Project 4-20

... 4-20, the day of major marijuana madness, is the topic for our class-wide project. Special thanks to Prof. Rick Stevens for suggesting the subject. I think it will be important and informative to do an in-depth journalistic examination and bring together many elements into one high-quality package.

Potential topics:

1. Video interview, or day-in-the-life, of someone who works at or owns a MMJ dispensary. I think many people who do not have their medical marijuana cards or who have never been inside of a dispensary (like myself) would not know what it's like to work in or be in one of those facilities. I'm not sure how friendly they will be to having a student journalist with a camera in their dispensary, but if so, I think it's a great opportunity. 

2. Juxtapose two different types of people who take part in the 4-20 "celebration." One will be a regular marijuana smoker, one will be a first-timer or someone who does it only occasionally. See what their lives are like, what they do for the day, how they are different ... Also maybe try to find statistics or do some sort of investigation into how many people are just recreational/occasional users versus regular users.

3. Do an interview with Boulder Police and ask them about what type of impact 4-20 has on the community, if there is more violence or more crime in general, and how have the MMJ dispensaries impacted Boulder more broadly other than just for 4-20. 

4. Go to the psychological/substance abuse services on campus or in the community and try to do an investigative piece on the real affect of marijuana on individuals. Is it really a "gateway" drug? Maybe we could do some sort of animation or interactive diagram of what weed does to the brain. 

And an extra for good luck: 

5. A historical look at the prohibition of marijuana in the United States. What were the reasons why marijuana became such a taboo, as opposed to cigarettes and alcohol?