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.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
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.
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.
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