ICWA Essay #4

Some concerns I have with the paper are that I do not have a concise thesis that details the policy that I have come up with. The thesis seems to be scattered throught the paper but needs to be stated directly at the begining of the piece. I would like my peer reviewer to make suggestions in terms of structure and formatting of the paper. All the facts and ideas are there, they just lack fluidity and cohesiveness.

Policy Paper Plan

- Some of the main reasons that people today believe marijuana should be legalized are to alleviate financial deficits, for medicinal use and as a way of solving the drug cartel problem and prison overpopulation. Those who remain in support of the prohibition of marijuana believe that marijuana has negative effects on ones health, legalization of the drug will not solve the U.S. debt problem and that adding a third inhibiting and possibly dangerous substance to the market will not only not solve the problems with alcohol and tobacco, however increase them.

- I'm planning to propose a law which is seperated out in steps over a span of time. This will gradually ease the nation into legalized marijuana instead of thrusting it upon the nation all at once. It will also allow for the United States to repeal the law before things become too bad if the law creates too many problems.

- I have done a lot of research on the topic and feel like I am prepared to write this proposal, but if any more research is obviously necessary then I will do it to make sure that my policy is backed by legitimate evidence and support not just my own ideas and bias.

ICWA 11/15/11

I didn't get a peer review email and so I just reread my own paper. The night I wrote it I spent almost an hour reading and editing the paper so when I went back to it last night I didn't end up making any changes. I am happy with where my paper is and don't really see much that I want to change about it. My strongest element is the amount of research that I've done on the topic. With what I had compiled from previous research and the research I did specifically for the paper, I was able to put together a cohesive draft with multiple view supported by strong evidence. One thing I am concened about is that the paper might not fit the qualifications of an 'exploratory' paper perfectly. It all would depend on how one read my paper and views the perspectives.

Chicken in a Henhouse

In his piece, Sedaris discusses the topic of homosexuality and how they feel in today's society. He uses personal stories to explain how he constantly feels like he is being judged by those around him regardless of his actions. He may be doing nothing wrong and even doing something helpful but because of his sexual orientation he is treated differently and most of the time different means worse. Overall he feels as if the current generation, as accepting as they may seem, are still afraid of homosexuality. This fear causes them to not give men and women of the gay community a chance which in turn causes them to be ignorant to what those people are truly like. Though his approach is not quite satirical, it is intended to be humorous. In his dealings with Audrey and her comments directed towards homosexuals, instead of rebutting with a sharp or serious tone, he makes it a bit more lighthearted. This is intended to stray away from a battle type situation in which heterosexuals attack the gay community (whether on purpose or out of ignorance) and there is a counter attack as a result. Overall the main point of Sedaris' piece is exemplified by his choice of title which refers to Audrey's ignorance and her general lack of knowledge on the subject.  

Annotated Bibliography 3

Williams, Nancy J., Bridget Freisthler, and Revel Simms. Evaluating Medical Marijuana Dispensary Policies: Spatial Methods for the Study of Environmentally-Based Interventions. CCPR at UCLA. California Center for Population Research, Oct. 2011. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://papers.ccpr.ucla.edu/papers/PWP-CCPR-2011-011/PWP-CCPR-2011-011.pdf>.

In the article, the authors discuss and analyze research that they have compiled about current medical marijuana dispensaries. The article does not contain many future plans for MMD’s, however it studies the dispensaries and laws concerning them in states where medical marijuana has been legalized. The article has a fairly objective and research based stance, there is no obvious bias towards or against marijuana legalization. Overall they provide critical research on how medicinal marijuana has affected today’s society, which could be useful in predicting how full blow legalization would go. The fact that this paper was constructed under the supervision of the University of California establishes credibility with the reader.

Jacobs, Elizabeth. Effects of Legalizing Marijuana. Glendale Community College, 29 Nov. 2010. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://web.gccaz.edu/~ejacobs/Research%20example%202%20-%20on%20Medical%20Marijuana%20example.pdf>.

In this article, Elizabeth Jacobs outlines a study that she conducted concerning the amount of marijuana in states that had legalized medical marijuana and states that had not. Overall she found that there was no significant difference in the amount of marijuana in these states, in fact some states where medical marijuana was completely illegal had more seized by the DEA. There was a bias to this article because Mrs. Jacobs began trying to prove that states with legalized medical marijuana would have more seized product than the other states. This article can be useful in my paper because it shows that simply making something legal does not necessarily mean that more people will do it as well as shows that prohibition thus far is a failure.

Easton, Stephen. "Legalize Marijuana for Tax Revenue - BusinessWeek." Businessweek - Business News, Stock Market & Financial Advice. Bloomberg.com, Mar. 2009. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. <http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2010/03/legalize_mariju.html>.

This article discusses both the pros and cons of the financial aspect of legalizing marijuana. Overall the report illuminates the possible money that could be made off of the taxation of regulated marijuana. This would transfer profits not only to our economy and government, but also strip profits away from illegal drug cartels. The article does counter however saying that it is not the end all solution for America’s debt problem. These two points cause the source to not have any particular bias towards or against legalization. Overall this could be useful in my paper in showing that there are some positive fiscal benefits and yet those benefits should not be blown out of proportion.

Stimson, Charles. "Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No." Conservative Policy Research and Analysis. The Heritage Foundation, 13 Sept. 2010. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. <http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/09/legalizing-marijuana-why-citizens-should-just-say-no>.

In this article, Charles Stimson states the main reasons that pro-legalization campaigners are using. He then goes on to dispute these reasons and attempts to prove them false. The only problem with his article is that he states he has research, but rarely cites that research as evidence. This source is incredibly bias against legalization almost to the point that it is ignorant towards those who support it. The reason I chose to use this article is to show that there are still people who strongly oppose legalization. This will help to make sure that my argument is not blind to the opposition and that I show some knowledge of the counter argument. 

Exploratory Essay Question 1

a. The issue that I have chosen to research and discuss is the legalization of marijuana. The topic is a large issue in the United States and has been since it was first legalized for medicinal purposed in California in 1996. My audience is mainly the young generation, mostly comprised of college student. It may also pertain to the middle aged audience because it could be used to stimulate the economy.

b. It is already medically legal in 15 states and DC however it remains illegal under federal law. For younger generations, it has become almost a commonality at parties and in daily life. For those students who are losing scholarships and possible internships because of a possession charge or a positive drug test, legalization of marijuana would be a positive law. For those of the older generation who are concerned with the national debt problem or the unemployment rate, the legalization and taxation of marijuana would create jobs as well as more profit for the national government instead of tax free drug dealers.

c. Financial: like discussed above, a marijuana industry would provide jobs and rake in tax money. Drug Cartels: the majority of profits for drug cartels, and with the recent rise in violence from mexican drug cartels, if we were to legalize marijuana they would lose a large portion of their funding. Morals: many who oppose the legalization of marijuana do so for moral reasons. They believe it is immoral to poison your mind with drugs. Prison Populations: with prisons in America becoming over crowded, if we were to legalize marijuana, it would decrease the number of arrests and save space in prisons for those who commit violent crimes.

d. I have supported legalization for a long time and feel as if there are many things to be gained from it. Thus far the prohibition has failed and money is being wasted in continuing it.

Annotated Bibliography 2

Miron, Jeffery A. "Marijuana Legalization in California." The Cato Institute. The Harvard Crimson, 27 May 2010. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. <http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11850>.

In this article, Jeffery Miron discusses proposition 19. He discusses the differences between legalization and decriminalization. Afterwards he talks about all of the similarities of alcohol prohibition from the early 1900’s to today’s marijuana prohibition. Also, Miron illuminates all of the possible benefits that could arise from full-blown legalization of cannabis. His stance seems to be bias in favor of legalization based on the fact that he grazes over the risks involved with the end of marijuana prohibition. I am also bias towards legalization and as a result favor the stance taken in this article. Overall it will be useful when discussing the public opinion of legalization in terms of those who were in support of it.

Reuter, Peter H. Marijuana Legalization. RAND.org. Rand, July 2010. Web. 2 Nov. 2011. <http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/2010/RAND_WR771.pdf>.

In this report, Peter Reuter discusses a few of the countries in the world that have legalized marijuana. He does so in order to draw comparisons between such countries and the United States. Some of the comparisons drawn are between arrest rates regarding cannabis possession. He details how there are far too many people in prison in the United States for simple possession charges, which do not actually harm anyone. This article is also bias towards legalized marijuana, but again because I support legalization I agree with many of the author’s views. This piece would be useful when predicting the impact of legalization in the United States.