What students are thinking – 7
We are amid the countdown for the top ideas my students covered during their call-to-action speech for my public speaking class from the Spring term of 2023 to the summer of 2024. This post is focusing on the 7th most popular topic of Drugs. This included 10 of the overall 218 students who completed the call to action/persuasive speech.
The main areas covered were Psychedelics, overdose policy, the war on drugs, the opioid epidemic, Narcan, and drug addiction for both those who are incarcerated and college students. I am going to focus on two common topics.
Psychedelics – 4
In Colorado, where I live, they have decriminalized several psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin or mushrooms, in 2022. Research is becoming more available to show how they can be used for various purposes. The main topics my students focused on around this topic were descheduling/legalizing them nationally, the risks/benefits, therapeutic uses, how they can be used to support veterans struggling with PTSD and those in hospice care, as well as general life satisfaction. Some students in previous terms have discussed microdosing psilocybin and discussed the results in class.
Narcan – 1
Although only one student covered this this term, it has been covered consistently in previous terms. One student advised that she was saved during an overdose by Narcan. She was nonchalant, but I was amazed she stood there talking about the benefits. The topics they focused on were education, overdoses, and accessibility.
General main ideas discussed
They also looked at racism and racial language as they relate to drugs, the population that has been mass incarcerated, and the overall drug deaths.