The United States, the United Nations, and Global Human Rights Essay

The United States Positioning as a World Superpower: Its Subsequent Influence in the United Nations and Views Regarding Human Rights â€Å"America stands at this moment at the summit of the world.† -Winston Churchill, 1945 As World War II came to a close, a new need for an international peacekeeping organization became apparent in order to maintain peaceful relations among nations in the post-World War II era. The United Nations (UN) came into effect on October 24, 1945 for this very purpose and also â€Å"to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small†. One of the leading organs of the UN, the Security Council (UNSC), was given â€Å"primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security† and held its first session on January 17, 1946. The United States was overwhelming supportive and instrumental in the construction of the UNSC as compared to their post-WWI refusal to support the League of Nations, an organization similar in structure to that of the UNSC. The United States decision to reject the League of Nations after WWI was seen as a contro versial move to the rest of the world. It reinstated the U.S.’s isolationist foreign policy when the world was seeking for their cooperation in the maintenance of post-WWI peace. However by rejecting the League in 1919, the United States conversely benefited as it led them to be more influential in the creation and administration of the United Nations Security Council. The United Nations and its Security Council worked cooperatively with the U.S. post-WWII. However, in the last few decades, it can be seen that the values of the United States have grow... ...edia.org/wiki/Henry_Cabot_ Lodge> Hiscocks, Richard. The Security Council: A Study in Adolescence. London: Longman Group Limited, 1973. Luck, Edward C. Mixed messages: American politics and international organization, 1919-1999. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 1999. Nicol, Davidson. The United Nations Security Council: Towards Greater Effectiveness. New York: UNITAR, 1982. â€Å"Rules of Procedure,† The UN Security Council. functions.html> Schlesinger, Stephen C. Act of creation: the founding of the United Nations: a story of superpowers, secret agents, wartime allies and enemies, and their quest for a peaceful world. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 2003. The Covenant of the League of Nations. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. May 24, 2005. The United States, the United Nations, and Global Human Rights Essay The United States Positioning as a World Superpower: Its Subsequent Influence in the United Nations and Views Regarding Human Rights â€Å"America stands at this moment at the summit of the world.† -Winston Churchill, 1945 As World War II came to a close, a new need for an international peacekeeping organization became apparent in order to maintain peaceful relations among nations in the post-World War II era. The United Nations (UN) came into effect on October 24, 1945 for this very purpose and also â€Å"to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small†. One of the leading organs of the UN, the Security Council (UNSC), was given â€Å"primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security† and held its first session on January 17, 1946. The United States was overwhelming supportive and instrumental in the construction of the UNSC as compared to their post-WWI refusal to support the League of Nations, an organization similar in structure to that of the UNSC. The United States decision to reject the League of Nations after WWI was seen as a contro versial move to the rest of the world. It reinstated the U.S.’s isolationist foreign policy when the world was seeking for their cooperation in the maintenance of post-WWI peace. However by rejecting the League in 1919, the United States conversely benefited as it led them to be more influential in the creation and administration of the United Nations Security Council. The United Nations and its Security Council worked cooperatively with the U.S. post-WWII. However, in the last few decades, it can be seen that the values of the United States have grow... ...edia.org/wiki/Henry_Cabot_ Lodge> Hiscocks, Richard. The Security Council: A Study in Adolescence. London: Longman Group Limited, 1973. Luck, Edward C. Mixed messages: American politics and international organization, 1919-1999. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 1999. Nicol, Davidson. The United Nations Security Council: Towards Greater Effectiveness. New York: UNITAR, 1982. â€Å"Rules of Procedure,† The UN Security Council. functions.html> Schlesinger, Stephen C. Act of creation: the founding of the United Nations: a story of superpowers, secret agents, wartime allies and enemies, and their quest for a peaceful world. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 2003. The Covenant of the League of Nations. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. May 24, 2005.

The Discovery of Ardipithecus Kadabba, the Oldest Hominid :: Anthropology Essays Paleontology Papers

The Discovery of Ardipithecus Kadabba, the Oldest Hominid During an excavation in the middle Awash Region of Ethiopia, Haille- Sellaise unearthed six hominid teeth. These were at first thought to be the fossilized teeth of Ardipithecus Ramidus. The teeth have now been determined to be from the late Miocene, and those of Ardipithecus Kadabba. These are the oldest hominid remains found, to date. Upon earlier digs in this region between 1997 and 2000, Haille- Sellasie discovered an earlier tooth and fragments of an arm bone. These remains were first thought to be those belonging to â€Å"Ardipithecus Ramidus Kadabba, a subspecies of a younger hominid† (Science Daily). However, after the further recent teeth discoveries it has been decidedly evident that these belong to Ardipithecus Ramidus. The hominid has enough evidence to be its own species rather than a subspecies of Ardipithecus Ramidus Kadabba, as earlier thought. This could possibly mean that â€Å"The new fossils show the most primitive canines ever found among hominids† (Science Daily). Much can be told about the lifestyle of an animal through the wear and acquired shape of their teeth. In the case of Ardipithecus Kadabba this implicates that this species may be the first divergence from the chimpanzee line. â€Å"In the apes, the upper canine is continually honed against the lower third premolar to keep it sharp. Human canines lack this function† (Sanders). What is gathered from this information is that the teeth of Ardipithecus Kadabba may be that of the oldest known hominids, and the first to branch off from chimpanzees. Also an implication may be that â€Å"the newly evolved hominids were living in radically different, less competitive social structure than seen in modern chimps† (Sanders). The sharp canine would probably be used to injure, and in fights between males in hopes to impress females. In today’s chimps the fact that Ardipithecus Kadabba (as closely related to chimpanzees as it is) lacks this feature is an indicator of this . The Ardipithecus Kadabba is thought to be a bipedal hominid. â€Å"Bipediality involves a large and complex set of anatomical traits and is not a dichotomous character† (Haille- Selassie, Suwa, White). The fact that these hominids began to walk on two feet may be attributed to an increasing male role in carrying off spring as well as collecting food.

life and career :: essays research papers

Life and Career The known facts of Chaucer's life are fragmentary and are based almost entirely on official records. He was born in London between 1340 and 1344, the son of John Chaucer, a vintner. In 1357 he was a page in the household of Prince Lionel, later duke of Clarence, whom he served for many years. In 1359–60 he was with the army of Edward III in France, where he was captured by the French but ransomed. By 1366 he had married Philippa Roet, who was probably the sister of John of Gaunt's third wife; she was a lady-in-waiting to Edward III's queen. During the years 1370 to 1378, Chaucer was frequently employed on diplomatic missions to the Continent, visiting Italy in 1372–73 and in 1378. From 1374 on he held a number of official positions, among them comptroller of customs on furs, skins, and hides for the port of London (1374–86) and clerk of the king's works (1389–91). The official date of Chaucer's death is Oct. 25, 1400. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0857256.html Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London, the son of a successful wine merchant. After probably spending many of his childhood days in London's Vintry, his father did not send him to apprenticeship school, but rather to the aristocratic house of the countess of Ulster. There he trained as a page and learned the mannerisms and skills of the ruling class. He continued to be engaged in English politics, serving people such as King Edward III and the county of Kent. He was involved in many diplomatic assignments to Spain, France and Italy. Works by Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch affected much of Chaucer's writings. In addition to these famous writers, Chaucer was influenced by other French, Italian, and Latin writers as well as philosophy, comedy, religion, astrology and other sciences. Chaucer used a variety of genres, styles, tones, and subject matters in this poems and his prose. He addressed

How Government Intervention Affects People and the Economy

New Deal When Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated president, he promised a â€Å"†New Deal†Ã¢â‚¬  for the American people who had been suffering under the Great Depression. â€Å"It is common sense,† Roosevelt said, â€Å"to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another, but above all, try something. † The relief, recovery, and reform programs of the â€Å"New Deal† were Roosevelt’s attempt to try something. Some of the programs were unsuccessful, but others are still in place today.Examining the â€Å"New Deal† programs can help one understand how government intervention affects people and the economy. Franklin Delano Roosevelt has tons of ideas that he thought would benefit everyone and possibly take us out of the depression. Not everyone agreed with his ideas and supported him but his ideas did help extremely. Roosevelt made the federal deposit insurance corporation and civil works administration for the first new deal and then the social security act and the Fair labor standards act in the second new deal that was later to come.Although there were many more acts and things that he did to get American back to normal, these four I believe made a huge change and are still used today in our everyday life. The federal deposit insurance corporation was basically insurance for banks up to 100,000 dollars! During the depression banks were starting to close down because they were loaning money out before the depression that they did really have, so when everything went wrong and everyone decided to get their money out of the bank the banks didn’t have all the money that the people believed was rightfully theirs!Roosevelt made sure that wouldn’t happen again by giving the banks insurance. Another part of the new deal was the civil works administration, which employed thousands of public workers. Now that the depression was happening tons of people didn’t have jobs, n o one had money and no one knew what to do next. Roosevelt decided to give these people jobs not only to benefit those people it can also benefit the community! That was only part one of the new deal. The social security act was thought about and passed and is still used today!Basically gave funds to disabled workers, elderly, widows and children. Which helped out a lot for the people that just didn’t have it. Last but not lease there was and the Fair labor standards act. Which set minimum wage at 40 cents an hour and a minimum amount of work hours, which was 40 hours a week, also banned child labor. All of these deals helped American a ton and still do today. Everything started to get on track after a little. Without Roosevelt’s ideas America would be a total different place today! He made changes that we needed and still do.

Persuasive Bullying Speech Essay

Are you tired of being bullied in school or at work? Are you angry or frustrated because of being bullied, or have you been accused of bullying? Bullying became a personal issue for me about two years ago. My oldest daughter came home from school in tears. The children that had been her closest friends and playmates turned on her while she spent time in the hospital undergoing testing for her epilepsy. They told her that they killed a beloved pet, cut its head off and ran it up a flagpole. Next, they wrote in the bathroom â€Å"We hate you and want you gone†, and signed their names. She had belongings destroyed, and was treated horribly. She also received text messages from the kids who were bullying her, the first two seemed innocent, â€Å"hello†, â€Å"are you Rebecca†, then came â€Å"are we going out tonight†, and â€Å"are you my f†¦ lover. † The school did nothing, using the excuse â€Å"Kids will be kids†, and the police department refused to enforce anti bullying laws. The officer that we spoke to was the same officer that had given a cyber-bullying lecture to the kids just the week before. He told them to come to him anytime with this problem and he would help them, yet when our daughter spoke with him, his response (as well as the Juvenile Prosecutors office) was what do you want us to do. see more:anti bullying speech Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon scenario in today’s schools. According to Lexlee’s Kids. com statics show that every 7 minutes a child is bullied, and 85% of the time no one intervenes. I would like to take a few minutes of your time to speak about anti bullying laws and some of their flaws, the definition and types of bullying, and what drives some children to commit suicide because of the problem and some resources where you can get support on bullying. It is time that we all take a stand, and protect our children. First, anti-bullying legislation has been in the forefront since 1999 beginning with the massacre in Columbine which killed 13 people, wounded 24, and the suicide of the two shooters, yet it is only getting worse. A year later the US Secret Service released an analysis showing that in 37 premeditated school shootings bullying that reached â€Å"torment† was the root cause. They estimate that 60-80 percent of children are bullied at school. Also 1 in 3 young people have experienced cyber threats. Over 25 percent adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through cell phones and internet, and over half of these young people do not tell their parents and one in 5 is reported to the police. According to the United States Dept of Justice, it is reaching â€Å"Pandemic† levels. 49 states have anti bullying laws, with Montana being the only one not having passed legislation. One of the problems is that there are too many gaps in the laws, and the laws are not clear. In Georgia, a boy named Jaheem was being bullied in school, and he committed suicide. The authorities refused to act because in Georgia, anti-bullying laws are only for children in grades 6-12, the reason, Jaheem was in 5th grade. In the Tyler Clementi suicide case in New Jersey the people who bullied him were charged with 15 offences including intimidation and bias, making this a hate crime against a gay man. According to campusprogress. org New Jersey has introduced legislation named in honor of Tyler that prohibits harassment of students for such reasons as race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, ect, and makes cyber-bullying a form of harassment. Second, according to bullyonline. com bullying is the persistent unwelcome behavior, mostly using unwarranted or invalid criticism, nitpicking, fault finding, exclusion, isolation, being singled out and treated differently, being shouted at, humiliated, excessive monitoring, verbal and written warnings imposed, or in the workplace distorted allegations of underperformance. Bullying can come in many shapes and forms, from name calling, physical contact, gang, road rage, cell phones, text messages, email, and social websites. We can all agree that bullying is wrong, and that we all know someone who it has happened to. However, what have you done to help someone who is being bullied? If the answer is nothing, then you are just as guilty as the person/ people actually committing the act. What is the solution to stop this growing epidemic? States can pass laws, but it will take courage from both the victims and bystanders to make sure that the laws are enforced. After all isn’t a student’s safety just as important as test scores?

Film Noir to Neo Noir

Murphy 1 Rachel Murphy Professor Charlotte E. Howell Film 2700 12 November 2012 Word Count: 1411 Film Noir to Neo-Noir: A Shift in Cultural Tides Film noir of the 1940s captivated audiences through its distinct form of storytelling. Strongly influenced by German Expressionism, these films have a definitive look and style that still resonates with modern audiences today. Like other classical Hollywood genres, film noir sought to bring to light tensions felt within society, namely those that affected men following World War II.Neo-noir films pay a great deal less attention to social commentary. Like film noir of the past, neo-noir elevates style over narrative; however, the genre has seen significant changes in regards to narrative, the disappearance of the femme fatale, and the prevalence of onscreen violence due to shifting cultural tides. In observing examples of film noir and its contemporary version, neo-noir, it is clear several elements in regards to the style and overall  "feel† of these films have virtually remained the same throughout the years.In Nicolas Winding Refn’s neo-noir, Drive, a sense of otherworldliness is portrayed through several night scenes, intense shadows, and an overall dark rather downtrodden mood to the film. The scenes in the film take place at night and invariably in an urban setting. All of these elements are Murphy 2 extremely typical of classic film noir as well as German Expressionism. Drive’s narrative unfolds with surprisingly little dialogue. Instead Refn focused scenes on the mood, further strengthening the style of the film. Similarly, Curtis Hanson’s L. A.Confidential keeps with traditional film noir in elevating the style of the movie above its narrative. This is done through the heavy emphasis of the urban cityscape. As the title suggests, Los Angeles, is a major component within the film. The peppy, orange-filled paradise portrayal of L. A. in the film’s opening scene sharply cont rasts the corrupt, crime-ridden town shown throughout the rest of the film. In addition, voice-overs and flashbacks, typical elements of film noir, are extensively used. The genre has seen great changes in regards to its social commentary, however.Noir films of the 1940s strongly reflected the social climate of the time. In several respects, film noir can be seen as the male equivalent to melodrama. Just as women dealt with the crisis of femininity in post-war years, men also struggled with their masculinity as well as adjusting to their new roles in an ever-changing society. After World War II, many Americans, especially men who had experienced the atrocities of war firsthand, took on a more cynical outlook on the world. Film noir of the 1940s sought to bring these feelings of isolation and changing attitudes to light.Like many men returning from the war, the heroes were disenchanted and often very isolated. In many respects, their fate is predetermined. In Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice, the audience gains a sense that John Garfield’s character, Frank’s, fate is already sealed as soon as he first plots, and eventually carries out the murder of Cora’s husband. This action clearly serves as a marker in the downward spiral of Frank’s life. Similarly, in Billy Wilder’s Murphy 3 Double Indemnity, Fred MacMurray’s character, Walter, irrevocably alters the course of his life when he gives in to Phyllis’s pleas to murder her husband.In both of these instances, the motivation behind this clearly immoral acts is lust. Both protagonists seem somewhat helpless against these forces. Both films also end with little doubt as to the fate of the protagonists. In The Postman Always Rings Twice, the film ends with Frank awaiting his punishment on death row. Similarly, Wilder’s Double Indemnity ends with Walter, critically injured from a gunshot wound inflicted by Phyllis, confessing his role in her hu sband’s murder. This clearly reflects upon the attitudes of males during the 1940s as helpless against the imposing forces of an oppressive society.Neo-noir films differ from their film noir counterparts because they are no longer reflective on social and cultural tensions. This is simply because the tension is not as widespread or heavily felt in today’s society. In the ending of Refn’s Drive, the nameless driver, though stabbed in the abdomen, clearly lives. It left up to the viewer to decide what kind of life he will lead in the future. In Hanson’s L. A. Confidential, the future of the city is somewhat unclear, but both protagonists in the film are met with at least somewhat happy endings.The male protagonists in neo-noir films are also much more strong-willed. Their actions, though at times extreme, are seen as justified to the viewer and made by the protagonist alone. Unlike earlier noir films, the protagonists are at least somewhat in control of the ir future. This turn within the genre clearly reflects changing attitudes within society, as the helplessness and isolation men felt after the war is no longer felt on such a large scale. Murphy 4 The influence of culture on the content of noir films is especially evident in the disappearance of femme fatale in neo-noir films.The 1940s marked a major shift in gender roles with the start of World War II. As men left for war, women took up jobs in the workforce and in factories in order to help with the war effort. This brought about a new sense of independence for women. When men returned home from the war, however, this shift was not necessarily seen in a positive light. The emergence of the femme fatale in film noir clearly reflects that in the eyes of men, women’s changing roles in society often presented a threat to perceived masculinity as well as established gender roles of the day.The femme fatale of noir films is invariably portrayed in a negative light. She is in most cases seen as the major driving force behind the protagonist’s tragic end. Furthermore, the protagonist is usually helpless against the advances of these women. Femme fatales, such as Cora in The Postman Always Rings Twice and Phyllis in Double Indemnity, are almost always met with an end even more bleak than that of the protagonist. In these two films, the femme fatales are both killed with little thought. Neo-noir films, however, approach female characters in a much more favorable light.The relationships between protagonists and these women are based on love, rather than mere lust. Thus, the actions of the protagonists appear often more justified. This can be accredited to the changing cultural tides since the 1940s. Women’s independence is generally no longer seen as a threat to male masculinity and thus is virtually extinct thematically in neo noir films. This is especially evident in Drive as well. The nameless driver’s love interest, Irene, is characteriz ed by her innocence rather than her sexuality. Murphy 5 Even in L. A.Confidential, Lynn, a prostitute, has a relationship with one of the protagonists, however, the relationship is based on love rather than lust. Film noir arguably would not translate well to modern audiences if not for its integration of onscreen violence. Like German Expressionism, 1940s film noir drew a definitive reaction of discomfort and psychological unease from its audiences. In Double Indemnity, the scene in which Phyllis’s husband is murdered is brief and little is shown. The audience is shown only Phyllis’s cold, detached expression while her husband is murdered next to her in the passenger seat.In the 1940s, filmmakers didn’t necessarily need to show Phyllis’s husband being murdered in order to elicit a strong psychological reaction from audiences. With the abrogation of the Hay’s Code, however, audiences have become somewhat desensitized to the mere implication of viol ence. L. A. Confidential and Drive both use violence as a means of eliciting this same reaction. Perhaps the most memorable scene in Drive occurs in an elevator where the driver, in order to protect himself and Irene, not only kills a man, but proceeds to unleash all of his anger by stomping the man’s head into a gruesome, bloody pulp.In L. A. Confidential, numerous murder scenes and uncomfortable police interrogations illustrate how violence is now used in neo noir to elicit the strong emotional and psychological discomfort that typified 1940s noir. Certainly the strongest influence on the evolution of film noir has been societal and cultural changes throughout time. These changes have served, however, to maintain film noir’s relevance with contemporary audiences while still keeping with specific attention to the overall â€Å"feel† of the film and high level of stylization.

The Cons of Marijuana Usage

The legalization of marijuana is one of the most highly debated about subjects facing Americans today. Advocates of legalization use two major arguments in their effort to have marijuana legalized. First, which is by far the biggest argument is that marijuana has a significant medical use. The second argument is that marijuana does not cause harm to those that smoke it. Both of these arguments can be easily discounted by the numerous studies that have been done on the effects of marijuana both medicinal and recreational. In the following paragraphs we will explore the hard facts of marijuana that will discount the validity of the previously mentioned arguments as well as some common fallacies. I will focus first on the medical fallacy. There currently exists a great debate concerning smoking marijuana as a medicine. Many well-intentioned leaders and members of the public have been led misled by the well-financed and organized pro-drug legalization lobby into believing there is merit to their argument that smoking marijuana is a safe and effective medicine. A review of the scientific research, expert medical testimony, and government agency findings shows this to be erroneous. There is no justification for using marijuana as a medicine. The movement to legitimize smoking marijuana as a medicine is not encouraged by the Federal Food and Drug Administration, health and medical associations, or medical experts; but instead by groups such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and the Drug Policy Foundation (DPF). These organizations have little medical expertise and favor various forms of legalizing illicit drugs. The studies cited by the marijuana advocates have been found to be unscientific, poorly researched, and involved pharmaceutical THC, not marijuana. An advocate that claimed he was an expert, testified at the 1987 federal hearings to reschedule marijuana, was in fact a wellness counselor at a health spa who admitted under oath to using every illegal mind-altering drug he ever studied. Another â€Å"expert† admitted he had not kept up with new medical or scientific information on marijuana for over 18 years. Another doctor claimed there was voluminous medical research on the effectiveness of marijuana but under oath, when asked to cite the number of the studies, he replied, â€Å"I would doubt very few. † The fact is that there is not one reliable scientific study that shows smoking marijuana to be a safe and effective drug. The majority of the marijuana advocates’ â€Å"evidence† comes from unscientific, non-scrutinized or analyzed anecdotal statements from people with a variety of illnesses. It is unknown whether these individuals used marijuana prior to their illness or are using marijuana in combination with other medicines. It is also unknown whether they have had recent medical examinations, are justifying their use of marijuana, experiencing a placebo effect, or experiencing the intoxicating effect of smoking marijuana. The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana (THC) is already legally available in pharmaceutical capsule form by prescription from medical doctors. This drug, Marinol, is less often prescribed because of the potential adverse effects, and there are more effective new medicines currently available. Marinol differs from the crude plant marijuana because it consists of one pure, well-studied, FDA-approved pharmaceutical in stable known dosages. Marijuana is an unstable mixture of over 400 chemicals including many toxic psychoactive chemicals, which are largely unstudied and appear in uncontrolled strengths. The manufacturers of Marinol, Roxane Laboratories Incorporated, do not agree with the pro-marijuana advocates that THC is safe and harmless. In the Physician’s Desk Reference, a good portion of the description of Marinol includes warnings about the adverse effects. Seriously, doesn t common sense dictate that it is not good medical practice to allow a substance to be used as a medicine if that product is ingested by smoking, not FDA-approved, made up of hundreds of different chemicals, and self-prescribed and administered by the patient. The federal government, over the last 20 years involving a number of administrations from both political parties, has determined that smoking marijuana has no redeeming medicinal value, and is in fact harmful to health. These governmental agencies include the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U. S. Public Health Service. Their latest finding, as recently as 1994, was affirmed in a decision by the U. S. Court of Appeals in Washington, DC Since the pro-marijuana lobby has been unsuccessful in dealing with the federal government, they have targeted state and local governments to legitimize smoking marijuana as a medicine. A careful examination of their legislative and/or ballot proposals reveals they are written to effectively neutralize the enforcement of most marijuana laws. Crude, intoxicating marijuana under their proposals would be easier to obtain and use than even the most harmless, low-level prescription drug. Major medical and health organizations, as well as the vast majority of nationally recognized expert medical doctors, scientists and researchers, have not accepted smoking marijuana as a safe and effective medicine. These organizations include: the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, National Sclerosis Association, the American Glaucoma Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology, National Eye Institute, National Cancer Institute, National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Dental Research, and the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases. There are thousands of studies available documenting the harmful physical and psychological effects of smoking marijuana. The harmful consequences include but are not limited to premature cancer, addiction, coordination and perception impairment, a number of mental disorders including depression, hostility and increased aggressiveness, general apathy, memory loss, reproductive disabilities, impairment to the immune system, numerous airway injuries, and other general problems associated with intoxication. So far I have shown why marijuana should be disregarded as medicinal now I intend to discount some more common fallacies that marijuana advocates like to throw around as well as the argument that marijuana causes no harm to the smoker. First, advocates for marijuana like to say laws against alcohol and drugs don t work so why have them. They often use prohibition in the early 1900 s as an example. Even though prohibition was unpopular and only in effect for about fourteen years, it did impact the use of alcohol. Alcohol use, alcohol-related deaths, and admissions to hospitals for other alcohol related illnesses were all reduced approximately 50 percent. Also, contrary to what you hear, there’s no evidence of a big increase in crime. That probably makes for good gangster movies, but little else. Prohibition was rescinded because alcohol historically had been part of our lives, and the majority didn t support prohibition. Drugs, on the other hand, have not been part of our everyday lives, and over 80 percent of Americans favor drug prohibition A second fallacy is that legalizing marijuana would reduce the number of crimes and would free up prison space for more violent offenders. First of all there are 12 million arrests made annually out of which 1 million are for drug violations, of these only 12 percent are sentenced to prison. Most of the criminals that are locked up already have rap sheets a mile long for different crimes anyways. Now if we legalize marijuana the arrests would stop because of the change in the criminal code but the criminals wouldn t change their behavior and become law-abiding citizens. They will continue to commit crimes to pay rent, buy cars, go to concerts, buy clothes, eat, and buy legal drugs. Thirdly, most advocates like to use the Netherlands as an example of marijuana being legalized and not having any problems. The Netherlands has begun experiencing a variety of problems including a rise in crime, welfare, unemployment, and addicts from other countries migrating there to indulge their drug appetites. A fourth common fallacy is that if we legalize marijuana we would save at least 20 billion dollars annually that is now used towards law enforcement. What this fallacy assumes is that there would be no governmental costs associated with distribution, regulation, and control of legal drugs. Using alcohol as a model, we know these costs can be substantial. Knowing government, there is very little they do that is cost effective. In 1965, when we started Medicare, Congress projected that it would cost this country $12 billion by 1990. The actual costs that year were $110 billion. In 1968 food stamps cost $173 million annually, and now, less than 30 years later, the price tag is $24 billion. And, finally the greatest fallacy that marijuana does not harm the user. The fact remains that marijuana and hashish are intoxicating substances that make the user high. The degree of mental and physical impairment depends on the amount and strength of marijuana smoked. There is a substantial difference between the 2 to 5 percent THC weed of the ’70s and the 10 to 20 percent THC in today’s weed. There is a definite reason why the higher grade is more desirable and expensive, and that’s simply because it gives the user a more powerful high. Studies show marijuana can and often does cause apathy, diminishes mental capacity, causes difficulty in concentrating, decline in performance, and lost motivation. Thousands of studies also show marijuana use adversely affects the brain, reproduction process, immune system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and remains in the body for extended periods of time. In addition, marijuana use often impairs normal thought processes, distorts reality, reduces self-control, and releases inhibitions, all of which increase the chance of harmful and criminal behavior. Many times the user is unaware he or she is being affected unless told by others. A Stanford Medical School study showed pilots to be impaired 24 hours after smoking one joint, even though they felt they were functioning normally. In conclusion, the bottom line is, whenever persons are under the influence, they pose a threat to themselves and others. We don’t need more intoxicated people on our streets, at public events, or driving on our highways. Traffic fatality studies clearly demonstrate a disproportionate number of deaths caused by drivers under the influence of marijuana. Why would we want to make a substance like that legal, inexpensive and readily available to satisfy he desires of a few who already choose to violate our laws? Haven’t the advocates learned anything from our experience with drunkenness?