Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Editing Response

Editing Response
I really enjoyed reading and editing the 101 student’s papers. It was a good way for the 101 students to get an opinion from upper level English peers. I wish I had a program like this when I was enrolled in English 101. If the students can keep an open mind to criticism from their peers, and use the guidance, they should be fine writers. This was a good project for both 101 and 103 students. It helps the 101 students with common errors. It helps the 103 people by being able to better judge their own individual papers and improve their editing process. It gives an idea of what exactly to look for when looking over ones paper. The topic of how to cultivate a healthy relationship seems tough at first. Especially when this is the first college English class for most of the 101 students. From what I’ve read, these students have a good sense of the topic. They also seem to believe strongly in what they are writing. For a paper to be high quality, the author must feel for what they put down. They must also convince the reader that they are attached to the paper rather than writing it for the sake of the teacher. As I write my own research paper for 103, I feel strongly for the topic. It is easier to feel that way when you pick your own topic. It amazes me that they feel just as strong for a topic that Professor McCormick picked. I always thought about becoming an English teacher in the future. This was a great exercise to test the skills of future teachers. It is not as easy as it seems editing papers. You have to go into great detail to fully help the students.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Legalize It

Justin Smith
Dr. McCormick
English 103
2 Nov 10

Legalize It

It is all around us. One way or another, we play a role among it.
Many, if not all individuals have had some sort of personal encounter with the “drug.” Marijuana. The substance has been a focal point of world culture and society for centuries. Across the world, the drug has been decriminalized, if not fully legalized. The United States consists of various contrasting opinions with the legalization of cannabis. Several states has made progress on making marijuana legal. A few more states were able to decriminalize pot use, however it is still not fully legalized. The laws concerning marijuana possession in the U.S. vary. New York State , for example, has many complex rules and regulations of possession. There are, however a range of constructive ways marijuana use and distribution can assist the state, if legally recognized. It may not be as bad as activists and protestors believe it to be; marijuana law reform can be a valuable accomplishment for a countless number of people.

When speaking on marijuana reform, we first must identify with the science and history of the drug. Marijuana is the dried flowers and seeds of the cannabis plant. The plant has been grown for fiber and as a source of medicine for several thousand years, but until 500 AD, its use as a mind-altering drug was almost solely confined in India. The drug traveled far and wide with its origins starting around the 5th century BCE, in India. It finally entered the United States in the early decades of the 20th century (Prater). It is now the most frequently abused banned drug in the United States. When ingesting the plant, it can develop a mind-altering effect. The “high” received when utilizing marijuana into the body is caused by THC. Tetrahydrocannabinol, however used by many individuals, still remains an illegal substance.

When THC is ingested, it travels into the heart, which pumps it into the bloodstream. It then takes it directly to the brain. The membranes of certain nerve cells in the brain contain protein receptors that bind to THC. Once in place, THC kicks off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the euphoric high that users experience when they smoke marijuana (Volkow).With varying types of marijuana comes various results. It can range from a very calm, sedative feeling to an up-beat tempo. As I previously stated, the origins began in India and made its way to North America. In today’s society, where marijuana use is illegal, individuals must smuggle the substance across the borders. A profitable but dangerous and risky endeavor.

People always want the best for themselves. That is why more marijuana users are looking for a better product. More countries are beginning to include marijuana within their drug trafficking scheme due to higher demand for the finest merchandise. Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision (DEA). During 2006, 2,454,562 lbs of marijuana were seized along the Southwest Border (Walters). I understand that marijuana is a drug and can be harmful, but does that justify the amount of arrests made?

As of September 2001, federal prisons held 78,501 sentenced drug offenders, compared to 52,782 in 1995. 40,300 New Yorkers were arrested in 2008 on marijuana possession charges. 523 for murder. 890 for forcible rape. 22,186 for robbery. 24,831 for aggravated assault (Crime In New York State). These statistics show how stiff marijuana arrests are compared to more brutal and violent crimes. Race also plays a major factor in these marijuana related arrests. In 2004, the NYPD implemented a new policy attempting to catch criminals. It was called the “Stop and Frisk” policy. Basically, the NYPD was permitted to stop and search any individual they deem to be an offender of the law. These practices brought up many concerns of racial profiling. Majority of the people who were stopped were African Americans and Hispanics. In 2008, approximately 531,159 New Yorkers were stopped by the police. 456,413 were completely innocent. 271,602 were Black. 167,111 were Latino. 57,407 were Caucasian (Stop and Frisk Statistics). These numbers have remained steadily the same before and after 2008. These figures are baffling. It is amazing that it is 2010 and we still have not progressed towards eliminating racial profiling.


Former Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney J. Reichman was quoted in Marihuana Reconsidered stating:
“A man can go out and steal a car and receive a misdemeanor sentence, and man a can… commit an assault with a deadly weapon and receive a misdemeanor sentence, but a man that is smoking one marijuana cigarette, he is going to receive a felony… There is a world of difference between someone that possesses three or four kilos of marijuana and somebody that possesses one marijuana cigarette. I feel that the court should be given discretion to impose misdemeanor sentences in marijuana cases if they so desire” (Reichman)
There are many other individuals in history who were in authoritative positions that have dealt with cannabis. George Washington was also cited in Marihuana Reconsidered saying: "Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere!" (Grinspoon)

Dr. H.B.M Murphy from the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University said:
"The question arises, therefore, why cannabis is so regularly banned in countries where alcohol is permitted. [...] It may be that we can ban cannabis simply because the people who use it, or would do so, carry little weight in social matters and are relatively easy to control, whereas the alcohol user often carries plenty of weight in social matters and is difficult to control, as the U.S. prohibition era showed. It has yet to be shown, however, that the one is more socially or personally disruptive than the other." (Grinspoon)

US Justice John Paul Stevens stated: “The biggest killer on the planet is stress and I still think the best medicine is and always has been cannabis” (Harrison). These words don’t justify the use of it; however these political figures reached their positions in government and supported marijuana. So why is it frowned upon now in our society?

There is no way catching people smoking weed can be more important than catching a murderer or rapist. I believe the government should crack down on more serious issues rather than marijuana, which hasn’t caused an overdose death to this date. “Despite its use by millions of people over thousands of years, cannabis has never caused an overdoes death” (Grinspoon). If anything, marijuana can be used in a medicinal sense.

Many people use cannabis for medical value. It can relieve numerous amounts of pain caused by illnesses and diseases. Medical marijuana is effective at alleviating such disorders as chronic nausea, vomiting, Alzheimer’s disease, appetite loss, arthritis, and many other conditions. Marijuana contains less contaminant than most of the medication that physicians prescribe every day. According to Grinspoon, “Cannabis is remarkably safe. Although not harmless, it is surely less toxic than most of the conventional medicines it could replace if it were legally available” (Grinspoon). The U.S. Government Accountability Office, also known as GAO, observed that marijuana can alleviate the following symptoms under Appendix IV of their November 2002 report titled “Descriptions of Allowable Conditions under State Medical Marijuana Laws” :anorexia, AIDS, cachexia, and cancer. Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, migraines, and multiple sclerosis. The ingestion of marijuana affects each condition in various ways (Nelligan).

Why should marijuana be illegal if it can help alleviate pain from these horrible conditions? If legalized, marijuana would bring so much good to the world. The physical and mental agony felt by individuals under these diseases would be less if marijuana was recognized as a substitute to some of the medicines we use now. Medicine is and has always been a big business. The government and economy can also prosper if weed was to be legalized.

As stated earlier, over 40,300 New Yorkers were arrested in 2008 for marijuana possession. That accounts for more than 10% of all New York City arrests. New York City spends up to $90 million a year on marijuana possession arrests, and nearly $900 million for the last decade (Drug Policy Alliance). The convictions made cost taxpayers $90 million a year. These people that are arrested are thrown into the prison system unfairly. It is unjust that they can even be put in the same category and holding cells as rapists and murderers. If marijuana was legalized, the state would save a ton of money and they would be able to use it more resourcefully. NYS currently has issues with hiring for city jobs such as firefighters and police officers. With the money being spent on marijuana jail time, the state would be able to keep fire houses open and continue the hiring process. More jobs equals more people with money, which equals more spending. All it takes is a slight reform on marijuana laws.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Research Paper Outline

Marijuana Research Paper Outline

Intro Paragraph

Paragraph 1: The science and history of Marijuana.

Paragraph 2: Drug trafficking and arrests.

Paragraph 3: The NY State laws and regulations concerning marijuana use and retail.

Paragraph 4: The medicinal advantages of marijuana use.

Paragraph 5: How the government can prosper from the legalization of marijuana.

Conclusion

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Sample Intro Paragraph

Justin Smith

Dr. McCormick

English 103

October 6, 2010

Sample Marijuana Intro Paragraph


Marijuana is the dried flowers, leaves, stems, and seeds of the Cannabis sativa plant. The plant has been grown for fiber and as a source of medicine for several thousand years, but until 500 AD, its use as a mind-altering drug was almost solely confined in India. The drug and its uses reached the Middle and Near East during the next several centuries, and then moved across North Africa, appeared in Latin America and the Caribbean, and finally entered the United States in the early decades of the 20th century. It is now the most frequently abused banned drug in the United States. When you are ingesting the plant into your system, it may develop a mind-altering effect. The “high” received when utilizing marijuana into the body is caused by THC. Tetrahydrocannabinol, however used by many individuals, still remains an illegal substance. Several states have made moves on making marijuana use legal. Most of them have decriminalized pot use; however it is still not fully legalized. I will look into the history of marijuana usefulness by Dr. Lester Grinspoon. I will also speak about both sides of the heated debate on marijuana laws and explain why it may not be such a bad idea changing the regulations of consumption.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Blog #2: Annotated Bibliography

Justin Smith
10/5/2010
Dr. McCormick
Annotated Bibliography



Drug Enforcement Administration. High Court Upholds Marijuana as Dangerous Drug, 6 June 2002. 18 May 2008

< http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr060602.html>

The Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. ruled in favor of the Drug Enforcement Agency. The claim was made by High Times Magazine and Jon Grettman. He believed that marijuana should be removed as a schedule I controlled substance, which happens to be in the same category with drugs such as MDMA, Heroin, and Acid.



Grinspoon, Lester. Lester Grinspoon M.D.: Memorandum of the history, toxicity and usefulness of cannabis 1 May 2001. 02 June 2008.



This is an excerpt from a letter sent to The Joint Select Committee on the National Commission on Ganja by well known marijuana researcher, Dr, Lester Grinspoon. He speaks on the history and value of marijuana.



Grinspoon, Lester Marihuana Reconsidered 2nd Edition. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard UP, 1980

Dr. Grinspoon speaks in greater detail of the positive uses and history in his book.



Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck. Marijuana crime outnumbers violent crime 12 July 2003. 18 May 2008



This is a blog entry from a woman in Washington D.C. It was interesting to see marijuana arrest rates compared to other, more violent crimes.




Nelligan, Jeff. The U.S. Government Accountability Office. 22 Nov. 2002. 18 May 2008.



This is a government document entitled 'Marijuana: Early Experiences with Four States' It was released on November 29, 2002. It is about laws that allow use for medical purpose.



Oakwood Mgt. Studyworld.com. 10 January 2007. 18 May 2008.



This is an essay speaking on both the positives and negatives of marijuana use in the United States.



Volkow, Nora D. Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse. 23 April 2008. 18 May 2008.



The link above is from the National Institute on Drug Abuse website. It speaks on the potential health effects and also shows a study of marijuana use in 8th, 10th, and 12th graders.



Walters, John P. Office Of National Drug Policy. October 2007. 18 May 2008



This is a government link that 1st defines the drug, and then offers multiple links. Those link to recent government documents based on marijuana as well as many other useful sites.



Zwerling, Ryan. The efficacy of pre-employment drug screening for marijuana and cocaine in predicting employment outcome. 25 December 1990. 18 May 2008.



This is a passage from multiple doctors in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They speak on a study on postal workers while using marijuana.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws



This site contains a map of the states with various laws on marijuana use and possession.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Blog 1: Research Paper Topic:

Justin Smith

Dr. McCormick

10/25/10

English 103

Research Paper Topic

Throughout the duration of this English 103 class, I will be working on a revision of a paper I previously wrote. The essay is about the positive, as well as the negative, effects of marijuana use. I touch upon the substance called THC and the affects of it on the neural system. I also speak about the arrests made over cannabis compared to those of much more serious and harmful crimes. I was amazed when I found the precise number of convictions made. It was hard to believe that the U.S. judicial system has serious flaws that many disregard and see as justified. A major point I found when first writing this paper was something I deemed very interesting. I found that many famous historical figures have used hemp in many different ways.

There are many research questions that come to mind with this subject. One is, what exactly does marijuana consist of? What are the short and long term effects of the drug? I would also research what the differences are between various state laws. I was also wondering about the legal ramifications are of marijuana use outside of the U.S. I get all of the information necessary through a variety of books and numerous credible Internet sources. Dr. Lester Grinspoon is the author of many informative texts discussing marijuana. I will be citing passages from those books.

I am very excited to continue writing about this subject. This subject has been the stem of many heated debates in our society. Everyone has his or her own opinions about marijuana, but my intent is to write an informative piece in which people can intelligently defend their arguments. In addition to English 103, I am taking a Drugs & Behaviors class. My professor stated that we would be debating if marijuana should be legalized. I think she would enjoy reading this paper as well.