The Aftermath of passing Proposition 2 in Utah

By Araceli Haslam

I decided to write this story on Proposition 2 because I found it fascinating that in such a conservative state medical marijuana made it onto the ballot. I chose the topic before it passed, thinking it wouldn’t pass. My story was going to be about how it made it onto the ballot and what might influence people to vote yes or no. However, when it was voted in and the aftermath with the compromise bill and the lawsuit, I chose to follow that story. From there, I was introduced to my sources who are both educated and close to the topic and they taught me things about Prop 2 that I didn’t initially know. Their opinions were polar opposites, which allowed me to eliminate biases.

This story took a good amount of research on my part. I wanted to understand Prop 2 and the compromise bill in full effect so I could productively report on the topics. I also wanted my readers to understand both bills so I chose to summarize them through a timelined structure, which allowed me to feed into what is happening today.

The main thing I struggled with writing this story was avoiding biases because I feel strongly about my political opinions and have a hard time not expressing them. I’m still slightly worried that there are some biases. Even though this was the hardest part, it was also my favorite part because I haven’t written a non argumentative paper in my entire college career. I enjoyed the challenge and change.