Students share views on Prop. 19

The 1936 film “Reefer Madness,” which was created to deter students from using marijuana, tells the story of young adults getting into car accidents, committing murder, suicide and rape and ultimately descending into insanity as a result of marijuana use.

Becoming a cult classic for its unintentional humor, the film failed to prevent students from drug use when it was released, and it has yet to change many students’ opinions on marijuana in 2010.
In fact, people aged 18 through 39 comprise the largest supporters of Proposition 19, with 59 percent planning to vote in support of it in November, according to a recent field poll.

Brent Gaisford, a second-year economics student and co-president of the Roosevelt Institution at UCLA, said younger people are generally more open to the idea of the proposition.

The Roosevelt Institution, a public policy think tank, will co-host an on-campus debate on the proposition with Bruin Democrats and Bruin Republicans on Tuesday.