Category Archives: RS 1

Ingraham, Christopher. “’How medical marijuana could literally save lives’.” Washingtonpost.com, The Washington Post. 14 Jul. 2015. Web. 15 Jul. 2015.

Christopher Ingraham is a blogger for the Washington Post and former employee of the Pew Research Center. In his article “How Medical Marijuana could literally save lives” published by washingtonpost.com in July 2015, Ingraham argues that by legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, the US could avoid many deaths due to prescription painkiller overdoses.

Ingraham first illustrates the benefits of medicinal marijuana in painkilling by describing a study in which there is a “30% or greater improvement in pain” when the use of medical marijuana is involved. This is important to keep in mind especially due to the large amount of prescription painkiller related deaths in the US. To further support this claim, Ingraham states that “drug overdoses kill more people than suicide, guns or car crashes.” Overall, Ingraham’s own research showed him that prescription painkillers “killed more than 16,000 people in 2013.”

Ingraham then explains that states that allow medicinal marijuana have “a significant decrease in both prescription painkiller abuse, and in overdose deaths from prescription painkillers.” According to the author, “the availability of medical marijuana through licensed dispensaries” is what truly contributes to the use of the drug as beneficial. Meaning that states that allow the drug medicinally see less deaths being caused from prescription painkillers. Ingraham then explains that some of the research found which paints marijuana in a bad light when compared with prescription drugs is not completely accurate due to the accuracy in which studying users of the drugs requires.

Ultimately, Ingraham is arguing for the serious consideration of marijuana being used for medicinal painkilling purposes instead of prescription drugs. Ingraham believes that because of the high death rate attributed to prescription painkiller abuse, “it’s worth taking a serious look at the use of medical marijuana for chronic pain patients.”

This summary and source is valuable for anyone looking to argue the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The article uses plenty of links and credible research as well as statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and researchers from universities such as Stanford. With this information, author Christopher Ingraham effectively conveys his viewpoint that medicinal marijuana should be legalized for the sake of avoiding death from prescription painkiller overdoses and addictions.

Longmire, Sylvia. “OPIUM NOW BIGGER CASH CROP THAN MARIJUANA IN MEXICO.” Breitbart.com. Breitbart. 30 Jun. 2015. Web. 15 Jul. 2015.

Sylvia Longmire is a border security expert and author of the book Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences, and Drones Aren’t Making Us Safer. Longmire writes in the article that Mexican states have seen an increase in the grow of poppy fields and a decrease in marijuana fields. Furthermore, she touches on how the drug trends in the United States change what Mexican growers do.

Longmire cites Mexican newspaper as her source that the number of poppy fields has now begun to outnumber the number of marijuana. The author remarks that the Mexican cartels usually change in respond to the shift in supply and demand in America. What Longmire is conveying is that drugs such as heroin are becoming more common something that is likely attributed to the legalization of marijuana in some states. Longmire is hinting that since the use of illegal marijuana is decreasing it has force cartels to pump more into heroin. Longmire goes on to state that the reason for increase can be attributed the heroin’s ability to be grown in home. What she means is that it is more profitable for the cartels to grow and refine heroin than it would another drug such a cocaine which can come from South American countries.

Longmire also mentions some stats that show that marijuana fields have dropped by 56% and most have been replaced by poppy fields. The highest increase notes Longmire is in the state of Chihuahua which it the neighboring state to Texas. Longmire also indicates that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration statistics release by the DEA show that the number of heroin addicts has increase from 161000 to 289000. Longmire noted this to hint that legalization of marijuana is affecting the United States. As Longmire points out government stats point that marijuana is not the only problem. She  is saying that the increase in places such a Chihuahua, Durango, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Sinaloa and Guerrero, which are leaders in Mexico’s marijuana production, are slowing down with the production but are pumping in another drug.

I found this post useful because it shows that the legalization of marijuana isn’t just black and white. It was also helpful because I am interested in doing research on how marijuana reaches the streets of America from inside and outside the country. I feel that this article would helpful to my peers that are seeking to write about the importation of marijuana from other countries.

Shapiro, Susan. “Cannabis crazy: It doesn’t just describe the move to legalize weed. It could happen to you.” latimes.com. LA Times. 03 January 15. Web. 15 July 2015.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-shapiro-marijuana-danger-20150104-story.html

Susan Shapiro, an award-winning journalism professor and the coauthor of the bestseller “Unhooked: How to Quit Anything” and the author of the memoir “Lighting Up,” sheds light on the controversy of marijuana legalization by arguing drug how addicting the drug can be. Shapiro claims she is ambivalent about the legalization of marijuana because she was addicted to it for twenty seven years and knows first-hand the destructive effects it can have. She argues that smoking pot is not worth it by asking her intended audience, “Is the high worth the low?” Shapiro goes on to explain her experience with the drug.

According to Shapiro, the country brought the number of states that decriminalized marijuana to eighteen. Shapiro argues that states such as Colorado and her hometown of New York are proudly showcasing their newly found laws. Shapiro claims that she is afraid that these newly found laws and recent screen glorification as “High Maintenance” and “Kid Cannabis” “send young people a message that getting stoned is cool and hilarious.” As Shapiro points out, she is very skeptical about the way marijuana is portrayed because she knows its ruinous effects. To illustrate the impact marijuana can have, she reminisces on the times she bought weed in bad neighborhoods at 3 a.m., confronted a dealer for selling her a dime bag of oregano, and let pushers she barely knew to deliver weed, like pizza, to her home. Shapiro goes on to describe her experience to be similar to that of Walter White’s self-destruction from meth on TV’s “Breaking Bad” and the delusional nightmares in the film “Requiem for a Dream.”

Shapiro remarks about the multiple times she has warned her students that getting stoned greatly increases the likelihood of something bad happening by reminding them that weed blurs reality, reduces inhibitions, and can regularly lead to tragedy. Shapiro refers to two incidents in Colorado that led to a 47-year-old fatally shooting his and a 19-year-old student jumping to his death that were both linked to pot. Shapiro argues that “the weed of today is far stronger than in the past.” As Shapiro points out, the strength of pot varies nowadays and it’s impossible to predict its effect. She admits that one hit from a pipe or bong would leave her reeling.

Shapiro admits that “being a stoner was easy. Quitting was hard but gave me more to live for.” In other words, getting high was easy for Shapiro because it was her way of “escaping”, but giving up her addiction paved the way for good health, marriage, and a thriving career. Shapiro believes that pot smokers shouldn’t be sent to prison, but that they also don’t belong on pop-culture pedestals either.

I found this article useful because it gives a perspective about marijuana usage from a person who actually went through the battle of addiction. It gave me insight to a viewpoint that differed from mine. Other people in the class might find this useful if they are thinking about the addictive aspect of marijuana and what it can do to those over a period of time.

Carise, Deni. “Legalizing Marijuana – The Real Costs.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 July 2013. Web 15 July 2015.

Deni Carise, a Clinical Psychologist known for studying substance abuse and mental health has authored several publications in professional journals. In her work “Legalizing Marijuana – The Real  Costs.”, Carise reveals the consequences of legalizing marijuana. She debunks the idea that marijuana legalization will increase revenue in our society by emphasizing the costs of the repercussions caused by increased smoking of the drug. She precisely points out that marijuana legalization will result in more medical problems and a strain on our public systems.

Carise uses her knowledge of behavioral health to contend that marijuana affects the brain’s ability to function. According to her, “marijuana has been proven to impair motor coordination and reaction time”. She doesn’t believe that people can function properly while high, and expects there to be a significant rise in accidents due to mental impairment if the drug was no longer illicit. However her argument doesn’t end there with a claim to more vehicle crashes, she stresses how emergency room visits will also sky-rocket because of the substance’s power to deteriorate the brain.

According to Carise marijuana is an addicting drug, and persistent use of it can affect the cognitive processes to a devastating state which is impossible to recover from. She writes that this mental decline is, “associated with the onset of major mental illnesses, including psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety.” The cost to treat mental conditions such as these over a long period of time are astounding. She insists that the more an individual smokes marijuana; the greater the neuropsychological decline.

Due to marijuana’s ability to destroy coordination and cause mental illnesses, Carise declares that public systems, such as ERs will accumulate patients. She notes that, “in 2011, marijuana was involved in 455,668 emergency room visits nationwide”. An increase in traffic accidents and mental problems will cause hospitals to have an upsurge of patients, and the tax revenue from selling marijuana legally would be spent on tending to marijuana victims in overcrowded hospitals.

This source is significant because it highlights certain costs of legalizing marijuana in our society that are often overlooked. Though I recognized marijuana’s ability to impair the brain, I never thought that it could cause severe mental illnesses such as psychosis and schizophrenia. Others may find this interesting too, and consider how money from marijuana taxes would ultimately be spent on treating and rehabilitating the individuals that are harmed by smoking the drug.

HOELLER CLAIRE SOPHIE. “I went to a marijuana dispensary in Colorado and it felt just like visiting a wine store”. Businessinsider.com. 14 July 2015. Web. 15 July 2015.

Business insider

Sophie Claire Hoeller is a traveler and a journalist who received her master’s degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelors from Boston University. Hoeller writes “I went to a marijuana dispensary in Colorado and it felt just like visiting a wine store “published in businessinder.com. Hoeller describes her personal experience in one of Colorado’s marijuana dispensaries, in which she states she found pleasant and ordinary. In her writing Hoeller includes the increase of tourism and economy in Colorado, suggesting that the reason behind this profit is due to the legalization of marijuana shops.

As we all know Colorado allowed the growth of the cannabis plant for adults aged 21 and older in November 2012, following the Colorado Amendment 64 which set standards for this legalization. The first marijuana stores were officially opened on January 1, 2014. According to Hoeller dispensaries are estimated to have brought in $295 million in sales as well as $51 million in tax revenue in 2014. Hoeller also adds the fact that Colorado is ranked one of the fastest growing economies in the world and that its employment rate has been the biggest drop in the U.S., suggesting that the United States should increase their economy as Colorado did. Hoeller argues that the sale of marijuana has brought profit to Colorado, and that it is just like purchasing alcohol in which you have to be 21 years old or older to purchase marijuana, arguing that there is not a difference between both of the products as much people believe. “A line formed behind us as we pepped the budtender with questions”, as the author points out the sell for marijuana is high, there is no loss of money in the market for investing in these shops.

Hoeller includes her point of view on the selling of the product, “While definitely in the hippie side, the experience of visiting a marijuana dispensary was straight forward and pleasant-not at all sketchy as I has anticipated”. In other words, the author is expressing her emotions before and after visiting the shop, at the beginning she was doubtful and insecure but after the experience she felt more comfortable. Hoeller juxtaposes her pleasant experience to the visiting of a fancy shop, Hoeller suggest that there is no reason to feel indifferent about marijuana when it is just as normal as alcohol. “Really it reminded me of a fancy wine shop, where customers refer to a connoisseur who knows the products well and can recommend something to each person’s liking”. Once again Hoeller indicates the similarity between any alcohol and marijuana, there is nothing out of the imaginary like we all believe.

Hoeller believes that marijuana can help a country become financially stable by bringing in people to explore as herself. That tourism and marijuana shops can help a countries economy rise and unemployment drop. The author also suggests that marijuana is not as different from other substances such as alcohol, and that our insecurity of marijuana might be a false emotion.

Nemko, Marty. “Legalize Pot? You must be high”. Time.com. Time, 7 November 2014. Web. 15 July 2015.

http://time.com/3573394/legalize-pot-you-must-be-high/

Today Marijuana is a controversial topic because there is an upside in the medicinal aspect, however it can cause a negative impact towards society. Marty Nemko, who is the author of “Legalize Pot? You must be high” and a PhD graduate from Berkley, disapproves for the legalization of Marijuana. Throughout the article Nemko portrays an argumentative tone and hopes people come into their senses about the horrible things Marijuana does to society. He emphasizes Marijuana will cause destruction in society and it will do the opposite of producing tax money.

The youth of America is the future and Nemko begins his argument by ensuring that children need to be safe. The unwanted and cruel things that Marijuana is capable of needs to be nowhere close to the youth. He repeatedly explains how Marijuana makes one imperative “in the two key brain regions that are important in emotion and motivation”. Marijuana use during adolescent has long-term consequences because it can “permanently impair cognition and increase the risk for diseases. Also Nemko asserts that U.S should not feel pride about their students’ achievements because it “finished below average among OECD nations”. Compared to other countries U.S is not prestigious and it is far from reaching its apex. Further Nemko highlights another part of society that will be negatively impacted, which is the workforce. Although Marijuana would stabilize the pain for the people in stress from finance, it won’t help the person find a solution. Massive amount of families would be affected and thus families would become psychologically dysfunctional. As a whole, Nemko believes society in general would deteriorate if Marijuana were legalized.

Furthermore Nemko discusses how Marijuana will have an effect towards the economy and in medicine. As many Marijuana supporters say pot will produce an additional amount of tax revenue. However Nemko proves the exact opposite of that because he states, “the percentage of vehicle accidents in Washington rose 40 percent” after Marijuana was legalized in Washington. Since accidents and diseases are more frequent due to the consumption of Marijuana, treating those accidents will cost an ample amount of tax money. Even though Nemko does not approve for the recreational use for Marijuana, he approves for the medicinal use for it. He believes Marijuana should “be treated like any other prescription medicine”, but not something that is sold over the counter.

All in all Nemko portrays his thoughts effectively and I think his arguments make absolute sense. This article was really interesting because it altered some of my knowledge about Marijuana. As I’m a Texan who is confused about the legalization of Marijuana, I now have a better feel for the topic.