cannabisnews.com: Marijuana: From Psychedelic To Grunge 










  Marijuana: From Psychedelic To Grunge 

Posted by CN Staff on May 23, 2003 at 10:18:55 PT
By Farhan Shakeel - Daily Staff Writer 
Source: Oklahoma Daily 

The '60s were the age of youth, as 70 million children from the post-war baby boom became teenagers and young adults. The movement radically departed from the conservative '50s to revolutionary ways of thinking and transformation in the cultural fabric of American life. The changes in this decade affected education, values, laws and entertainment that continue to evolve today.
During the '60s, college campuses became centers of debate and scenes of protests. Baby boomers, reaching draft age but not yet voting age, caused a struggle played out on many campuses as the country became involved in the Vietnam War. "In the '60s, my generation was more involved in politics and protests about things going on during that time like the war in Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement," said Harold Grasmick, professor of sociology.Rock music became the most important medium for defining and coalescing the new hippie aesthetic. The style that emerged with the brilliant, swirling colors and hallucinogenic imagery was termed "psychedelic." Bob Dylan showed how meaningful songs with surrealist imagery could be wedded to popular music. Though he was one of the few artists who did not jump on the psychedelic bandwagon, his revolutionary efforts inspired countless bands who did. The first psychedelic bands came from San Francisco: The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and others. Soon after, the aesthetic spread to musical groups in New York and England, where the Beatles and the Rolling Stones began producing albums with overtly psychedelic cover art.One of the major social changes brought about by this decade was the widespread use of illicit drugs, primarily the hallucinogens, marijuana and LSD. "When I came to OU in 1973, pot was widely available and astoundingly inexpensive, and you would see colleges students smoking it around Lloyd Noble," said David Gross, associate professor in English. "Pot mainly came from Mexico when I was teaching here, and a pound sold for $100."By the mid-'60s, marijuana use was common across the country, especially among the young. Books were written to explain or vilify this phenomenon, and many others to justify the use of these drugs. Proponents looked to religious ceremonies of Native Americans, referencing marijuana use for spiritual and medicinal purposes in ancient texts. "I consider this period to be an enduring sign of freedom, and marijuana use is a small part of larger issues during that time," said Gross. "The '60s produced great literature, intellectual and scientific achievements and music."Who were the hippies? Young men with long hair and beards, young women dressing like peasants and wearing psychedelic colors. All of them seemed dirty, drugged and disrespectful of their elders and society at large. Generally, they dropped out of college, started up rock bands, lived in communes and traveled to the far reaches of the planet. "I'm an aging hippie and consider the word to be positive in representing the last 50 years of American culture," Gross said. "There are several stereotypes in movies that are simply untrue." Woodstock, billed as "Three Days of Peace and Music," drew 450,000 people to celebrate communal spirit and listen to popular rock acts of the day. The festival commenced in 1969 with attendees causing traffic jams, logistical nightmares, shortages of food and medical supplies and potential problems of crowd control. The music was almost nonstop, the rains came, drug use was widespread, yet somehow it all worked. Woodstock came to symbolize all that was right and good about the hippie movement, but also that the movement was to be short-lived. Three decades later, looking back on the "psychedelic '60s," it's Woodstock that first comes to mind. By the 1960s, the great majority of Americans were sending a very different and powerful cultural message: drugs and altered states of mind were part of being hip, social rebels. In 1972, a bipartisan commission appointed by President Nixon called for the decriminalization of marijuana--a recommendation that Nixon rejected. Nevertheless, eleven states decriminalized marijuana in the 1970s. When many of the 76 million baby boomers embraced not just drugs, but also dealing and trafficking, the drug culture exploded.In contrast, the '90s youth began with grunge on one hand and preppie on the other. Most of today's college students were born to parents who grew up in the '60s. Today, the hip-hop style is popular, boys' jeans have grown bigger and bigger, worn low on the hips. Girls wear lowriders, bellbottoms and poor-boy tops reminiscent of the '70s. The potency of marijuana has doubled since the 1970s because of efficient methods of cultivation, harvesting and processing, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA's report indicated that marijuana users in college were often white and single, and preferred spending more time at parties or socializing with friends and less time studying. Also, marijuana smokers engaged in other high-risk behaviors such as binge drinking and cigarette-smoking. The majority did not believe religion and community service were important. "The present climate of marijuana use among college students is ridiculous," said Gross. "People shouldn't do it because of the penalty involved and the damage it can do to your records."Due to the diversity of the '90s, individuality among the youth became a very confusing affair. Jocks started listening to metal, cheerleaders got into drugs, and nerds pretended they were hip by listening to a lot of indie rock. Aside from depleting the brain's supply of seratonin and severely damaging vital organs, marijuana inspired more bad music and all-night love fests than the Grateful Dead and Phish combined. One thing is clear: the widespread use of marijuana on campuses is alive and well in spite of its unpleasant side effects and health risks, not to mention the legal ramifications that accompany getting busted with a little herbal refreshment.Note: The culture of weed has gradually evolved through the decades. Note: "Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me -- In the jingle-jangle morning I'll come followin' you -- Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship -- My senses have been stripped -- My hands can't feel to grip," sang Bob Dylan on his 1964 hit single, "Mr. Tambourine Man." Source: Oklahoma Daily, The (OK Edu)Author: Farhan Shakeel - Daily Staff WriterPublished: May 22, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Oklahoma DailyContact: news daily.ou.eduWebsite: http://www.oudaily.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Twilight of Hippiedom http://freedomtoexhale.com/gaskin.htmWhat's News in Drug Policy Reformhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/whatsnew.htmFlower Staying-Power - ABCNews.comhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12956.shtmlCannabisNews - Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #10 posted by billos on May 24, 2003 at 03:04:45 PT:
Quote
"The present climate of marijuana use among college students is ridiculous," said Gross. "People shouldn't do it because of the penalty involved and the damage it can do to your records."The quote by Professor Gross is exactly how the fedz want people to think. In the America I used to know, this would have read:"The present climate of marijuana use among college students is so pervasive and acceptable that it is a classic case of majority rules. Hence the penalties involved and the damage it can do to your records implicitly shows that the punishment truly exceeds the weight of the crime. These penalties should be amended immediately."
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Comment #9 posted by global_warming on May 23, 2003 at 17:05:18 PT:
Re:Reverend_Happy
In defense of the good reverend,
You knew you might hear from me,Sometimes you have to stop and ask yourself,
Why does it feel so good to get wasted?
You know its bad, you know that tomorrow,
You will still have your problems,
Tomorrow you will have to face the world,
Along with all your baggage and soul,
Ah yes, there is no soul,
But remember, all the religions,
Have gathered and are sustained,
By the belief that we are souls,
That through some mystery in this world,
We Must carry the burden of understanding,
Knowing of injustice, is our curse,
Our cross that we carry,
Beyond our death, into the starry night....To hate 'the druggies" is to hate the sinner. They do not need be punished, but given hope...Hope is so often forgotten, especially to the hopeless,
The addicted souls are looking for food,
They have looked into the mirror,
They have seen the depth of deprivation,How many of us are starved,
Starved spiritually,
Denied the touch of Love,
From breath's first moment,
Mishandled and placed,
On cold and sterile machines,
That save us the blood and mess of birth,The point that I try to make,
Is that so much of this world,
Lives in despair, a despair that straddles,
History and culture,
Poor and Rich, reach for forgetfullness,
To forget the day, when Life and Breath,
Brought awareness of this foul world.I stand for the abolition of prohibition,
Do not make a bad situation worse,
If that is your only contribution to this world,
Do not make a bad situation worse,Do not take a health problem,
Into the legal system
Do not feed upon desparate souls,
Souls that are escaping from the foul world that you make,I know that someday,
Your deeds will be questioned,
The angels that minister to God,
Shall illuminate your soul,
Revealing your betrayal,
To the brotherhood of the Son of Man.gw
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by FoM on May 23, 2003 at 14:16:01 PT
freedom fighter
You have a Happy Memorial Day weekend too. We are staying off the roads. They have the state police out in full force pulling people over left and right. I don't even want to get caught up in that mess. Staying home will be just fine with us.
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Comment #7 posted by freedom fighter on May 23, 2003 at 14:12:56 PT
And
Gross called hisself an old hippie??phew!pazffPS)Happy Memorial weekend, please have a safe fun weekend.. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by Prime on May 23, 2003 at 12:57:29 PT
My records??
"The present climate of marijuana use among college students is ridiculous," said Gross. "People shouldn't do it because of the penalty involved and the damage it can do to your records."Thats why I switched to CD's many years ago. Whew! Glad I'm not exposed to the damaged record syndrome.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on May 23, 2003 at 12:16:30 PT
RevHappy
I was offended by the title so I shortened it. 
[ Post Comment ]

 


Comment #4 posted by Lehder on May 23, 2003 at 12:12:09 PT

the sixties come to Oklahoma
 Well, that's the report for OK City, and one day they'll be hearing about marijuana in Muskogee too. Nothing can stop it.
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Comment #3 posted by RevHappy on May 23, 2003 at 12:02:46 PT:

Speaking Of Jesus...
As a Rev, you might think I'd preach more, but y'know, I think prayer, sex, and pot smoking are private, communal things, not to be touted publicly for gain. Anyways, this is as close as I get:So one day I was thinking about Jesus. Im not into Jesus as more then a signpost,(as Buddah sez, he is the finger that points to the moon). In the situation of pot, WWJD?Would he support corruption, violence, and greed in imprisonment? Would he support peace and love and wisdom? Thank Jah Im not Jesus. But Buddah reached enlightenment after reportedly eating a hemp seed a day for a period of years.And now that seed is illegal. It wasn't the seed, r the flowers, or the stalks of the plant that enlightened Buddah, but for mind, body and soul, they helped. The fibers kept him warm and dry, the seed made him fat, and the incense burned often in his censures.There is discrimination everywhere, and to focus on all catholics as child molestors is the same is all Rasta's are prostitutes. recognize gross statements for what they are:bigotry.To hate 'the druggies" is to hate the sinner. They do not need be punished, but given hope. Then your talking about 10% of the total. All the people who live NORML lives go unreported. Then there are those who are caught, who lose jobs, property, and freedom, as well as children and sometimes their lives for a war on a herb that belongs, TRUELY BELONGS in the temple.Please reconsider your well placed slander against a majority of the population. Jah gave us weed, she said "It is GOOD", hate the sin, help the sinner. Dont blame a herb.

Free Weed!
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Comment #2 posted by WolfgangWylde on May 23, 2003 at 11:54:29 PT

Jesus...
I haven't seen such an off the mark piece in quite some time, and that's saying something. Sounds like it was written by Sgt. Joe Friday.
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Comment #1 posted by Virgil on May 23, 2003 at 10:27:36 PT

"The '60s were the age of youth"
Yeah, we got the prohibitionists Popeye. Now, what would a reformer have Popeye eat to make him strong? The same thing that made the guy want all them hamburgers.
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