Final answer:
Regular use of marijuana according to Howard S. Becker typically begins with experimentation before developing into a regular habit (option a). This pattern reflects a shift from marijuana's initial acceptance to criminalization and back towards legalization for medical and recreational purposes in modern times.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Howard S. Becker's model of drug use, regular use of marijuana typically begins with experimentation and leads to regular use. This matches option (a) It begins with experimentation and leads to regular use. Becker's model illustrates a progression starting with users trying marijuana, finding the experience pleasurable, and then increasing their use to a more regular pattern as they learn to enjoy the effects of the drug and integrate its use into their social and personal habits.
In contrast, starting with medical use and evolving into recreational use (option b), starting with heavy addiction and then leading to occasional use (option c), and beginning with recreational use and escalating to addiction (option d) are patterns that are not generally consistent with Becker's model of marijuana use.
This progression ties in with the complex history of marijuana's legality. Despite being initially legal and used medicinally, the public opinion shifted dramatically leading to its criminalization due to various political and social factors, including propaganda such as the film "Reefer Madness" in the 1930s. However, in recent years, there has been a significant turnaround, with marijuana becoming legal in some form in nearly every state across the country. This resurgence in legality is in no small part due to public opinion swaying towards the acceptance of marijuana as both a medical treatment and a recreational substance, as well as a shift in perception of the dangers and stereotypes associated with its use.