Differences and Similarities in the Arguments for Legalizing Marijuana Essay Example for Free

Differences and Similarities in the Arguments for Legalizing Marijuana Essay Differences and Similarities in the Arguments for Legalizing Marijuana The legalization of marijuana has become a mainstream issue that the nation has become highly concerned about in recent years. Lately more and more conservative opposers have begun to change their minds, realizing the benefits of marijuana. Debate followers go as far as saying that it is no longer a question of if marijuana will be legalized, but when. The shift in viewpoints is due to the increasing awareness of some of the positive effects legalizing marijuana could have on the country. Pro-legalization advocates argue that the benefits of legalizing marijuana greatly outnumber the benefits of keeping it illegal. There are several, very different arguments for the pro-pot stance advocates have taken. They claim legalization would be beneficial by causing a significant reduction in crime (which would empty prisons and save millions of dollars in tax money), creating a new industry that can be taxed and regulated, boosting the economy, and a new, effective, and low-dependency medicine. These benefits seem to be universally desired by the pro-pot party and are often mentioned in literature advocating marijuana legalization. Another similarity in arguments usually revolves around the issue of medical marijuana. Some advocates call for marijuana to be completely legalized, including use for recreational purposes, but this is opposed in most cases. Some advocates only want marijuana legalization if there will be strict regulations and restrictions on who can use it. In the article â€Å"Weed All About It,† Gary Cartwright gives ample evidence and quotations from experts that form his pro legalization argument: â€Å"In 1988 the Drug Enforcement Administrations chief law judge declared that ‘marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest  therapeutically active substances known to man’ (87). Cartwright goes into specific ways that legalization of marijuana could benefit the country,  including the economical and societal impacts, and medicinal use. He also addresses questions most advocates ten to shy away from because of the lack of certainty in the answer (like, â€Å"Would marijuana use increase if it was legalized?†). One similarity of Cartwright’s stance and other articles is the the claim that prohibiting the use of marijuana is unconstitutionally, and making the government seem like the bad guy. In â€Å"Medical Marijuana 2010: It’s Time to Fix the Regulatory Vacuum,† Peter Cohen claims that restricting doctors from recommending marijuana to alleviate symptoms is a violation of free speech and that â€Å"science, not ideology, should be dispositive† (3). Cohen continues to set up the government as the villain by describing two seemingly non-coincidental events in which fullyfunded teams of qualified scientists were  denied access o marijuana by the DEA, while simultaneously being supported by a long list of research organizations An argument in the article, â€Å"Obama, the Fourteenth Amendment and the Drug War,† by Martin D. Carcie uses the Constitution as the backbone in justifying its position. According to Carcie, marijuana prohibition directly violates our Fourteenth Amendment, â€Å"under the Fourteenth Amendment, bodily autonomy i.e., the control over the borders and contents of one’s body burdened by laws like marijuana prohibitionis a fundamental right† (308). Cartwright does not explicitly mention the Constitution in his article, but makes the same claim that Cohen and Carcie make; â€Å"Some people will use drugs no matter what the consequences, butthe user primarily harms himself. When he harms others, we do something about it, just as  we arrest those who drink and drive† (Cartwright 88). Cartwright also builds the government up to be the villain, claiming that, â€Å"Over time, law enforcement officials have repeatedly misled the public and the media about the so=c alled scourge of drugs† (Cartwright 88). Both authors do this to give the reader the ability to look at the article with a blank slate. They know their audience is anti-legalization, so they want to make sure that the readers know, before they choose a stance, they’ve been lied to. This makes  the authors seem like more trustworthy and rational choice. By using the Constitution to back up their arguments, there is no real way to justify anti-legalization. Assumptions will be made that you’re anti-Constitution, and in turn, anti-American. Another similarity between Cartwright’s stance and other arguments for marijuana legalization is the huge emphasis on the effects it will have on the economy. In the article â€Å"Up In Smoke,† Kelley Beaucar Vlahos describes the economic benefits of legalization, while giving real number estimates of how much revenue could be brought in or saved. She writes, â€Å"Proponents of Prop 19 claimed taxes on legalized cannabis could bring upwards of $1.4 billion in to beleaguered state coffers† (Vlahos 18). Cartwright does this in his article as well, stating that â€Å"In America, we spend nearly $8 billion trying to enforce the laws prohibiting the use and possesson of marijuana† (Cartwright 86). Cartwright further supports this argument by providing more proof of the waste of taxpayers’ dollars, stating that â€Å"in Texas, 97 percent of all marijuana arrests are for simple possessionan ounce or lessat a cost to taxpayers of $480 million a year† (86). Cartwright chooses to provide the reader with these statistics for deliberate reasons: it provides a shock factor that he utilizes to sway the reader’s opinions. Vlahos also uses this same technique by including several statistics. This is much more effective than giving ambiguous amounts, like â€Å"a lot or â€Å"millions† because giving an exact estimate shows that there has been a significant amount of research about the economic benefits of marijuana, making the reader more likely to trust the numbers. By using the phrase â€Å"simple possession,† Cartwright builds up the worth of the money spent by making it seem like possession is harmless, forcing the reader to feel indignant. The authors also choose to talk about the economy because it is the highest concern of the counrty right now, and they present marijuana as an instant solution. The argument for the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in Cohen’s article is consisten with Cartwright’s article as well. Cohen’s article is mainly about the benefits of marijuana as a medicine. In the article, he disproves the government’s claim that marijuana has no therapeutic value and describes specific symptoms marijuana could help with, â€Å"Several studies publishedhave demonstrated that the drug is sage and  effective in controlling nausea and other adverse effects of chemotherapy, relieving multiple sclerosis-induced spasticity, easing certain types of pain, and ameliorating weight loss accompanying AIDS† (Cohen 657). Cartwright does the same thing using more of an emotional technique by describing a group of people in wheelchairs that use marijuana for relief from pain. Both articles advocate for medical marijuana, but the way they go about making their arguments differ. Cohen approaches the topic of medical marijuana more scientifically than Cartwright does, using several studies and scientific evidence as his argument’s support. Cohen is also much more specific in the particular ways marijuana can be used, and provides suggestions on how to regulate the drug. The reader automatically feels sympathy for the people in wheelchairs and they become victims in the reader’s mind. Cartwright also gives a second example of a quadriplegic man that was thrown into jail for possession without regard for his medical needs, further establishing a feeling of empathy from his audience. Cohen uses such an ample amount of hard evidence it’s impossible not to trust him. By doing this, Cohen reaches out to his specific audience, the American Medical Association, in a much more effective way. The topic of marijuana legalization is very complex. The multiple points of views, though sharing the same goal, differ regarding how to succeed at accomplishing those goals and for what purpose. Through the different means that each of these authors use to convey their message, they all, in the end, support their individual arguments effectively.

Northern Humanism, Renaissance, and Late Mannerism Essay -- Architectu

During the sixteenth century, Europe was undergoing changes and developing two artistic styles, as well as a religious situation. These styles were known as the Northern Renaissance and late mannerism, also encountered by Reformation, which separated religious unity. During the Reformation, hostile groups known as Protestants were formed against the church because they wanted a complete renovation of the church and Roman Catholics. Late mannerism emerged at the end of the century and had little influence on Spanish literature, but overruled Spanish painting. Late mannerism also had a dominant impact of the Counter-Reformation on arts, architecture, and music. After Europe passed through the disastrous ‘age of darkness’, there were complete changes of methods and social conditions. These revolutionary changes happened between the 14th and the 16th century, and signaled the beginning of the ‘Modern Age’ of Europe. This significant revolution, known as ‘The Renaissance’, was begun in Florence, Northern Italy, because Italy was located in a geographically strategic location, where the center of trade existed. Since there were a great number of merchants and people from other continents passing through the Mediterranean, Italy started to become a place where people shared their ideas without being prejudiced. However, the Renaissance in fact, also brought a lot of substitutions, which first covered all of Italy and brought Europe to the beginning of the Golden Age. These changes occurred in the economy and lifestyle, in the attitude to learning and knowledge, and in the conditions for the Arts. Northern Humanism, or Christian humanism, was known for its contributions to the Renaissance with idealism, rationalism, and classic... ...e of the most incredible philosophers, artists, and architects emerged. With the expansion of civilization and economic growth, the changes in how the culture grew aided to the changes in how many reflected religion and art. As a final mark, the Renaissance created advancement from the Middle Ages and provided a positive cultural change that expanded intellectual need. Works Cited http://library.thinkquest.org. n.d. 26 April 2012. http://totallyhistory.com/raphael-sanzio/. n.d. 26 April 2012. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/itar/hd_itar.htm. n.d. 23 April 2012. http://www.micahelangelo.com. n.d. 26 April 2012. http://www.sacred-destinations.com. n.d. 26 April 2012. http://www.sandrobotticelli.net/biography.html. n.d. 26 April 2012. Matthews, Roy, DeWitt F Platt and Thomas Noble. The Western Humanities. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2011.

Empress Wu’s rise to power is interesting

There is A Confucian dogma that pushes women ruling as â€Å"unnatural† (Empress Wu Zetian, 2008).   However, in China there lived one woman who rose to power. Wu Hou, also called Empress Wu Zetian, ruled China during the Tang dynasty, the only female to do so (2008). While some depict Empress Wu’s regime as autocracy, it could not be denied that she ruled China effectively, preserving the country’s diplomatic relationships with other nations (Hucker, 1975, p.143). Empress Wu’s rise to power is interesting. The Tang dynasty is described as a time when women experienced some freedom, at a time when women were not limited to being subservient (Empress Wu Zetian, 2008). It was a period where women became part of cultural and political endeavors (2008).   Wu came from a noble family and thus was taught music, how to write and read Chinese classics (2008).   Her father was one of Emperor Kao- tsu’s supporters while her mother descended from the Sui royal family (Safra, 2002, p.90). When she was 13 years old, she was sent to Emperor Tai Tsung’s court to be a servant (2008). Soon, Wu became Emperor Tai Tsung’s favorite concubine. When the emperor died, Wu was removed from the palace, as customary (Hucker, 1975,b p.142). The emperor’s son, Kau-Tsung became the emperor at age 21 (2002). However, the new emperor, as fate would have it, was also enamored with Wu, giving him sons (Empress Wu Zetian, 2008). Wu soon became the emperor’s favorite concubine and soon was hungry for power. Rumors have it that that Wu killed her own child and blamed Empress Wang (Kau- Tsung’s wife) of the crime (Walsh, 2003).   Kau-Tsung believed Wu and married her, making her the new empress (2008). Five years into their marriage, the emperor was struck with stroke and soon gave power to Empress Wu. When Emperor Kau-Tsung died, Empress Wu used her power to renounce the new emperors, her sons and by 690, Empress Wu was crowned as the Emperor of China (Walsh, 2003). She ruled China until 705 (Hucker, 1975, p.142). Empress Wu soon began her campaign to uplift the women in a relatively men-dominated environment. She ordered scholars to write biographies of prominent women (Empress Wu Zetian, 2008). She also saw to it that her mother’s clan was given high positions in the political arena (2008). The new empress favored religion and symbolism. Rituals were changed during her reign (Safra, 2002, p.90).   Names of officials were even altered, and the emperor or empress, in her case, was dubbed with the new title â€Å"Heavenly Emperor† (p.90).   Empress Wu manipulated the government to follow her, employing informers and agents (p. 90). She made Buddhism as the preferred state religion (Empress Wu Zetian, 2008). Empress Wu was able to engineer the Buddhist scripture into building a Ming T’ang or â€Å"Hall of Light†, a shrine to Heaven as depicted in the Classics (p. 90). She was even able to convince every prefecture to create a temple which alludes to Wu being an incarnation of Buddha (p.90). The empress’ given surname ‘Wu’ was also exploited. Everyone who had the same surname as the empress was exempted from paying taxes (p.90). In 690, Empress Wu changed the dynasty from T’ang to Chou (Safra, 2002,p. 90). She had become China’s female ruler. During Empress Wu’s reign, China was in the midst of foreign battles.   Despite being depicted as a dictator, Empress Wu was instrumental in China’s diplomatic relationships. Together with Kao-Tsung, Wu mediated in the Korean Civil War (Hucker, 1975,p.143). At that time, Koreans were able to dominate in the Korean state of Silla, they acknowledged Wu’s reign (p.143). When Empress Wu was 80 years old, her power had started to diminish. She was finally abdicated and the T’ang dynasty was restored (Safra, 2002,p. 91). Empress Wu is truly an interesting leader. For one, she is female. At a time when males where dominating the political arena, she rose to power. It is remarkable especially since Asian culture tends to be patriarchal and for a female to rule and succeed, that is exceptional. True, Empress Wu’s reign was plagued with intrigues and scandals.   She was a dictator, a usurper and while this is not new to some leaders, it is still rather surprising to find a woman who is such. That is not to say that only men can be dictators. Women can also be dictators but sometimes they simply do it subtly. Empress Wu was shrewd and she let the world knew it.   It is even shocking to discover that she may have murdered her own child just to fulfil her desire to become empress. Although this was never confirmed, the thought of parent harming his/her child is disturbing. It is something that people read in newspapers or see in the television now but to think that it happened way before it has become a norm, to say the least, it truly startling. Stories of leaders conning people to get what they want is normal, albeit wrong. This just goes to show that even during those times; power and greed were already present and destroying individuals. On a positive note, Empress Wu was one who paved the way for women empowerment. She used her position to uplift the status of women in her country.   It is interesting to know during a time when women were thought to be subservient; there rose a woman who wanted to change the norm. Leaders, regardless of gender, can learn something from Empress Wu- good traits and bad ones. References Empress Wu Zetian (2008). Retrieved 17 February 2008 Hucker, C. (1975). China’s Imperial Past. An Introduction to Chinese History And Culture. California: Stanford University Press. Safra, J. (Ed.). (2002). China. The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol.16, pp.90-91. Walsh, J. (2002). The Empress Wu Hou- China’s Only Female Ruler, Retrieved 17 February 2008, from http://www.suite101.com   

Business Goes With The Mean Data Analysis - 1335 Words

In this case, the business goes with the mean data analysis; the customers coming in the hotel will be within the range of 20kms. If they go with median data analysis, range will only be with in 20 and 25kms. And if the go with the mode data analysis, the range could be anything from 5 to 40kms Identify and review a range of external sources of information (such as relevant books and articles, information on the internet, benchmarking studies) in order to conduct a qualitative analysis of comparative market data for your business. Write up the results of your qualitative analysis. External sources of information Results of reviewing these sources Book name 1:Astrid N. (2004) Coffee, tea, Chocolate and the Brain, published by Taylor †¦show more content†¦Identify and describe the company’s competitors, as well as analyzing relevant information such as market share or number of customers in relation to your chosen business. 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