Marijuana Should Not Be Outlawed Essay Example for Free

Marijuana Should Not Be Outlawed Essay Human laws are based on moral and ethical principles. This applies to almost all existing laws aside from the drug laws. Because of this aspect of the drug laws, much clamor is present as many groups are calling for the legalization of drugs like marijuana. Marijuana and other illegal drugs are not evil but it has gained a negative connotation because of numerous misinterpretations. The prohibition of drugs has also brought about negative effects instead of positive effects. In analysis, legalization may even prove to have more benefits. According to Benson Roe, the professor emeritus and chairman of the Cardiothoracic surgery at the University of California, there is no reason why marijuana, cocaine and heroine would be called poison as these substances have not been proven to have any ill effects on the health of a person. Roe narrated an incident when he was removing destroyed heart valves from a drug user and he got curious and consulted the San Francisco coroner to what extent do illegal drugs cause death. Roe was surprised to find out that the only causes of death coming from drugs come from the very rare cases of overdose and the use of infected intravenous injections. According to the coroner, â€Å"clean, reasonable dosages of heroin, cocaine and marijuana are pathologically harmless† (Roe). It is argued that marijuana causes psychological damage but the truth is no scientific evidence has traced mental illness or psychological damage to the use of marijuana. Marijuana users have been found to exhibit psychological distress after intake of the drug. However, it has been proven that these effects are temporary and will pass away after some time. It has also been argued that the harms brought about by marijuana have been scientifically proven but the Lancet, a British Medical Journal, concluded that based on 30 years worth of research, smoking marijuana is not harmful to health even if it is used in the long-term. Likewise, marijuana use has also been related to brain damage. This was thought to be proven in an earlier study when rhesus monkeys were exposed to marijuana smoke, however, a more reliable study wherein monkeys who were forced to inhale a significant amount of marijuana smoke manifested no brain damage. Anti-drug advocates also argue that marijuana has addictive properties even as evidence points to the direction that marijuana is not addictive. Less than one percent of marijuana smokers smoke marijuana on a daily basis. Majority of the people who smoke marijuana only smoke it occasionally. Some people who wish to stop smoking marijuana have no trouble breaking the habit. Even if a person experiences symptoms from marijuana withdrawal, these are usually mild symptoms (Drug Policy). There is also no reason to classify marijuana as illegal when other substances that have proven to be more addictive and harmful to the health, such as tobacco and alcohol, remain legal. In 2005, the number of deaths that has been associated with marijuana in England and in Wales only totals 19 while tobacco has been associated with 86,500 deaths and alcohol with 6,627 deaths. The number of deaths caused by alcohol and tobacco do not compare to the number of deaths caused by marijuana. Even other drugs which have more notoriety still fall short as heroine and morphine account for only 842 deaths, while cocaine (including crack cocaine) is associated with only 176 deaths (Transform). The use of drugs like marijuana does not affect other people aside from the person ingesting the drug. Technically, a person who uses drugs does not violate the rights of any other person. If a person under the influence of drugs violates the rights of another person or commits a crime, this is the time when he/she should be prosecuted by law. Alcohol remains legal even as drunk people commit heinous and even brutal crimes. The substance is not an excuse for committing a crime and drinking alcohol is not a crime in itself but when a person commits a crime under the influence of alcohol, this is when he/she is prosecuted. The same should apply for the use of drugs (Cussen Block, p. 532). Drugs are not evil per se but it has gained a negative image because of negative propaganda. The media always make use of the phrase â€Å"drug-related† in the presence of a drug in a crime even as the drug has not been indicated as a direct cause of the crime. Usually, the crime is not motivated by the drug. It is usually motivated by another external factor. The media has inadvertently played a role in giving drugs a negative image. This practice has been so common that no one even looks to identify if a crime really is related to drugs (Jackson). The anti-drug lobby also makes use of vague and emotive statements to persuade the people to support their cause (Russell). Even politicians make use of these statements and call for tougher drug laws simply to forward their political careers (Jackson). People interpret these vague and emotive statements differently and this may be identified as a basic element of a black propaganda. In a book entitled Hugs not Drugs: A Drug Abuse Prevention Manual published in the Philippines, the author starts by narrating a story of a studious young girl who got mixed with the wrong set of friends who influenced her to use marijuana. As a result, the young girl dropped out from school and had relationships with men that took advantage of her low self-esteem. After realizing what had happened to her, she decided to undergo rehabilitation. And after a tearful reunion with her parents, she vowed to stay away from drugs. This story is very common and immediately suggests that marijuana caused all the negative things failing to look at other factors which might have caused the girl to behave the way that she did. Additionally, the book indicated that drug use has been directly related with juvenile and even violent crime. However, the book does not cite where the information was taken or what study linked drugs with crime. The book also does not have a clear reference page evidencing that it is not a reliable source. Many critics of drug also make use of violent and obscene images in an attempt to prove that drugs are harmful. Drug prohibition results in too many expenses for the government as the drug laws leads to the incarceration of many non-violent offenders. In 2002, it is estimated that prohibition expenses amounted to $18. 22 billion indicating that â€Å"incarceration is an expensive policy option† (Taylor, Trace Stevens, p. 3-4). Prohibition is not good, in fact, it is even the greatest ally of the drug dealers as drugs are priced very high because they are illegal and not regulated (Jackson, 1998). Legalization will even benefit the general public. Marijuana has been related to crime rate by anti-drug groups but all unbiased studies have pointed to the direction that marijuana does not cause people to do criminal acts. The only crime that marijuana users commit is that they possess the drug (Drug Policy). Additionally, legalization will come with regulation which will eliminate the already minimal number of deaths as a result of drug use. Also, crime rate will decrease because drug prices will be regulated and people would no longer need to resort to crime to be able to buy the drugs. It will also be another source of income for the government as the drug trade will be taxed and the costs of prohibition would be avoided (Roe). No scientific evidence has proven that marijuana is harmful to the health and it also has not been identified as a cause of crime. Because of this information, there is no reason to outlaw marijuana. Legalizing marijuana may even be the better option as it will be a source of income for the government, all the while avoiding the high costs of prohibition. It will also reduce crime rate as well as prevent the incarceration of people that are merely caught possessing drugs. The negative image that drugs have gained is mainly because of negative propaganda.

The Alternative Beverage Industry Commerce Essay

The Alternative Beverage Industry Commerce Essay After analyzing the case study, we can conclude that strategically relevant components of the global and U.S beverage industry macro environment are the rapid growth of the product inclusive of high profit margin and premium pricing of alternative beverage. Each group demands for different types of alternative beverages which divide the global market into various types of products such as energy drink, sports drink, relaxation drinks. In the year of 2009, the US drink data was accounted of sport drink at sixty percent, vitamins enriched drinks and energy drinks about twenty three percent and alternative beverage sales at eighteen percent. In the context, when consumers are focusing on reducing the consumption of carbonated soft drink, alternative beverages are the medium of the soft drinks companies to maintain the sales volume growth as well as furnishing to different demographics. The number of sales of the drinks depends on the demand of the group for example children prefer juice drink, adults to energy shots, athletes to the vitamins enhanced drinks. This all demand differs alternative beverages from the usual carbonated soft drinks that people were used to drink. Now, alternative beverages offer variety of products which consumers could consume for different activities. 2. What is the competition like in the alternative beverage industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is the weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness and the potential profitability of new entrants? Innovation is the vital source of creating the competition in the globalised market and alternative beverages are facing competition on the basis of differentiation from the traditional drink or the fruit juices. Alternative beverages are inclusive of vitamin enriched drinks, energy boosting drinks, sport drinks etc. and to develop the brand loyalty it totally relies on the test, properties and ingredients of the drink. To meet with the competing company works on the advertisement, brand name, nutritional properties, packaging and unique flavors. The PepsiCo and the Coco Cola having a big market share and their products have a strong presence on the consumers and the production of alternative beverages is very easy job for them. This action can dominate such channels of the alternative beverages. Therefore, from all the five competitive forces, strongest is the action of the firm which is already providing a variety of drink products. However, the weakest competitive force is the bargaining power which is exercised by the buyers only. At the time when alternative beverages were introduced company use to sell it at the high price and customers pay for it and now if customers are willing to pay a higher price for the product company will have to sell it on the same price. The established companies seem to have a greater effect on the new entrants like PepsiCo and coco cola because they already have a huge number of loyal customers that follows their brand. If they introduce a new product in contradiction to the new entrants, customers more willingly adopt their products more than the new company. 3. How is the market for energy drinks, sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those forces individually or collectively make the industry more or less attractive? Customers are becoming more health conscious and they are aware about the positive and negative effects of the drinks. Therefore they reduced their consumption of the alternative beverages which slow down the demand and sales of the product. Due to recession customers are becoming more money conscious and spending very less in the alternative beverage and it indicates that the market becomes mature and there is no scope for longer growing. Change in the product innovation, long term growth rate and industry consolidation are the driving force of the alternative beverages. The second forces segmented with the alternative beverage industries have consolidated as the market has matured and leaders have been established for example in the year of 2010, Coco Cola controlled the Red Bull GmbH and Henson natural corporation. However, the individually or collective effect of the industry driver of change is likely to make the alternative beverage companies less attractive until and unless such companies gain a first mover advantage. 4. What does your strategic group map of the energy drink, sports drink, and vitamin-enhanced beverage industry look like? Which strategic groups do you think are in the best positions? The worst positions? Strategic group map of the energy drink, sport drink and vitamin-enhanced beverages shows that companies are competing in the scope of brand portfolio favor and geographical distribution. It indicates that the company which is competing globally and having broad brand portfolios is positioned well in the market. However, companies which are working regionally and on national distribution only or having a single brand seems to be the worst position in the industry. As per the case analysis PepsiCo and Coco cola are in the best position due to having a wide range of products and Red Bull considered as being in the worst position as they are having a low variety of products. 5. What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? The following key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers. The test should be appealing and unique to the customers. Advertising and Promotions in such an effective way that spread awareness about the products and can establish the brand image. Access to the distribution of the product in order to achieve good sales volume and market share. An innovating Product skill which can differentiate the alternative beverage from the traditional drinks. 6. What recommendations would you make to Coca-Cola to improve its competitiveness in the global alternative beverage industry? To PepsiCo? To Red Bull GmbH? According to the case, Coco- Cola should research the country and conclude about the test, customer preference and demand than introduce the product in the market. They should try and introduce new flavors also and should discontinue the non preferable and profitable products. PepsiCo has largest market share in the US as well as in the global market. In the case study it mentioned that PepsiCo had introduced alternative drinks blood shot, charge, defend and rebuild but customers are not aware about this product. Therefore, PepsiCo should enhance their marketing and promotional activities. PepsiCo could also try for more energy drinks. Red Bull GmbH should improve their strategy to increase their market share. As red bull is a very popular flavor therefore they should introduce more flavors instead of focusing on one flavor. They should enhance their water line drinks or sport line drinks. The company can research the market requirement and can develop a new line of products to become competitive in the market.

Theories of How Individuals Interact in Groups in HSC

Theories of How Individuals Interact in Groups in HSC 2.1 Write an assay explaining theories of how individuals interact in groups, particularly applying them to teams that work in your Health and Social Care setting. The relationship between classical Grounded Theory (Glaser, 1978; Glaser Strauss, 1967) and the interpretive tradition of Symbolic Interactionism is strong and historical. Although this relationship has been discussed in previous publications as a given limited literature has explained the connections between their silent assumptions and concepts precisely and thoroughly (Chenitz Swanson, 1986; Crotty, 1998; Speziale Carpenter, 2007). Bruce Tuckman (1965) developed a 4-stage model of group development, this is his theory on how Health and Social Care professionals should be working effectively in managing human resources. The four stages of his theories are; Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing and also added a fifth stage of model to group development after 10 years which is Adjourning. The fifth model is when a professional breaks the knot and leaves the group without informing anyone. Forming: The group comes together and gets to initially know one other and form as a group. Forming is when a new set of Health and Social Care professionals are introducing one another by communicating and interacting in a group. They exchange information and set a target to be met as successful team work. The manager will need to set a clear guild to the Health and Social Care workers and it must be followed effectively so the colleagues avoid any misbehaviours and prevent from problems arising between each other in a team work. Forming is where a big group of Health and Social Care professionals are depending on one particular individual whom is a team leader or their role model, this person will have a huge responsibility in guiding the group of Health and Social Care professional to the right path in their carer to pass their activities. An agreement on team aims other than received from team leader. In this team individuals are not certain of their own role or responsibilities as they are all depending on one person who is the team leader. The team leader has skills and knowledge and must be willing to answer all the questions about the team purpose, activities and external relationships. Individuals test tolerance of system and leader directs to telling mode as he is in charge of the team and tells everyone to do what he wishes. Storming: A chaotic vying for leadership trialling of group processes. Storming is when a group of members dont agree with each others decisions, team members attempt to establish themselves in relation to another member in the team or team leader, who might receive challenging behaviour from a team member in disagreeing with decisions made. At this stage issues are developed over members having their own views rather than a whole team agreeing to one point of view. A team will only have conflict rising when they are not working effectively and the team leader is managing the group following the guild lines.   The improvement guide: a practical approach to enhancing organizational performance (GJ Langley, RD Moen, KM Nolan, TW Nolanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2009 books.google.com). Norming: Eventually an agreement is reached on how the group operates (norming) The third step, norming, is where the team members fall into agreement over the solutions for their team. In this step, the team members are able to talk openly about their opinions and have the ability to adjust their behaviour to avoid conflict. The team members agree on the teams values, rules, professional behaviour and methods of work (Armstrong, 2006). Performing: The group practices its craft and becomes effective in meeting its objectives. The final step, performing, is where the team fully understands, co-operates and supports one another, thereby working as a single unit rather than individuals. Teams that have reached this step display high levels of motivation, knowledge, competence and autonomy (Armstrong, 2006) Adjourning: The process of without informing the group, that is, letting go of the group structure and moving on. This is the fifth and last step Bruce Tuckman (1965) developed which breaks the team apart without any signals showing. References Aldiabat, Khaldoun M; Le Navenec, Carole-Lynne. The Qualitative Report; Fort Lauderdale16.4 (Jul 2011): 1063-1080. http://search.proquest.com/openview/55df192e1247c417cbc00ba1b141ca1d/1?pq-origsite=gscholarcbl=55152 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01933928808411771?src=recsys

Medicine in the Middle Ages :: essays research papers

Medicine in the Middle Ages We are very lucky today. When we are sick we go and see the doctor, and he or she can usually make us better with the use of medicine. It wasn‘t like this in the medieval era. People didn‘t live very long at all. Two out of every 10 babies died in the first year of life and most people didn‘t live past 40. Wealthy people, who could afford trained doctors might live up to 10 years longer. There weren’t many trained doctors in Europe in the Middle Ages . In Paris in 1274 there were only 8 doctors and about 40 people practising medicine without any official training and they didn’t really understand how the body worked and why people got sick. When making a diagnosis doctors might consult medical books, astrological charts and urine samples. Some doctors believed disease was caused by bad smells or small worms, or the position of the planets or stars. They also charged very high fees, so only the rich could afford them. Although surgical operations were performed, they did not know about sanitisation and there were no anaesthetics. Most patients died from infection or shock. Many people didn’t believe in medicine at all. The most commonly used treatment was prayer. Ordinary people relied on methods their parents and grandparents used, such as lucky charms, magic spells and herbal cures. Some of the herbal cures were quite useful. The monks who looked after sick travellers in the monasteries were very skilled in using herbs. Some modern medicines are based on the herbs used in medieval times. In the 13th century Kings were believed to be able to cure illness, particularly the skin disease scrofula, just by touching the ill person. During the 14th century most of Europe was struck by a devastating disease called the Black Death, or bubonic plague. This disease was carried by flees which lived on rats. When the rats died, the flees jumped onto humans and spread the disease. Even though the Black Death was controlled in Europe by 1351, it came back regularly over the next 150 years. Dr Medi Evil has kindly agreed to come to the school today to help solve some of your medical problems. Hello everyone. Now Rachel, I believe you have the fever. This is because you have too much blood. I will put blood sucking leaches on you and this should fix your problem.

The long and the short and the tall :: English Literature

The long and the short and the tall In 1942, a small British platoon was positioned in the jungle trying to assess the strength of the Japanese invasion. They were 20 miles away from the British frontlines and 15 miles away from base camp. They rest for a while in a deserted hut. Their radio has a flat battery and they are having trouble getting in touch with their base camp. The platoon is led by Sergeant Mitchem, who is in control of 6 ordinary men; hence the title from Britain; Bamforth; a Cockney, Whitaker; Tynesider, Macleish; a Scot, Evan; Welsh, Smith (Smudge) and Johnstone. All had left their jobs back in Britain to fight in the war. All had never been faced with killing a man. A few of the soldiers are family men, leaving their wife, children and friends back in their home towns. They are all from Britain and as they spend time together they find out and understand about each person's personality more. Bamforth: When Bamforth first sees the Japanese soldier, he is prepared to shoot him: 'Bamforth suddenly tenses and raises his rifle. This is followed by: 'Bamforth slowly raises his rifle and takes careful aim. Mitchem swings round and knocks the rifle out of position.' "I had him right between the cheeks! I couldn't miss! He's on his tod!" Bamforth was obviously prepared to kill the lone Japanese soldier and was quite frustrated when his chance is taken from him. He would show this by gritting his teeth or cursing under his breath. Later on when the Japanese soldier enters the hut and is grabbed by Johnstone, and Evans, Smith and Macleish all refuse to kill the soldier, but Bamforth is more than happy to 'Knock him off'. He would be speaking in an aggressive tone of voice. On stage he would be ruthless, grabbing the bayonet, and with a tremendous amount of strength, he would thrust the bayonet towards the prisoner. "Here, give me a hold. It's only the same as carving up a pig. Hold him still" Had Mitchem not intervened then Bamforth would have killed the soldier. Mitchem did so to keep him for any important information which may be needed at base camp. The Japanese soldier would be petrified at this point, being alone and unarmed. Yet Bamforth still persisted in scaring the soldier: "Boo" He also waved a bayonet in front of the prisoners face. Then he decided to mimic the prisoner by imitating a crude Japanese accent: "Flingers on Blonce" and "Tojo" He also used humiliating remarks such as "Short arse". His tone of voice would be quite sarcastic, as if he was talking to a

History Of Coca-cola Essay -- essays research papers

History Of Coca-Cola Coca-Cola was born on may 8th, 1886 at the hands of Dr. John Smith Pemberton. In the laboratory of his house at 107 Marietta Street, Atlanta, Georgia he finally settled on the syrup later to be known as Coca-Cola.1. John Pemberton was born in Knoxville, Georgia in 1831. At the age of 17, he attended the Botanical Medicine School of the State of Georgia.2. After school he owned a drug store in Columbus, Georgia and fought for the confederacy in the Civil War. During the war he became addicted to morphine from an injury.3. After the war ended, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia and kept up his pharmacy business at home. He created such patent medicines as Globe flower Cough Syrup, Extract of Stillingia, Triple Liver Pills, Lemon & Orange Elixer, and French wine of Coca. The latter, being very similar to the "Vin Mariani" created by a private industrialist, Angelo Mariani, was inevitably the biggest seller. The "Vin Mariani" was a cocaine laced Bordeaux wine, popular throughout the world.4. French Wine of coca included cocaine as well as caffeine from the kola nut found in a tree from Africa. It was sold as a cure for nervous disorders, disturbances of internal plumbing and impotency.5. 1.www.goecities.com 2.www.sodafountain.com 3.www.tangaworld.com 4.www.geocities.com 5.www.stanford.com In November 1885, Pemberton decided to remove the wine and offer it as a syrup based medicine or a fountain drink, after Atlanta voted to become a dry city effective July 1886.6. He began experimenting. When he started out the overall taste was very bitter due to the caffeine and cocaine. He added a lot of sugar to cover these flavors, but that proved to make it a very sickening kind of sweet. TO counter-balance that he added various fruit flavors and citric acids. The final products ingredients included: 1 oz. Citric Caffeine, 1oz. Ext. Vanilla, 2 Â ½ oz. Flavoring, 4 oz. F.E. Coco, Caramel Sufficient, 3 oz. Citric Acid, 1 Qt. Lime Juice, 30 lbs. Sugar, & 2 Â ½ gal. Water. The flavoring was made of 80 Oil Orange, 120 Oil Lemon, 40 Oil Nutmeg, 1 Qt. Alcohol, 40 Oil Cinnamon, 20 Oil Coriander, & 40 Oil Neroli. The original directions were quite short and simple. They read as follows: Mix Caffeine Acid and Lime Juice 1 Qt. Boiling water add vanilla and ... ... cola in America.27. Coca-Cola eventually woke up and realized the mistake and threw out he new stuff and reintroduced the former recipe as Coca-Cola Classic.28. Even though this all seemed disastrous at first it was proved that the threat of taking the original recipe away was just what the company 26.www.sodafountin.com 27.www.tangaworld.com 28.www.geocities.com needed to boost it’s sales, and soon enough they flew past competition to regain their #1 spot once again. However, this marketing success can not be attributed to ingenuity, but to very good luck! It was not until after the crisis had passed that the company and the public as a whole realized just how much Coca-Cola was a part of everyone’s history. Children grew up with traditions of hot dogs, apple pie, base ball, and Coca-Cola. On the 18th of October, 1997 Roberto Goizueta died at the age of 65 from a long and hard fight with cancer.28. Currently, an ex-accountant who has been with the company for years has been appointed the new president. The company expects him to be another great success in the history of Coca-Cola.

Tama Speed Cobra Pedals Review

Camco, DW and Ludwig have all produced such beasts, as has Japanese drum giant Tama. Its Iron Cobra pedal is truly a drum world icon, having been relied on by countless big-name artists on the world's biggest stages over many years. But now comes a new pretender in the form of the Speed Cobra, with features borrowed from its well-regarded older sibling and a host of innovative design tweaks to boot. Tama's tagline for the Speed Cobra is ‘Extreme Velocity, Serious Power'. As such the Speed Cobra's new features have two simple goals in common – to increase speed and to increase aggressive response. Tama points out that these two aims have traditionally been mutually exclusive, with fast pedals losing some power, and powerful models reacting slower than some would like. So what solutions do Tama offer? Well to start with, a quick overview of the features which the Speed Cobra shares with the Iron Cobra. Such things include the Oiles bearing hinge (as used in the aerospace industry no less), the patented Cobra Coil spring – which is located beneath the footboard to quickly return it to its default position after each stroke – and the Vari-Pitch beater holder that enables adjustment of the footboard link angle independently of the beater angle. To that already impressive mix, the Japanese company has added several significant new features. The first and most obvious of these is the ‘Fast Foot' footboard. Longer than on the Iron Cobra, the Fast Foot board is designed to increase speed of response but at the same time require less effort than previous designs. In addition, the face of the board is smooth to reduce friction, which Tama reckon will improve control. On top of this there's an impressive new bearing assembly in the shape of the Fastball bearing on the end of the drive shaft, a true round sprocket (which Tama have named, brilliantly, ‘LiteSprocket') that's evidently 40 percent lighter than the Iron Cobra's, and the new Projector Beater. The beater allows the choice of narrow or wide ‘striking surfaces' simply by changing the head angle – go for punchy, defined attack with the former or a fatter, fuller response with the latter. All this talk of new features (and we haven't touched on the chain drive's new Recessed Setting which increases the angle of attack for super speed and light action, nor the new ‘Super Spring', designed to offer less resistance at the beginning of the pedal stroke) has left us little space to discuss the actual build quality of the Speed Cobra. Fortunately, little space is required for this, as it is stunningly good. The Speed Cobra is beautifully engineered and does the Cobra name proud. If your eyebrows headed skyward at the number of clever feature names Tama has bestowed on the Speed Cobra, a word of warning. For sure, it's easy to dismiss ‘Speed Spring' or ‘LiteSprocket' as marketing waffle, but when pressed into action the Speed Cobra does a fantastic job of silencing the cynical. For starters it's an incredibly smooth-rolling pedal. An objective appraisal of the impact of the new bearing mechanisms, for example, is well out of the scope of a review like this, but subjectively it feels wonderful. .For metal drummers dishing out high-bpm double bass battery, the Speed Cobra could be your new best friend. But that's not to say Tama's newbie is a one-trick pony. It's so well-conceived and built – with the kind of near-endless adjustment that high-end pedals offer these days – that it could be pressed into service in any genre with aplomb.