Essay 4 Revision-The Need for Calories and Nutritional Information on Menus in Restaurants

The Need for Nutrition Facts and Calories on Restaurant Menus

By

Kristen Roberts

EN 101-H1

Dr. Kerr

6 December 2010

The Need for Nutrition Facts and Calories on Restaurant Menus

                A taste worth dying for, the Heart Attack Grill is located in Arizona and comes with a warning posted outside: “Caution this place is bad for your health.” (Schneider). The single, double, triple, and quadruple bypass burgers are the most popular on the menu which come with a side of unlimited Flatliner Fries soaked in lard (Schneider). The quadruple bypass burger itself contains 8,000 calories (Schneider). A 30 year old man weighing 250 pounds and standing 75 inches tall needs 3,212 calories each day to maintain his weight; eating this burger and almost 5,000 calories over the recommendation in one sitting could prove fatal or damaging to his health (“Calorie Calculator Results”). Customers may read the sign outside that cautions unhealthy food inside, but they do not know how many calories or what ingredients are in the food item. Not knowing what food consists of in a restaurant can trigger several serious health issues (Carmona). However, this can be prevented.  Restaurants should provide calories and nutrition facts on their menus to help prevent obesity in America, aid customers with diabetes, and avoid food allergies and other food-related reactions.

                Obesity is a whale of a problem in the United States. Around two thirds of Americans are overweight or suffer from obesity (Carmona).  An additional one in every eight American deaths stem from a direct overweight or obesity illness (Carmona). To further monitor caloric intake, Americans need assistance in knowing what is in their food when they go out to eat. If calories were placed next to selections on a menu, smarter choices could be made, and therefore American obesity rates could drop. Some who oppose the posting of calories and nutrition facts may say that the calories are already required to be posted online (Mora). However, not every American has access to a computer; one fourth of Americans have no internet access (“75% of Americans Have Internet Access”). If the information was posted on the menu everyone who ate there would have easy access. Posting the nutrition information and calories will hopefully deter consumers from unhealthy choices. For example, if one were to go to Burger King and order the large Triple Whopper with Cheese Value Meal with large French Fries and a medium BK Strawberry Sundae Shake, they would be consuming 2770 calories (“Burger King”). Not to mention the unhealthy amount of sodium one would be consuming, 3040 mg, and fat, 145 g (“Burger King”). Foods in restaurants like Burger King have hidden nutritional dangers. Over 15 million Burger King customers in 50 states and 58 countries are served daily ("Burger King Corporation"). Therefore, 15 million customers do not know what they are eating each day because of the lack of nutritional and caloric labels on menus. The unsuspecting consumer then becomes another potential victim of obesity. Posting certain information on menus would also fight obesity by aiding Americans trying to diet, watch their cholesterol, or fat intake (Lehrer). Opposing views of releasing this nutritional information on menus may say that if people are on a diet they should not eat out, especially at fast food restaurants. However, healthy choices can be made at restaurants as long as the nutritional information is readily available (Mora). At Burger King, one could order a BK Hamburger for 260 calories, 490 mg of sodium, and only 10 g of fat (“Burger King”). If the correct information was placed on menus the good choices on a menu would be separated from the bad choices. Customers would naturally be deterred from the bad choices. Therefore, placing nutritional information on the menus would increase the chance that a consumer would choose the good choice, and in the long run, avoid being overweight or obese. Also, some choices on a menu that appear healthy may not be (Rogers). A customer may see a salad on the menu and assume it is healthy (Rogers). However, they may be unaware that the high fat dressing and other toppings the salad is served with make the salad an unhealthy choice (Rogers). For example, if one were to go to Bob Evans and order the Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad they would be consuming a whopping 1,108 calories (“Bob Evans”). American restaurant patrons deserve a fair warning for these hidden dangers. Opposing views may state that restaurants will lose business once people see how many calories are in their food and what it is made of (Mora). The American people and their health should be more important than a restaurant having a booming business. With the declining amount of American health, because of obesity, fewer patrons will be visiting restaurants because they will become one of the many Americans that die because of obesity. Posting calories and nutritional information on restaurant menus would help fight obesity by making Americans aware of what their consuming, aiding dieters, and generally deterring bad food choices.

                In 2006, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. (“Diabetes Statistics”). As of 2007 there were 17.9 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes (“Diabetes Statistics”). Obviously, this is a colossal problem in the United States and the disease affects an enormous portion of Americans. Diabetics, especially ones diagnosed with type two diabetes, need to watch what they eat because it directly affects their blood sugar (Hill). Eating the wrong thing could send them into diabetic shock or cause discomfort with other symptoms (Hill). If diabetics go out to eat, it must be very difficult for them to begin with. They are supposed to avoid consuming things such as refined and processed food, sugary drinks, caffeine, bad fats, and large amounts of alcohol (Hill). If they eat too much of these foods and others they could die (Wool). Posting nutritional information is important for the safety of American diabetics. They cannot help their condition and it is in the governments hands to assist them. Opposing views may argue that the cost of putting all this information of a menu will cost the government and restaurants a lot of money (Rogers). However, the government assists Americans with other disabilities. For example, handicapped citizens get special parking spaces. America’s diabetics should also be aided by the government by requiring restaurants to post nutrition information on their menus. It is not right tend to one disadvantaged group of American’s and not another. Other opposing views may say that diabetics should know what they can and cannot eat when going out to restaurants (Mora). However, how will they know if they do not know what is in the food they are ordering. Posting the correct information on menus could potentially save a diabetics life. For example, at Panera Bread if a diabetic were to order a Caesar salad they would be consuming 250 calories from fat (“Panera Bread”). Diabetics are supposed to avoid bad fats with calories from fat being one of those dangerous fats (Hill). Restaurants should provide nutritional information on their menus to aid diabetics in the ongoing fight for their life.

                Besides diabetes, there are many other food-related allergies and reactions. Eight foods make up ninety percent of all allergies to food (“Allergens”). Those foods are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and fish (“Allergens”). All of these allergies can be fatal depending on the seriousness of the allergy and the amount of the food ingested (“Allergens”). Some opposing the requirement of nutritional information on menus may argue that people with such reactions and allergies have been seen by a doctor and know what they cannot eat. However, there are hidden ingredients in foods that one would never suspect (“Allergens”). For example, tree nuts could be found in barbeque sauce and eggs can be found in toppings on specialty coffee drinks (“Allergens”). People with these allergies cannot be expected to know every single food item that contains the substance they are allergic too. Also, restaurants cook their foods differently and could add an uncommon ingredient in an unsuspecting food (“Allergens”).  For example, there could be milk in a steak dinner because the cook melted butter on top of the steak (“Allergens”). The butter is not visible after it is melted and a person with an allergy to milk would not know until they took a bite and had a reaction. This could easily be avoided by posting nutritional facts on restaurant menus so people with allergies could avoid potentially dangerous foods. Another reaction to foods that could be avoided with labeling menus is lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance is trouble digesting foods that contain lactose; lactose is a type of sugar found in dairy products such as milk and cheese (Gavin). Once again, many unsuspecting foods such as bread and cereal contain lactose, and people affected with this disorder should be given a fair warning on appropriate menu labels (Gavin). One could form an argument that posting this information on menus would not be worth it because it is only benefitting a few people with food allergies. However, 7.8 million people have food allergies in America (Bradley). The other complication involving food, lactose intolerance, affects 30 to 50 million Americans on different levels of severity (Gavin). So basically around 60 million Americans are affected by food allergies and reactions; this does not even include diabetes or other food complications. Therefore, adding this information to menus would aid over 60 million Americans and would be well worth the money spent. Nutritional information on menus would benefit and assist Americans with food-related illnesses or reactions because they would be able to conveniently see all of the ingredients in the food that they were eating; they could avoid having a severe reaction to the food if the information were readily available.

                Several cities, such as New York City, have attempted to enforce this law (Lehrer). The city passed a law requiring nutritional information to be posted on menus in March but it was overturned on a technicality (Lehrer). Eighteen other cities and states have menu laws in the works (Lehrer). 900 million dollars are spent every year on restaurant food and the number is increasing with time (Lehrer). As of now, almost all Americans that spend this money and go out to eat are not eating at restaurants with calories and nutritional information posted on their menus. Therefore, all Americans are at risk for obesity or food-related reactions related to an illness or allergy. In fact, most food allergic reactions occur in restaurants (Taylor). Also, foods in restaurants have proven to be unhealthier than homemade food (Lehrer). Diabetics also have an increased chance of complications when dining out, most likely because they do not know what they are eating (“Diabetes Basics”). A simple redesigning of the menu could provide calories and nutrition facts to help prevent obesity in America, aid customers with diabetes, and avoid food allergies and other food-related reactions.

Works Cited

"75% of Americans Have Internet Access | Rethink IT | Find Articles at BNET." Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics. May 2004. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PAT/is_2004_May/ai_n6039051/>.

"Allergens - FAAN." Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. 09 Nov. 2009. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.foodallergy.org/section/allergens>.

"Bob Evans Restaurants Calorie Counter (CalorieLab)." Calorie Counter (CalorieLab). Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://calorielab.com/restaurants/bob-evans/38>.

Bradley, Jeanette. "7.8 Million People in U.S. Have Food Allergies." Food Allergies About.com. 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://foodallergies.about.com/b/2010/10/21/7-8-million-people-in-u-s-have-food-allergies.htm>.

"BURGER KING® – Menu and Nutrition." BURGER KING® – HAVE IT YOUR WAY®. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.bk.com/en/us/menu-nutrition/index.html>.

"Burger King Corporation." View Jobs by Company & Research Company Information | Monster.com. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://company.monster.com/bking.aspx>.

"Calorie Calculator Results - Calorie Guide Results for Men." Nutrition - About Nutrition and Diet. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://nutrition.about.com/library/bl_nutrition_need_results_men.htm?start=1&pounds_100=200&pounds_10=50&pounds=0&dpounds_100=200&dpounds_10=50&dpounds=0&years=NaN&inches=75&years=30&page=4>.

Carmona, Richard H. "The Obesity Crisis in America." Office of the Surgeon General (OSG). 16 July 2003. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/news/testimony/obesity07162003.htm>.

"Diabetes Basics - American Diabetes Association." American Diabetes Association Home Page - American Diabetes Association. Web. 05 Dec. 2010. <http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/?utm_source=WWW&utm_medium=GlobalNavDB&utm_campaign=CON>.

"Diabetes Statistics - American Diabetes Association." American Diabetes Association Home Page - American Diabetes Association. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/>.

Gavin, Mary L. "Lactose Intolerance." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Nov. 2008. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/allergiesimmune/lactose.html#>.

Hill, Stephanie Crumley. "Bad Foods For Diabetics | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM - Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM. 26 Feb. 2010. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/87524-bad-foods-diabetics/>.

Lehrer, Jim. "Online NewsHour: Report | New Menu Laws Spark Debate | January 14, 2008 | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. 14 Jan. 2008. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june08/food_01-14.html>.

Mora, Edwin. "Health Care Bill Mandates That Restaurants Display Nutrition Information on Menus | CNSnews.com." CNS News | CNSnews.com. 22 Aug. 2009. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/52905>.

Panera Bread - Nutrition Calculator. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.paneranutrition.com/>.

Rogers, Chris Dinesen. "Nutritional Restaurant Menus | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM - Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/257730-nutritional-facts-on-restaurant-menus/>.

Schneider, Katie. "Heart Attack Grill 'a Taste worth Dying For' | News.com.au." News.com.au | News Online from Australia & the World | NewsComAu. 19 June 2009. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.news.com.au/heart-attack-grill-a-taste-worth-dying-for/story-0-1225737474132>.

Taylor, Melissa. "Eating Out and About with Food Allergies." Angelfire: Welcome to Angelfire. Web. 05 Dec. 2010. <http://www.angelfire.com/mi/FAST/restaurants.html>.

Wool, Louise. "Food for Diabetics - Good and Bad Food for Diabetics." EzineArticles Submission - Submit Your Best Quality Original Articles For Massive Exposure, Ezine Publishers Get 25 Free Article Reprints. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://ezinearticles.com/?Food-for-Diabetics---Good-and-Bad-Food-for-Diabetics&id=730988>.

Legalization of Marijuana-Honors Project Video

Essay 4 First Draft Legalization of Marijuana

Legalization of Marijuana

By

Kristen Roberts

EN 101-H1

Dr. Kerr

22 November 2010

Legalization of Marijuana

Marijuana is a green, brown or grey, mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant ("Marijuana - What Is Marijuana?”). Marijuana has several nicknames including pot, hash, and most commonly, weed (Schmalleger). It is an illegal drug that can be smoked, eaten, brewed in tea, or cooked into foods (Schmalleger). When taken into the bloodstream, THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, goes into your lungs, heart, bloodstream, and then your brain ("What Is”). The THC targets receptor cells in one’s brain and creates a high ("What Is”). According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2009, this high was experienced by approximately 16.7 million Americans aged 12 or older at least once in the month prior to being surveyed ("Marijuana - InfoFacts - NIDA"). This number is steadily increasing as the years progress ("Marijuana - InfoFacts - NIDA"). Marijuana is the most common illegal drug for recreational use ("Marijuana - InfoFacts - NIDA"). Marijuana should be legalized because it is less harmful than cigarettes, it has many positive attributes, and citizens arrested on Marijuana charges take up space in our incarceration facilities.

                Marijuana, an illegal substance, is less dangerous and addictive than cigarettes and scientists have not been able to link it definitively to cancers like they have with tobacco (Edell). Marijuana is not addictive; the majorities of users quit early in their adult lives and use Marijuana as a recreational drug (Edell). Less than 1% of Americans smoke Marijuana on a daily basis. (“Myths and Facts About Marijuana.”)  Cigarettes are known to be highly addictive and contain nicotine (“Smoking and Tobacco Use”). This means that a person who smokes cigarettes will smoke everyday multiple times. Cigarettes are not only addictive but deadly. Smoking cigarettes and secondhand smoke kills around 443,000 people each year in the United States (“Smoking and Tobacco Use”). The total deaths from Marijuana usage alone is zero (“Smoking and Tobacco Use”). Marijuana has not been traced back to any kind of diseases or cancers unlike cigarettes and other tobacco products (Edell). Studies have not shown any link between cannabis and heart disease (Edell).  Cannabis does not contain nicotine which is found in cigarettes and is associated with heart disease (Edell). Recently, the largest study looking for a link between cancer and Marijuana was done at the University of California at Los Angeles by Dr. Donald Tashkin (Kaufman). The study showed no connection between the two even when users smoked heavily and everyday; heavily meaning lighting up around 22,000 times (Kaufman). Marijuana does not cause lung cancer and there was no increase in cancer incidents for those who used the drug (Kaufman). Tashkin expected to find a positive correlation between lung cancer and Marijuana but instead found only positive outcomes from using Marijuana. Tashkin found that smoking Marijuana may even have a protective effect on the lungs such as a protective cover (Kaufman). THC, the active chemical in Marijuana, may kill aging cells and actually prevent cancer (Kaufman). Cigarettes, on the other hand, were found to have a 20-fold increase in lung cancer for people who smoked two or more packs a day (Kaufman). A legal drug on the market in the United States, tobacco, causes more deaths, more cancers, and more diseases than an illegal drug, Marijuana.

                Marijuana is not just a drug; the drug itself and other forms of the cannabis plant are useful. Marijuana use has positive attributes, such as its medical value and use as a recreational drug with relatively mild side effects ("The Top Ten Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal”). This drug can be used as a pain killer or treatment for medical reasons including glaucoma, side-effects of cancer chemotherapy, syndromes associated with AIDS, epilepsy, and many more ("Marijuana as Medicine-FAQ."). Some who oppose the legalization of Marijuana claim that other prescription drugs are sufficient when it comes to these illnesses ("Is Medical Marijuana More Dangerous than Legal Drugs?”). However, Marijuana is not addictive like other prescription drugs (G.). Any addiction to it is socially addictive; it does not cause chemical dependency (G.). Marijuana as a drug treatment is something natural while prescription drugs are something created in laboratories and it does not have fatal side affects like some prescription drugs (G.).  It seems absurd that a natural plant involved in medicinal practices for ages is illegal when expensive man-made drugs can damage the kidneys, liver, heart, or even cause death and addiction (G.). Marijuana also has positive attributes when it comes to recreational drug use. Those who are against the legalization of Marijuana maybe believe that Marijuana is dangerous or toxic ("Marijuana Dangers.”). Scientific studies prove that Marijuana is not toxic to humans at all (G.). However, legal forms of recreational drugs like alcohol and tobacco are both more addictive and dangerous than marijuana and you can essentially overdose or die from both (G.). It is physically impossible to overdose on Marijuana. One would have to smoke 1,500 lbs. of Marijuana in 15 minutes (G.).  85,000 people die from alcohol every year whether it is from alcohol overdose in one night or over time because of an addiction ("Annual Causes of Death in the United States”). 435,000 people died annual from tobacco use ("Annual Causes of Death in the United States”).  As mentioned earlier, there are zero reported deaths for Marijuana use. Marijuana is a much safer and overall better medical treatment and recreational drug with less risk than prescription drugs, milder effects than alcohol, and less long term life threatening side affects like cigarettes.

                Another benefit of legalizing Marijuana would be the increase in space in prisons. People convicted with possession or distribution of marijuana and are sent to jail crowd these facilities when more dangerous people should be locked up. According U.S. Department of Justice statistics 33,655 state inmates and 10,785 federal inmates were behind bars for Marijuana charges ("Pot Prisoners Cost Americans $1 Billion a Year”).  The report did not even include Marijuana arrests for county or local facilities ("Pot Prisoners Cost Americans $1 Billion a Year”). Basically 1 in every 8 drug prisoners in United States facilities are locked up on Marijuana related charges ("Pot Prisoners Cost Americans $1 Billion a Year”). There would be space for dangerous criminals who commit homicides or other violent crimes rather than someone who uses a harmless drug. Opposing views of Marijuana legalization may believe that a law is a law and if someone breaks it they suffer the consequences. However, according to the Bureau of Justice, American taxpayers pay more than a billion dollars each year to jail people who violate Marijuana laws ("Pot Prisoners Cost Americans $1 Billion a Year”). This unnecessary taxing could easily be solved with the legalization of Marijuana because it would decrease the amount of inmates by quite a large number. Not only that, but taxpayers pay another $8 billion dollars for arrested relating to Marijuana possession and distribution annually in criminal justice costs ("Pot Prisoners Cost Americans $1 Billion a Year”). America’s incarceration facilities and taxpayers would greatly benefit from the legalization of marijuana.

                Legalizing Marijuana has worked well for other places such as Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Any form of Marijuana is legal in the Netherlands with certain restrictions (“Amsterdam Drugs, Drug Laws in Amsterdam."). The Dutch think that citizens should be able to use Marijuana as a natural right of personal use (“Amsterdam Drugs, Drug Laws in Amsterdam.").  Marijuana can be smoked or sold in public (“Amsterdam Drugs, Drug Laws in Amsterdam."). However, one is only allowed to possess 5 grams of Marijuana at one time, even in coffee shops where smoking is allowed inside (“Amsterdam Drugs, Drug Laws in Amsterdam."). There are still restrictions on Marijuana in the Netherlands as there are with alcohol and tobacco in the United States but the Dutch are very tolerant of the drug and their system works well (“Amsterdam Drugs, Drug Laws in Amsterdam."). I believe that the United States should follow in the footsteps of Amsterdam and the Netherlands and legalize Marijuana because it is a safer drug than tobacco, can be used for medical purposes, and violators of the law crowds our countries jails.

 

Works Cited

"Amsterdam.info - Amsterdam Drugs, Drug Laws in Amsterdam." Amsterdam.info - Amsterdam Hotels. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.amsterdam.info/drugs/>.

"Annual Causes of Death in the United States | Drug War Facts." Welcome | Drug War Facts. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30>.

Edell, Dean. "Marijuana vs. Tobacco: Which Is Worse." HealthCentral.com - Trusted, Reliable and Up To Date Health Information. 22 Sept. 2003. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://www.healthcentral.com/drdean/408/60640.html>.

G., Jerry. "Why Legalize Marijuana?" HubPages. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://hubpages.com/hub/Why-Legalize-Marijuana>.

"Is Medical Marijuana More Dangerous than Legal Drugs? - Medical Marijuana - ProCon.org." Medical Marijuana ProCon.org. 30 May 2008. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000230>.

Kaufman, Marc. "Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection - Washingtonpost.com." Washington Post - Politics, National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. 26 May 2006. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729.html>.

"Marijuana - InfoFacts - NIDA." National Institutes of Health-NIDA. 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html>.

"Marijuana - What Is Marijuana?" Alcoholism - The Alcoholism Home Page. 15 Aug. 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/pot/f/mjkids_faq01.htm>.

"Marijuana as Medicine-FAQ." Marijuana Medical Use. 02 Dec. 1999. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://marijuana-as-medicine.org/Alliance/faq.htm#illnesses>.

"Marijuana Dangers." Marijuana Addiction. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.marijuana-addiction.net/marijuana-dangers.htm>.

"Myths and Facts About Marijuana." Drug Policy Alliance: Alternatives to Marijuana Prohibition and the Drug War. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/>.

"Pot Prisoners Cost Americans $1 Billion a Year | NowPublic News Coverage." NowPublic.com | The News Is NowPublic. 14 Feb. 2007. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nowpublic.com/pot_prisoners_cost_americans_1_billion_a_year>.

Schmalleger, Frank. "Public Order and Drug Crimes." Criminology Today: an Integrative Introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall Custom Pub., 2009. 543-62. Print.

"Smoking and Tobacco Use :: Fact Sheet :: Tobacco-Related Mortality :: Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) :: CDC." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 15 Sept. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/>.

"The Top Ten Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal | Drugs | AlterNet." Home | AlterNet. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.alternet.org/drugs/60959/?page=2>.

"What Is”- Medical Marijuana - ProCon.org." Medical Marijuana ProCon.org. 02 Jan. 2007. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=642>.

Essay 4 Outline Legalization of Marijuana

P1: Introduction-
-Define Marijuana and it's recreational uses
-Discuss facts about how many people in the United States alone use Marijuana
-Talk about
Thesis: Marijuana should be legalized because it is less harmful than cigarettes, it has many positive attributes, and citizens arrested on Marijuana charges take up space in our incarceration facilities

P2: Discuss how Marijuana, an illegal substance, is less dangerous and addictive than cigarettes and scientists have not been able to link it difinitively to cancers like tabacco has been.

P3: Explain how Marijuana use has positive attributes, such as its medical value and use as a recreational drug with relatively mild side effects.

P4: Talk about how people convicted with possesion or distribution of marijuana and are sent to jail crowd these facilities when more dangerous people should be locked up.

P5: Conclusion
-Talk about another place that has legalized Marijuana, possibly Amsterdam, and their policies, age able to purchase, and more information about the usage.
-Close with saying that if Marijuana were to be legalized there would have to be restrictions on it like with alcohol and tabacco.

**Also in each body paragraph I plan on including one point that a non-Marijuana supporter could bring up and refuting it.

Eminem- Does his song Love the Way You Lie send the wrong message about domestic violence? (Essay 4)

  Does Eminem and Rihanna’s new song “Love the Way You Lie”, which is about domestic violence, have a positive or negative influence on listeners? 

      

Domestic violence was recently showcased in Hollywood after Singer Rihanna was hit publicly by her ex-boyfriend hip-hop artist Chris Brown. After the incident, claims started to leak out that Brown had hit Rihanna previously. Eminem is a rap artist known for violently bashing his ex-wife Kim Mathers in several of his songs. At least two of his songs, “Kim” and “’97 Bonnie and Clyde” portray Eminem’s violent fantasies about murdering Mathers. The two artists, the abused and the potential abuser, teamed up to make the hit song “Love the Way You Lie”.

“It’s so insane, cause when it’s going good it’s going great, I’m Superman with the wind at his back, she’s Lois Lane, but when it’s bad it’s awful, I feel so ashamed, I snap, Who’s that dude, I don’t even know his name, I laid hands on her, I’ll never stoop so low again, I guess I don’t know my own strength…”
               In this portion of the song, Eminem’s lyrics convey angry messages about snapping and in the end, hurting his girlfriend in an act of domestic violence. Rihanna sings “…That’s alright because I like the way it hurts…I love the way you lie…” The question is do listeners see what is going on is wrong? They could potentially get the message to stay with their significant other through “tough times”, which could be physical abuse in some cases.

Legalization of Marijuana (Essay 4)

Pro-Cannabis Points:
1. Marijuana is less dangerous and addictive than cigarettes and scientists have not been able to link it difinitively to cancers like tabacco has been.
-Even if marijuana did cause health problems, which has not been able to be proved, the majority of people quit early in their adult life which proves it is not addictive. (Health Central)
-A small minority of Americans - less than 1 percent - smoke marijuana on a daily basis. It is more of a thing done occasionally. (DrugPolicy)
-Exposure to smoke is generally much lower in cannabis than in tobacco cigarette smokers, even taking into account the larger exposure per puff. Existing studies do not support a link between the use of cannabis and heart disease, the leading cause of death in many Western countries.Furthermore, cannabis does not contain nicotine, a chemical contained in tobacco that is addicting and contributes to the risk of heart disease. (Health Central)
-Link between cannabis and death is still not established. (Health Central)
-The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer.
The new findings "were against our expectations," said Donald Tashkin of the University of California at Los Angeles, a pulmonologist who has studied marijuana for 30 years.
Tashkin's study, funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse, involved 1,200 people in Los Angeles who had lung, neck or head cancer and an additional 1,040 people without cancer matched by age, sex and neighborhood.
They were all asked about their lifetime use of marijuana, tobacco and alcohol. The heaviest marijuana smokers had lighted up more than 22,000 times, while moderately heavy usage was defined as smoking 11,000 to 22,000 marijuana cigarettes. Tashkin found that even the very heavy marijuana smokers showed no increased incidence of the three cancers studied.
"We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use," he said. "What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect." (Washington Post)
-Marijuana also contains the chemical THC, which he said may kill aging cells and keep them from becoming cancerous.  (Washington Post)
-While no association between marijuana smoking and cancer was found, the study findings, presented to the American Thoracic Society International Conference this week, did find a 20-fold increase in lung cancer among people who smoked two or more packs of cigarettes a day.  (Washington Post)
-There are zero reported deaths from marijuana alone. More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. (CDC) Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause the following:

• 443,000 deaths annually (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
• 49,400 deaths per year from secondhand smoke exposure
• 269,655 deaths annually among men
• 173,940 deaths annually among women

Cigarette use causes premature death:

• On average, adults who smoke cigarettes die 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.
• Based on current cigarette smoking patterns, an estimated 25 million Americans who are alive today will die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses, including 5 million people younger than 18 years of age. (CDC)

2. People convicted with possesion or distribution of marijuana and are sent to jail crowd these facilities when more dangerous people should be locked up.
-American taxpayers are now spending more than a billion dollars per year to incarcerate its citizens for pot. That's according to statistics recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics. (Now Public)
-According to the new BJS report, "Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004," 12.7 percent of state inmates and 12.4 percent of federal inmates incarcerated for drug violations are serving time for marijuana offenses. Combining these percentages with separate U.S. Department of Justice statistics on the total number of state and federal drug prisoners suggests that there are now about 33,655 state inmates and 10,785 federal inmates behind bars for marijuana offenses. The report failed to include estimates on the percentage of inmates incarcerated in county and/or local jails for pot-related offenses. In reality, nearly 1 out of 8 U.S. drug prisoners are locked up for pot. (Now Public)
-Several hundred thousand more Americans are arrested each year for violating marijuana laws, costing taxpayers another $8 billion dollars annually in criminal justice costs. (Now Public)
-According to the most recent figures available from the FBI, police arrested an estimated 786,545 people on marijuana charges in 2005 -- more than twice the number of Americans arrested just 12 years ago. Among those arrested, about 88 percent -- some 696,074 Americans -- were charged with possession only. The remaining 90,471 individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture," a category that includes all cultivation offenses, even those where the marijuana was being grown for personal or medical use.
These totals are the highest ever recorded by the FBI, and make up 42.6 percent of all drug arrests in the United States. Nevertheless, self-reported pot use by adults, as well as the ready availability of marijuana on the black market, remains virtually unchanged. (Now Public)






3. Marijuana use has positive attributes, such as its medical value and use as a recreational drug with relatively mild side effects. (Alternet)
-Marijuana can treat a wide variety of illnesses and medical problems including glaucoma, the side-effects of cancer chemotherapy, muscular spasticity disorders, the "wasting syndrome" associated with AIDS, epilepsy, and more. (FAQ)
-Marijuana is not addictive like other prescription drugs. Any addiction to it is "socially addictive"; it does not cause chemical dependency. (Hub Pages)-Marijuana as a drug treatment is something natural while prescription drugs are something created in labratories. It does not have fatal side affects like some prescription drugs; a natural plant that has been used as medicine for centuries is banned while drugs that cost up to or over $100 a pill, and can damage the kidneys, liver, heart, or even cause death. (Hub Pages)-It causes less deaths (zero reported deaths from marijuana alone) than cigarettes and could provide an acceptable alternative to those who smoke cigarettes. (CDC)
-Scientific studies show that marijuana is not toxic to humans, and the "overdose" amount is so unrealistic as to be laughable. As in 1,500 lbs. in 15 minutes. Smoking that much pot is impossible. Alcohol and tobacco are both more addictive and dangerous than marijuana and you can essentially overdose and die from both.(Hub Pages)
-Marijuana has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries, and has shown incredibly effective pain killer (and appetite stimulant) for cancer and AIDS victims, offering a much higher quality of life as well as more life after suffering from these ailments. Aside from that hemp can make an incredibly efficient form of bio diesel that doesn't cut into the world's food supplies. (Hub Pages)
-As a recreational choice for adults, marijuana is far less harmful than tobacco, and tends to have a calming and mild effect, while alcohol makes many adults violent and verbally and emotionally abusive. (Hub Pages)


Legalizing Marijuana separates it from the real problem drugs, and allows society and law enforcement to concentrate on them. Marijuana is nowhere close to being in the same league as LSD, PCP, crack/cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, or meth. In fact, tobacco and alcohol are closer to most of those drugs than marijuana is. Meth and crack/cocaine absolutely destroys communities, people's lives, and brings violent behavior and crime. Marijuana does not.  (Hub Pages)


Possible Opposing Viewpoints:
1. Marijuana is a gateway drug. (Radical Parenting)
Defend with: A regulated, legal market in marijuana would reduce marijuana sales and use among teenagers, as well as reduce their exposure to other drugs in the illegal market. (Alternet)


2. Marijuana is perceived as socially addictive.“Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug on the basis that is has “a high potential for abuse.” (Radical Parenting)
Defend with: Most people who smoke marijuana smoke it only occasionally. A small minority of Americans - less than 1 percent - smoke marijuana on a daily basis. An even smaller minority develop a dependence on marijuana. Some people who smoke marijuana heavily and frequently stop without difficulty. Others seek help from drug treatment professionals. Marijuana does not cause physical dependence. If people experience withdrawal symptoms at all, they are remarkably mild. (DrugPolicy) However, someone can become dependent on alcohol, a legal drug, in many different ways.
Alcohol is an addictive drug and you can become psychologically and physically dependent on it. In the UK, around nine in 100 men and four in 100 women are dependent on alcohol.
Alcohol dependence - or 'alcohol dependence syndrome' (formerly known as alcoholism) is a pattern of routinely drinking excessive amounts of alcohol over a long period of time, which results in addiction. It can be associated with psychological and physical health problems and can seriously affect your relationships with family and friends. It can also affect your job. (Bupa)


3. Marijuana is harmful to one's health.  (Radical Parenting)
Defend with: Alcohol and cigarettes, legal drugs, cause more deaths than marijuana considering there have been zero reported deaths from marijuana use alone. A combination of marijuana and alcohol can be deadly but it makes no sense to outlaw one and not the other. Alcohol in combination with many legal perscription drugs such as narcotic pain relievers. (Methods of Healing)

Intro Info:
Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant. You may hear marijuana called by street names such as pot, herb, weed, grass, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, or chronic. There are more than 200 slang terms for marijuana.

(About)

Review of Works Cited

Works Cited

Algoma Family Services. "Consequences of Teen Pregnancy." Teen, Teenage Pregnancy - Pregnant, Abortion Alternative, Crisis, Adoption, Adopt, Baby -. Algoma Family Services. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://www.teenpregnancy.com/teenage/teen-pregnancy.html>.

-I believe this was a credible source and I would use it again. The site is partially an official adoption sight

and therefore should have some good information. The sites purpose is to give pregnant teens a home

for their baby if they can’t keep it. It also aims to give information about the consequences of teen

motherhood so it can be prevented. It is not biased and it is not opinionated.  Even though there was no

author it was done by an organization that looks to be credible.

"Barack Obama on Abortion and Birth Control." Glassbooth - Quiz to Help You Choose the Candidate That Represents Your Beliefs the Best. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://glassbooth.org/explore/index/barack-obama/11/abortion-and-birth-control/16/>.

-I might not use this site again. It had good information but no publishing date, author, or anyone who

took credit for posting the information. The information is posted to give voters information about a

running candidate, Barack Obama, and his views on abortion and birth control. However, I think the

website might be a little biased because and sounds Pro-Obama.

"Bristol Palin Quotes - The Hollywood Gossip." The Hollywood Gossip - Celebrity Gossip, News, Pictures, and Rumors. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/quotes/stars/bristol-palin/>.

-Once again, this site probably wasn’t very credible. There was no author, publishing date, or anyone

taking credit for the information. However, I really liked the quotes. The title of the website being

“Hollywood Gossip” probably should have thrown up a red flag that this information may not be the

best thing to use for a paper.

Caldas, Stephen J. "Teen Pregnancy: Why It Remains A Serious Social, Economic, And Education Problem In The U.S - Research and Read Books, Journals, Articles at Questia Online Library." Questia - The Online Library of Books and Journals. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=EF2F410F6228A37184EA24BB494804C8.inst2_3a?docId=5000177804>.

-I would definitely use this site again. It had an author and was an online journal. It may have been a

little opinionated, but it also had facts in it that I was able to extract. The site, Questia, is also part of

Gale Research. Gale is a well known online database that has to be paid for and many schools give their

students access to it for research.

Christensen, Sue. "Teenage Pregnancy." The Family Connection of St. Joseph County Inc. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://community.michiana.org/famconn/teenpreg.html>.

-I would use this website again. It had an author but no publishing date. The website is a non-profit

organization that states their purposes as to “1) collect, process and disseminate information that

enhances the quality of services offered to children and families; 2) to facilitate increased understanding

and communication between families and the organizations that serve them; and 3) to strengthen

family participation in and impact on the public and nonprofit institutions, collaborative, and agencies in

our community.” It sounds like the site is not biased and only aims to inform.

Peter, Sams. "Teen Pregnancy and It's Effects." Article Alley. 22 Feb. 2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://www.articlealley.com/article_479589_17.html>.

-I would use this site again. Yes, it was a blog, but it was purely informative. It had a date of publication

and a person who took credit for writing the article. Anyone can publish an article on this site, but the

information I found in this article checked out with many of my other sources which gave me

confidence in the article’s credibility.

"Quotes from The Daily Beast." Daylife: Helping Publishers Do More with Less. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://www.daylife.com/quote/0eOe5HabNb9hp?q=Bristol Palin>.

-I believe this site was credible. People can post on it, but they have to go through the website to be

able to be able to be a part of the publishing and writing team. They are a selective site with only 26

employees, and to me this seems to be a legitimate news site.

Salamon, Maureen. "De-glamorize Teen Pregnancy, Experts Say - Health - Kids and Parenting - Msnbc.com." Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- Msnbc.com. MSNBC, 20 Oct. 2010. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39759635/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/>.

-I would use this website again because it is a well known news site with a history in the media.

However, with news sites I guess I have to be careful with their opinions and bias.  This particular article

was informative with little to no bias and the use of national statistics.  

"Sarah Palin Quotes." Famous Quotes and Quotations at BrainyQuote. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/sarah_palin.html>.

-I probably would not use this website again. No one took credit for posting the information so I don’t

know where it came from or if it’s credible. However, they had a lot of good quotes.  

"Teen Pregnancy Statistics - Pregnant Teen Help." Pregnant Teen Help - Teen Pregnancy Statistics, Prevention and Facts. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://www.pregnantteenhelp.org/articles1.html>.

-I would definitely use this website again. It was a sight aimed towards pregnancy prevention and facts.

It gave all facts and no opinions on the subject.