There’s a new course on the schedule at Florida Gulf Coast University this semester that might raise a few eyebrows called "Weed: The impact of marijuana on American life." Its syllabus opens with the following statement: “First things first -- this class does not teach: How to cultivate marijuana; how to consume marijuana; how to distribute marijuana; or how to commit any illegal activity. What this course does teach is a multi-faceted examination of the major impact a simple plant has had on American culture.”
Pot has come a long way in this culture, from the days of Reefer Madness in the 1930s, the war on drugs begun in the 1970s during the Nixon administration, through today where more than 30 states have legalized some form of marijuana use, for both medicinal and recreational reasons. We’re joined by the two people teaching this new class: Dr. Martha Rosenthal, Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology at FGCU, and Sam Walch, and Integrated Studies instructor Sam Walch.
