PROPOSITION 2 1

Proposition 2

Christopher Vargas

Salt Lake Community College

Proposition 2 2

Proposition 2

The living room contains a coffee table, sofa, chairs, and bookshelves. On the wall are

many photos of marijuana and the uses of medical marijuana. There are different newspaper

articles on the top of a well-designed table in the Living room. Two headlines on the front pages

of some of the newspaper articles read: “Medical Marijuana legislation.” Some headlines of

other newspapers are invisible as each article is piled on the polished table. The issue of medical

marijuana legislation in Utah has been publicized by the media, with many newspapers

supporting the initiative. “I read the newspapers to see how the media display the issue of

legalization of Marijuana,” said Andrew Dutson

Figure 1Andrew Dutson during our interview at a SLC restaurant

Mr. Dutson is working on a project concerning how to mobilize the local community to

embrace medical marijuana once legalized in Utah late this year. The legalization of medical

marijuana remains a hotly debated social issue in Utah, to date. Research shows that medical

marijuana helps control epileptic seizure and has different health benefits, such as relieving
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headaches, treating muscle spasms and nausea caused by cancer (MacCallum & Russo, 2018).

Most importantly, in late 2018, Utahn’s will be voting for the legalization of medical marijuana,

and Mr. Dutson is trying his best to get as many Utahn’s as possible to pass the initiative.

Mr. Dutson is a volunteer at the Utah Patients Coalition (UPC). He is helping to deliver

the message of the medical marijuana initiative to the local community members. As a member

of the Medical Marijuana Patients' group, Mr. Dutson conducts the campaign for the medical

marijuana initiative by making phone calls to volunteers and voters across Utah State. He

sometimes post about it on his personal social media pages on Facebook or Twitter. Besides, he

distributes information in his neighborhood or surrounding areas, and collects signatures from

different community members as well as at various public events to get the debate on the ballot.

Reading newspapers and other books concerning medical marijuana helps Mr. Dutson share

information and news on the social media as part of a volunteer team across online platforms.

“As a volunteer at UPC, we need to guide local community members through the right

choice regarding medical marijuana,” he said. ‘However, as patients who have seen the benefits

of medical marijuana, we appreciate the government’s efforts toward making the initiative

successful. The initiative will save the lives of many patients in Utah State. We need to

spearhead such essential issues in our society rather than focusing on other political issues that

are not as significant.”

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Born in Utah, Mr. Dutson is a student at the University of Utah working towards

becoming an elementary school teacher. Now 24, Andrew has personally seen the benefits of

Medical Marijuana. His friend is Washington D.C is a caregiver of his wife who suffers from an

epileptic seizure. His wife’s medical condition started after being involved in a severe accident

that led to critical head injuries and an epileptic seizure. Now she stays at home most of the time

due to her condition. However, after a long struggle to find the best medication to treat the

disease, the couple received a medical marijuana prescription for his wife from a doctor in

Washington DC. Medical marijuana is legal in Washington DC, but not in Utah. Mr. Dutson

believes that if medical marijuana is legalized in Utah, the people who really need it will really

reap the benefits of medical marijuana. “My time and efforts to get this passed will all be worth

it once the patients who need cannabis or would rather cannabis over prescription drugs, actually

have the ability to make that choice and enjoy the benefits,” Mr. Dutson said.

Not suffering from any illness or condition of his own I really wanted to find out where

Andrew’s motivation came from. Why he was so invested in this particular issue. “I really just

wanted to advocate for what was right. I know I don’t have any personal gains with this. I

certainly wouldn’t qualify for any type of marijuana prescription. I just think it’s the right thing

to do,” said Mr. Dutson. I followed by asking if maybe any specific ulterior motive. “No. I’m

not playing politics, I don’t care for left or right. I just try to critically analyze what’s right and

wrong and advocate for those issues,” he responded. “My only motivation is the patients. I’ve

seen them first hand, I’ve worked with them. I understand the challenges they face and I think

this bill and its benefits will help alleviate a lot of these challenges.”

Andrew understand that in Utah the influence of religion was always imminent. The LDS

church has come out against Proposition 2. "We urge the voters of Utah to vote no on
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Proposition 2," said Elder Jack Gerard of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Seventy (Winslow,

2018). However Mr. Dutson still believes victory is in sight. “Ultimately Utahn’s are good kind

people and I think they’ll put their own religion to the side to consider the other factors,

especially the patients.”

Laura Borgelt, PharmD, is a pharmacology professor, also at the University of Colorado,

who lectures DPT students about marijuana and its pros/cons. Because PTs monitor pain and

patient movements, she believes marijuana is very relevant for a PT. “Pain is a major symptom

these students will be treating, so marijuana is an important conversation piece.” (Loria, 2018)

"Many people are suffering in silence across the State, and they need our help to pass this

initiative," said Mr. Dutson. “For example, people with an epileptic seizure face danger due to

their condition, we must legalize medical marijuana in our State so that they can use it to

alleviate their pain without having to worry about the idea that they could get jailed for

marijuana usage.”

The idea of medical marijuana legalization is crucial in our today's society. States across

the United States are in the process of legalizing marijuana due to its health benefits. A recent

poll in Utah shows that 64% of likely voters to be somewhat or strongly in favor of legalizing

doctor-recommended marijuana (Wood, 2018). However, before taking any step towards in

favor of the initiative, local community members should do extensive research on medical

marijuana to make an informed decision. For Mr. Dutson, the initiative is a good sign for better

things ahead.
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References

MacCallum, C. A., & Russo, E. B. (2018). Practical considerations in medical cannabis

administration and dosing. European journal of internal medicine.

Utah Patients Coalition. (2018). Utah Patients Coalition. Retrieved from

https://www.utahpatients.org.

Wood, B. (2018, September 06). Support for medical marijuana remains high in first poll since

LDS Church opposed Proposition 2. Retrieved from

https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/09/06/support-remains-high/

Loria, K. (2018, January 30). A Growing Interest in Medical Marijuana. Retrieved from

https://libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct&db=cc

m&AN=127519177&site=eds-live

Winslow, B. (2018, August 24). LDS Church, medical marijuana opponents join forces to defeat

Prop. 2. Retrieved from https://fox13now.com/2018/08/23/religious-groups-medical-

marijuana-opponents-join-forces-to-defeat-prop-2/

Dutson. A. (2018, September 22). Personal Interview.

Dutson. A. (2018, December 7). Personal Interview.