Should Marijuana Be Legalized - 1638 Words

Cannabis Should Be Legalized in the United States In 1920 when alcohol prohibition began the war against cannabis had been going strong for a decade. In 1910 the Mexican Revolution created a surplus of Mexican immigrants in the United States; American citizens were frightened by the Mexican culture, including their recreational use of cannabis (Marijuana Legalization, 2015, para 7). Politicians continued to use fear and racism to grow disapproval and hatred of cannabis. Beginning in 1915 twenty-nine states passed the anti-marijuana law, which was first created and passed by the state of Utah when a group of Mormons who were visiting Mexico returned home with cannabis (Marijuana Legalization, 2015, para 9). The prohibition of cannabis†¦show more content†¦It is also much safer for chronic pain sufferers than prescription narcotics. The country would also benefit from the tax revenue collected by the regulation of legal cannabis. It’s baffling how alcohol and tobacco are legal for recreational consumption but cannabis is not, considering that cannabis is much safer and less damaging to the body. Philip M. Boffey (2014) wrote in an article for the New York Times, â€Å"[marijuana’s] effects are mostly euphoric and mild, whereas alcohol turns some drinkers into barroom brawlers, domestic abusers or maniacs behind the wheel† (para. 5). The immediate effects of marijuana are clearly not as harmful as alcohol to the individual consuming it and for the people around them. In fact, in a situation where alcohol consumption makes a person abusive to their family cannabis may have the opposite effect and calm the person’s nerves rather than get them railed up. Boffey (2014) also wrote that, â€Å"[w]hile tobacco causes cancer, and alcohol abuse can lead to cirrhosis, no clear causal connection between marijuana and a deadly disease has been made† (para. 9). For a person who uses cannabis daily, either medical or recreational, the long-term health effects are nowhere near as damaging as long-term use of alcohol or tobacco. Substances that are legally sold and regulated in the United States every day. If the immediate effects of

Ernst Mayrs What Evolution Is Essay - 1212 Words

Ernst Mayrs What Evolution Is When Ernst Mayr published his book, What Evolution Is, in 2001 it was hailed as a work of genius. The praise, replete with superlatives, ranged from elegant, enthralling, and provocative to clear, comprehensive, and very informative.1 From all appearances it intended to be the theory of evolution offered up to the common man for general consumption and enlightenment; it was what would put the evolution/creationism debate to rest once and for all. It neither fulfilled its own goals nor lived up to the acclaim received from the intellectual establishment. In order to assess the success of Mayrs book as a book for the people, it is necessary to examine just who these people are. Certainly†¦show more content†¦The theory (or fact- as Mayr would have it) of evolution represents a threat to the traditional identity of this region. This tension between science and tradition (whether real or perceived) has affected the education and upbringing of an entire region for so long that even now in this age of reason and scientific enlightenment, the debate continues. To understand the unique relationship between the South and evolution, one can look at the Scopes trail in 1925 and the recent controversy evolving the Georgia department of Education. These two cases illustrate the continuing friction between traditional American (Southern) culture and modern scientific thinking/ the intellectual community. Eighty years after Tennessee v. John Scopes, 1925, know to many as the Monkey Trial, many states south of the Mason-Dixon Line are still grappling with the same issues as the people of Dayton, Tennessee did in 1925. John Scopes, a young school teacher in the small community of Dayton, Tennessee, agreed to challenge the newly passed state law which forbade the teaching of evolution in public schools. He was tried and convicted for breaking this law and so became a martyr for science over ignorance. The trial was dubbed the trial of the century and tiny Dayton became the center of national attention. The trail was a battle between the forces of good and evil. Who was good and who was evil all depends on your pointShow MoreRelatedEssay on Ernst Mayrs What Evolution Is: Creationism vs Evolution1203 Words   |  5 PagesErnst Mayrs What Evolution Is: Creationism vs Evolution The Bible contends that God created the extant world, imposing order on the preexisting chaos. Darwins theory of evolution introduced another notion of the world, posing a great challenge to the Christian tenets. According to it, all organisms are not the creations of a supreme being, but have descended from a simple unicellular organism that somehow developed a lipid membrane, could store its genetic information and transcribe it whenRead MoreEssay on Issues of Tempo and Mode in Evolution625 Words   |  3 Pagesa biblical stand point rather than how Uniformitarianism and Catastrophism are looked at from the opposite view. The theory of Uniformitarianism states that everything happens gradually and what we see now in the present time, took many years to become this way. It also has a natural law that says that what was happening before is happening now and will happen then. So if you are anywhere in the universe events function on a cycle forever. The mastermind behind this theory is James Hutton, a ScottishRead MoreThe Importance of Geographic Isolation Essay1148 Words   |  5 Pagesdriving force of speciation and founded the theory of allopatric speciation. For decades Mayrs idea has been the traditional method thought to result in the highest amount of speciation, but recent support has shifted from allopatry and Darwins gradualism to rapid and sporadic periods of speciation with periods of relative equilibrium regardless of geographic barriers. Darwin, the father of evolution was amazingly correct or close to the truth on most of his theories regardless of modern day

Golden Rice Free Essays

Golden rice Vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins to humans, and it plays an inevitable role in our daily life, thus Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects millions of people, causing serious health problems. Therefore, scientists are searching for the most effective method to let people obtain enough Vitamin A as possible. As a consequence, the scientific program of cultivating Golden Rice has attracted people’s attention. We will write a custom essay sample on Golden Rice or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta-carotene, a source of Vitamin A † (Golden rice, para. ). This new technology has aroused many controversial debates. Some organizations and individuals think that Golden Rice poses unknown threats to the environment and human health, even preventing people from diversifying their diet. In contrast, others hold the opinion that Golden Rice has more benefits than harm to humans, helping to release the severe situation about VAD. This issue is a worth exploring in the aspects of technology, economy and efficiency. As a new project with high-tech content, Golden Rice needs reliable technical supports. Until now, many developing countries, such as African country, have no chances of benefiting from bio-technology, while developed countries have already enjoyed the new invention to obtain their mental health. Many people from the developing country recommend that, since the last green revolution had been missed, they do not want to miss this one, which may allow them to have the opportunity to lift millions of people out of hunger. What is more, International Rice Research Institute( IRRI) is optimistic about the prospects for the Golden Rice project, and they believe that it may open up a kind of new research model creating partnerships with the private institution. On the contrary, people consider that this technique needs to establish its reliability before it becomes available to the general public. Methods such as testing should be done, making sure it could suit the local environment. Moreover, this advanced agriculture technology needs to be promoted through marketing subjects in order to assure its safety. As far as I am concerned, bio-safety cannot be guaranteed. As we know, data on the potential health risks of Genetically Modified Foods (GMO) foods are scanty, which has made it impractical to remove the risk. There is a concern that the transgenic crop may endanger biodiversity, and lead to the extinction of valuable bio-resources, thus it is unwise to take this risk. Beyond that, the economic factors cannot be ignored. For people from developing countries, Golden Rice was thought to be contributed to reach self-sufficient in food to climb out of poverty. After all, economic turmoil and social instability may well happen without food security. It is also significant for the independence of nation and peace to the world. Besides, the IRRI thought they could seek economic help for private sectors, so that they do not have to worry about the funding issues. On the other hand, Friends of the Earth (FOE) found that such a project can hardly get nearly the amount of funding they deserved according to the data of past years. It is said that† more than $100 million dollars has been spent on developing golden rice, and another $50 million has been budgeted for advertisements touting the crops’ future benefits â€Å"(Pollan, 2001, p. 15). How many cases of blindness could be averted right now if the industry were to divert this investment from advertising spending to a few of the programs such as providing free seeds to poor famers to help more people? In addition, the main purpose of this research is to solve the VAD and the poverty problem. However, malnutrition, diseases and poverty are deeply rooted in social soil, associating with economic and political systems, such as, the unfairness of income distribution. Hence, the Golden Rice has done little to address the fundamental problem. With all these essentials, the other important factor is on effectiveness on consuming. There is no denial that Golden Rice can supply a certain amount of Vitamin A, and it is necessary for developing countries to operate as stakeholders, instead of just accepting the decision made by government from developed countries. However, the fact is that Golden Rice has too little Vitamin A, a woman has to eat 16 pounds of cooked rice a day to satisfy her minimum daily requirement of Vitamin A, according to the research made by FOE. Hence,FOE advocate diet diversification. â€Å"Previous studies either focused solely on effects of the rice on Vitamin A intakes without considering health outcomes, but used only highly aggregate intake data without taking into account important nutritional features like dietary heterogeneity† (Stein, Sachdev, amp; Qaim, 2006, P. 4-10). In addition, Krawinkel argued that the general issue is that nutritional deficiencies are rarely focused on one nutrient (e. g. , vitamin A, iron, selenium, zinc or others). In most cases, they are complex conditions and many sources for the various nutrients (Krawinkel , 2007, p. 9). It can be seen easily that the technical issue, economic issue and efficiency of Golden Rice have connected with each other closely. Essentially, I tend to think that disadvantages of developing Golden rice outweigh the benefits, located with three main reasons including doubting about the safety of genetically modified (GM) crops, reasoning the huge payout with small output and disagreeing with the monotonous diet, instead of a diverse diet. From my point of view, developing the varied diet is not only the most radical way to get all the nutrients we need but also helping to improve the life quality as well as developing a healthy lifestyle. References IRRI. (n. d. ). Golden rice. Retrieved from http://www. irri. org/index. php? option=com_k2amp;view=itemlistamp;task=categoryamp;id=764:golden-rice-at-irriamp;lang=en Krawinkel, M. B. (2007). What we know and don’t know about golden rice. Nature Biotechnology, 25(6), 623; doi: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1038/nbt0607-623 Pollan, M. (2001, Mar 04). The great yellow hype. New York Times Magazine, 15. Stein, A. J. , H. P. S. Sachdev, ;amp; Qaim, M. (2006). Potential impact and cost-effectiveness of golden rice. Nature Biotechnology, 24(10), 1200-1. doi: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1038/nbt1006-1200b How to cite Golden Rice, Papers

What Is Enlightenment According to Kant free essay sample

What is enlightenment according to Kant? For hundreds of years questions such as what is enlightenment and how can we be enlightened were asked, and many different answers were given. Some tell that it is all about being educated, knowing few languages or being a great mathematician or a writer; others, on contrary, say that is not about academic education, but about education of our souls, that brings harmony and serenity. But every witness has its own truth. So in 1784, philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote â€Å"What is Enlightenment? † and told that â€Å"Enlightenment is man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage†. In other words Kant means that being enlightened means to be self-sufficient and industrious by means of being free, honest and responsible. Independence is a state of being free from one’s constant care and support. As Kant said freedom is the possible way to enlightenment; â€Å"But that the public should enlighten itself is more possible; indeed if only freedom is granted enlightenment is almost sure to follow†. We will write a custom essay sample on What Is Enlightenment According to Kant? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But being independent is not something that is put in us from the start; from the very beginning people always tend to look up for help and support.Starting from our childhood, we always depend on people that are around us. For example, parents are always there to help us no matter what and protect us every time there is a need. Of course, it is obvious that without parents we simply wouldn’t survive in this world. But as we grow up we get used to this state, when we’re taken care of. Later on, used to this constant care, we start to abuse it. Kant said â€Å"For any single individual to work himself out of the life under tutelage, which has become almost his nature, is very difficult.He has come to be fond of his state, and he is for the present really incapable of making use of his reason†. Hence, when there is something unknown on our way and there is no one to tell us what to do or do it for us, we just try to avoid our own problems. Thus, we never learn to be independent, because we have neither knowledge, nor courage to face our problems and try to solve them ourselves. As an example, I have a younger sister, who is not much younger than me, so she’s able to take care of herself; she does her chores such as ironing her own clothes or washing them and etc. Unfortunately she never cooks for herself; because, always having our mother or me by her side, she never tried cooking even once. And when I scold her, saying that she must learn how to cook, she always answers me with: â€Å"Why do I need to know how to cook if you are always going to be by my side? † Also Kant said â€Å"Laziness and cowardice are the reasons why so great a portion of mankind, after nature has long since discharged them from external direction, nevertheless remains under lifelong tutelage†. As an example, I have a cousin, who never even thinks to do things himself.All his life he had parents, siblings and even maids to carry out his duties and take care of him. In other words, â€Å"if he can only pay – others will easily undertake the irksome work for him†. But once he will be left alone, without any funds, he won’t be able to do anything. Further, Kant tells us that, although we’re free to do, think and say what we want , we still can’t do this, because we have boundaries and limits; we have laws and rules to follow, if not then we’ll be judged and punished. Kant said: â€Å"Argue as much as you will, and about what you will, but obey†.So we can doubt and question the rules and laws set for us by others but have no choice but to follow them. Following this further, Kant gives us a lot of examples. First of all, he points out that an officer on duty can’t question an order he was given, he must obey. But, the right to make remarks on mistakes in the military service and bring them out to public for judgment can’t justly be refused him as a scholar. Second, a citizen, who can’t refuse to pay his taxes, because if he does, he will be punished.At the same time, if he acts as a scholar and not as a citizen, his actions won’t be judged. Because as a scholar he has a right to say out loud what he thinks is unjust and inappropriate. To sum up, I want to say that I agree with Kant. We can be free and honest to ourselves and the ones that are around us, but we must be responsible for our actions and obey the rules and laws; for, only freedom, honesty and responsibility can grant us the enlightenment that we are all striving for. Though we can never be fully enlightened, we can at least try to reach the highest point possible.