of drinks either with dinner or at a bar. Alcohol is legal so why should drinking on the weekend have any impact on your work life or overall reputation. However, even in states where recreational or medical marijuana are legal, users can still be penalized by some private institutions. According to an article published in the Los Angeles Times, "Private arenas can prohibit possession of marijuana in their own rules. For example, a Staples Center spokeswoman said cannabis and use of the drug are prohibited inside the venue. A spokeswoman for the Honda Center said the venue was nonsmoking and that marijuana was not permitted at the arena." So while recreational marijuana may now be legal in California, if you live in an apartment complex, your landlords can still make their own rules similar to employers by enforcing a zero-tolerance drug policy. These rules are mostly in place so that employers can be sure that their employees are not under the influence while at work.

            There is a stigma that revolves around marijuana users, especially those who use it recreationally. People who use marijuana are seen as "stoners," this is the stereotype that accompanies cannabis use. However, those who use it medically are usually mixed into this group as well. In fact, according to a 2015 article in the New York Post, "The Colorado worker, Brandon Coats, is a quadriplegic who was fired by Dish Network after failing a 2010 drug test…. The company agreed that Coats wasn’t high on the job but said it has a zero-tolerance drug policy.

"Coats was paralyzed in a car crash as a teenager and has been a medical marijuana patient since 2009, when he discovered that pot helped to calm down any violent muscle spasms. He was a telephone operator with Dish for three years before he failed a random drug test in 2010 and was fired. He said he told his supervisors in advance that he probably would fail the test." Even in 2015, when recreational marijuana had been legalized in Colorado, Coats still could not get his job back because according to an article by the New York Post, "The Colorado Constitution specifically states that employers don’t have to amend their policies to accommodate employees’ marijuana use." So just because the state legalizes marijuana, those considered to be private institutions such as employers, landlords, and public and private schools can make their own policies. Which is why students cannot smoke marijuana in dorm rooms, even though they live there. Schools are still allowed to create their own policies forbidding students to smoke in their dorms.

There is a stigma that follows marijuana use in these institutions that is the reason for these laws’ existence. The reason stated that marijuana use is not allowed in the workplace is for the sake of safety in the workplace, according to an article by the Los Angeles Times. The stipulation is that those who smoke marijuana are therefore considered to be unsafe in the workplace. The same can be said about those who smoke marijuana in their own homes, whether that’s an apartment or a dorm room, they are considered to be unsafe in their communities and therefore undesirable tenants. A large portion of marijuana users are simply reaping the medical benefits of the plant and should not lose their homes or jobs for trying to treat an illness.

The stigma that surrounds marijuana users, however, will most likely die down sooner or later. Similar to how the stigma around alcohol consumption eventually faded away to a point where coworkers can share stories about their drunken weekends together. Surely marijuana will no longer be stigmatized, although it may take another decade, it will be worth it for those who wish to finally relax in peace.