Financial Management Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Management Principles - Essay Example Net profit margin of the company further reveals that the company is remained with only about 7% of the total sales revenue after meeting cost of sales, operating expenses, interest expense, taxes and dividends etc. The difference between the company’s gross and net profit margin indicate the amount of profit foregone in the course of meeting various expenses. This means that the company has lost about 93% of its revenue in meeting all the various expenses. The return on assets ratio for the company in consideration is 4.88%, which connote that the company has utilized all of its various fixed and current assets to generate a return of 4.88% after meeting all the expenses. Strident Marks Inc.’s return on equity ratio reveals that the company has been able to generate a profit of 8.49% after engaging the total funds invested by its investors and shareholders for the year ended 2005. The current ratio for Strident Marks Inc. reflects that the company has a pretty healthy state of liquidity, i.e., it keeps about $2.57 worth of current assets to pay off $1 worth of current liabilities. The company’s working capital position is highly satisfactory and its current assets are greatly sufficient to meet its current liabilities. However, having such a high current ratio also reveals that some of the company’s fund is lying idle without being invested into the business. The quick ratio for the company shows that after keeping aside inventory from the current assets, the company is left with $2.48 worth of assets per $1 worth of liabilities. It also shows that not much of the company’s cash is tied up into inventory and the company’s short-term position is highly liquid. This ratio reveals that 34.68% of the company’s total assets are financed with borrowed capital, while rest of the assets are financed with equity funds supposedly. Hence the company currently banks on less external debts

Choose one of the following Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Choose one of the following - Assignment Example In other words, this essay attempts to explore how an advertisement in the printed media can illustrate Umberto Eco’s assertion that the medium as well as the message can be â€Å"charged with cultural signification† (Eco, 1976: 267). To add, the analysis of the perfume advert will focus on the photographic imagery that provides iconic representation of the product along with what it is supposed to stand for. It will also center around how the aforementioned imagery produces relevant signified concepts or, in other words, certain emotional overtones that serve to promote the item’s image. First of all, let us define semiotics and discuss concepts related to it. David Chandler, the author of â€Å"Semiotics: The Basics†, defines semiotics as â€Å"the study of signs† (Chandler, 2002: 1). The definition that is broader in scope was given by Umberto Eco, who assumed that â€Å"semiotics is concerned with everything that can be taken as a sign† ( Eco, 1976: 7). Wray (1981: 4) further explained that semiotics is a study of â€Å"the way any sign, whether it is a traffic signal, a thermometer reading of 98.6 F, poetic imagery, musical notation, a prose passage, or a wink of the eye, functions in the mind of an interpreter to convey a specific meaning in a given situation†. ... With reference to signs, two notable theories should be mentioned – that of Ferdinand de Saussure, a famous Swiss linguist, and Charles Pierce, a U.S. philosopher. For Saussure, semiotics was some kind of science that studies signs’ role within social life. For Pierce, semiotics was rather â€Å"a formal doctrine of signs†, inseparable from logic. While both approaches are considered essentially important for the modern understanding of semiotics, there is a major difference between them: as Leeds-Hurwitz points out, Pierce studied logics, while Saussure focused on behaviour (Leedz-Hurwitz, 2012: 6). The theory of semiotics posits that making meaning is a complex process within the text, and encompasses both signification and address. Signification is a word used to describe the overall process of signs’ reading. Semiotics understands ‘signs’ as something that denotes the elements of language, for instance, words. All languages are complex sig n systems. However, there may be found sign systems that are less complex. These are, for instance, colours. Through the use of specific colours, a message may be transmitted, based on their meanings in various cultures. For instance, the red colour is widely used to signify either a warning or passion in the cultures of the western civilization, while green is believed to be a colour of nature and the colour of harmony. Garments and accessories can serve another language that conveys things about individuals. Therefore, meaning gets formed not just by purely linguistic signifiers, e.g. written words, but also through images as well as different non-linguistic sounds. With reference to this, images function as

Family Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family Structure - Essay Example In a Foster family unit the children are raised by foster parents who are not the actual or biological parents of the child. The child may be living there for some days weeks or even months, because the actual parents of the child may not be alive or may not be capable of looking after the child due to a number of factors. These types of families are common in the United States where children are left in the care of foster parents if the actual parents are drug addicts or even criminals. Grand-parent headed Families are those units where the grandparents being the eldest and the senior most members of the family are treated with respect and are obeyed. The children of this family, no matter how old they grow, abide by the wishes of their parents till they are alive. This type of family culture is highly prevalent in India, where the senior most members of the family in a joint family are treated with utmost respect. The first task that the new couple accomplishes is to accomplish loyalty to the newly formed relationship. Both the partners begin their new life together by staying together with each other and loyalty is achieved by maintaining the sanctity of the marriage and trust among both the partners. The second task involves the formation of the new married relationship. The bond is created in a holy place and sanctified, after which the couple dedicate each other to themselves and spend good as well as bad times together. The third task is the building and realignment of relationships with each other's families and friends, where the couple gets to know each others' acquaintances and try to adapt themselves to the new relationships. The case is especially difficult for a woman if she has to move into a joint family or husband's extended family after marriage and live with them. There is tremendous adjustment on the part of the wife in such a case. These types of tasks are highly prevalent in the Indian Family systems, where the extended or joint family system is still highly prevalent. 3 major types of violence that is of concern to community health nurses are: Spouse/partner abuse, Child abuse and Elder abuse (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, (2001). 3 examples of primary prevention interventions that can be used in dealing with violence are: Universal Screening and Identification, School-Based Prevention Programs and Media and Public Education (American Medical Association (1994). 'Diagnostic and treatment guidelines on domestic violence'). 3 tertiary interventions that can be used in dealing with violence are: Marital and family therapy by clinical staff, Milieu treatment and Behavioral token programs like Individual counseling. (Samhsa's National Mental Health information Center). References American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2001). 'Violence as a public health problem'. Retrieved from website: Grief, Avner (2005). 'Family Structure, Institutions, and Growth: The Origin and Implications of Western Corporatism'.

Classification Of Operating System

Classification Of Operating System An Operating System is the basic software of computers that provides an interface between the computer programs and hardwares. Operating system also provides a software platform on top to other programs, they are called application programs (Application program: is the software that helps the users to make typical functions, like making text, othersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Your choice of the operating system, determinates the great extent of the application that you can run. The basic functions of the O.S. are managing machine resources, coordinate the hardware and organize files and directories on storage devices. Classification of Operating Systems Operating systems can be classified as follows: Multi-user: is the one that concede two or more users to use their programs at the same time. Some of O.S permits hundreds or even thousands of users simultaneously. Single-User: just allows one user to use the programs at one time. Multiprocessor: Supports opening the same program more than just in one CPU. Multitasking: Allows multiple programs running at the same time. Single-tasking: Allows different parts of a single program running at any one time. Real time: Responds to input instantly. Operating systems such as DOS and UNIX, do not work in real time. Operating  system functions The operating system serves several functions: Management Processor: Operating System Processor manages the distribution among programs using a programming algorithm. Management Random Access Memory: Operating system manages the memory space allocated for each application and each user, if appropriate. When physical memory is insufficient, the O.S creates an area of memory on the hard drive, called virtual memory. Virtual memory permits you to run applications that require a capacity of memory beyond available RAM in the system. However, this memory is much slower. Management of input / output: Operating system to unify and control access to material resources programs through the drivers (also known as administrators peripheral or input / output). Execution Management applications: Operating system ensures that applications run smoothly by allocating the resources they need to function. This means that if an application does not respond properly may succumb. Managing authorities: Operating system is responsible for security in connection with the execution of programs by guarantee you that resources are used only for programs and users with appropriate authorization. File management: The O.S manages all the writing and reading in the file system and access permissions to files and user applications. File system that permits files to be recorded in a tree structure. Information management: Operating system provides hundreds of indicators that can be used to diagnose the operation of the equipment. Operating System Components The system consists of a set of software that can be used to manage interactions with the hardware. These items are usually included in this set of software: The core: This represents the core operating system functions, such as memory management, processes, files, inputs / main outputs and communication functions. The shell: This enables communication with the operating system through a control language, allowing the user to control the device without knowing the characteristics of hardware, the management of physical addresses, and so on. First operating system was developed by IBM with a young man named Bill Gates, this could run on different computers from different manufacturers, it was called DOS (Disk Operating System), but differences between the parties did not set off a pitch. DOS was just a text screen with a command line that tells us which directory as we were only data for guidance. You had to know that things had to write for the machine to do something. There wasnt a context menu, and graphical displays to guide us. But in the beginning there were these systems presented so elegantly with many colors, there was only the command line interface that to only people who had great computer knowledge could use the computers. OPERATING SYSTEM IN THE 80s At 80s appear Mac OS systems and MS-DOS, Windows. The exponential growth of users, most of them without any knowledge of languages for high or low, made in the 80, the priority of designing an operating system was the ease of use, thus resulting the first user interfaces. Macintosh is the name under which we currently refer to any personal computer designed, developed, built and marketed by Apple Inc. Macintosh 128K was released on July 22, 1984 and was the first personal computer that was successfully marketed, which used a GUI and mouse instead of the standard of that time, the command line interface GUI makes use of a WIMP environment (windows, icons, menus and pointer). The background of the screen is called desktop, which contents an image called icons. Apple in 1984 produced the Macintosh, the first computer with mouse and graphical user interface (GUI). A few years later, Microsoft launched Windows, another operating system based in graphics and intuitive tools List of OS: Windows 7 Windows XP Professional Ubuntu Macintosh OSX Microsoft Vista Fedora Mac OS X Leopard Microsoft Windows 1.0 Xandros Linux Microsoft Windows 3.1 Unix Linux Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of software operating system based in graphical users interfaces produced by Microsoft. The different versions of Windows are: Windows 1.0 Windows 2.0 Windows 3.0 Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Mac OS Mac OS is an operating systems developed by Apple Computer Inc. Macintosh is popular because the graphical user interface, it was the integral and unnamed system software first introduced in 1984 but is usually it referred to simply as the system software. Mac OS can be divided into two families: The Mac OS Classic family. The Mac OS X operating system. UNIX This was developed in 1969 by a group of employees of AT T Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas Mcllroy, and Joe Ossanna. UNIX was developed in assembly language, but 1973 had been almost completely recoded in C, facilitating their development and migration to other hardware. This Operating Systems found on mainframes and workstations in corporate Installations. Linux Linux has its origin in UNIX. He showed in the sixties, developed by researchers Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson of AT T Bell Labs. Andrew Tanenbaum developed a Unix-like operating system called Minix to teach students to design an operating system. Due to the teaching approach of Minix, Tanenbaum never allowed him to be altered, and complications that could be introduced into the system for their students, but Finnish student named Linus Torvalds, verifying that it was not possible to extend Minix, decided to write his own operating system compatible with UNIX. Linux can be installed on all kind of computer no matter the hardware. This O.S is a leading server operative system, and can runs the 10 fastest supercomputers in the entire world, and the best two thing of it is that u don ´t get virus and is free. Mobile Operating System The mobile O.S is the Operating system that controls all mobile devices. The different systems for mobiles are: Windows Mobile Palms OS BlackBerry OS Symbian OS Android

To Censor Science or Not to Censor Science :: Analysis, Donohue

The Censoring of science may seem like it is restricting scientist’s ability to share their knowledge with one another, but censorship is protecting the United States citizens. In the article, â€Å"Censoring Science Won’t Make Us Any Safer† the author Donohue (2011) said, â€Å"Citizens are entitled to know when their milk, their water, their bridges their hospitals lack security precautions† (p. 398). The author believed that United States citizens have a right to know when they are in danger. To refute this argument, would be to say that, if the government does not have some sort of regulation set up to inhibit the sharing of biological secrets, our nations security will still be at risk. Donahue believed that censoring science has put the United States at the same risk as not censoring. Donahue (2011) stated â€Å"the effort to suppress scientific information reflects a dangerously outdated attitude† (p. 396). Donahue supported this claim by explaining several cases in science where sharing information from microbiological studies have helped science move forward. One such study was done by scientists in Australia. The study was finding a disease that would kill rodents. The scientists found a disease similar to smallpox that was called mousepox. With the research that they discovered and published the researchers from St. Louis University found a defense against such a disease. Donahue (2011) declared â€Å"This result would undoubtedly not have been achieved, or at least not as quickly, without the attention drawn by the ASM article† (p. 397). Most scientists want to be able to share their data. Scientists are autonomous by nature. Begelman (1968) refuted an argument made by I. L. Horowitz, who was a scientist that believed that the government was in â€Å"gross violations of the autonomous nature of science† (p.70). Begelman believed conversely, that there is a system of checks and balances in the government regulation system, and that this system is in place to protect citizens. The autonomous nature of science is not being dispelled just because there are a few government regulations on publishing scientific information. National security should always be considered when publishing information that could potentially be used against the United States. Scientists need to be aware of this potential threat and practice self-censorship. In the journal, â€Å"A Tale of Two Studies†, Segelid (2007) said â€Å"We recognize that on occasion an editor may conclude that the potential harm of publication outweighs the potential societal benefits.

Mental Health Self Reflection Assignment Essay

Introduction Although theoretical preparation clearly is important, there is no substitute for the learning that takes place during clinical experiences. Clinical experience is acknowledged as being the core of nursing education. As nursing student without previews experience in mental health, I was reflecting the same attitude held by general public that mentally ill patient are dangerous, prone to violence, unpredictable, and to some degree responsible for their illnesses. Also, at the beginning of the semester, I felt unprepared, anxious and stressed before starting mental health clinical but the positive relationships with clinical staff gave me confidence and increased my satisfaction with the clinical experience. However, I found that over the course of the clinical experience and through observation and active participation that I started feeling less anxious and more comfortable interacting with the patients in the facility. Narrative The few first clinical days, I was fearful to be around patients suffering mental illness such as anxiety disorder, mood disorder, psychotic disorder, personality disorder and so on. I felt that one of those patient may smack me or hit me , especially that on the first day of clinical one of the patient in the facility was right on the back of one the student sniffing on her hair. After time in the facility, I start feeling a little more comfortable around the patient. Then a different fear start, which is how to pick the right words in the right situation .for instance, a hallucinating patient start making a story from the picture of the celebrities on the magazines on the table of the lunch room, at that time I felt that my theoretical learning would not help me on how to communicate with this patient. So, my only option was to keep listening to him, show interest in his stories and give little to no feedback by nodding my head as I did understand the subject of the conversation. Furthermore, many times I felt that I had become very emotional and had empathy toward young girls’  patients especially those who got physically or sexually assaulted by close family member. For example, a teenage girl who was sexually assaulted by her grandfather and what worsen the situation that her mother knows but she didn’t do anything to help her. Also, another situation where a young female women in her early twenties had made many attempt to commit suicide.As a result of absent family support after her mother passed away when she was 15 years old, her father have another family in Japan and she was sexually abused by her own brother. As a woman and a mother of two girls, I felt that I cannot stand those kinds of situations where I had to be very careful, patient and cautious all at one time. However as nurse student, I was trying hard to separate between my feeling and clinical setting and to keep acting and responding to patient in an appropriate professional way. Clinical setting was a great learning experience for me as I got to see how mentally ill patient in the real world instead of a bunch of descriptive words in the psychology book. For example Miss P diagnosis was psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. I was very impressed to see this patient bizarre behaviors during a ten minutes team meeting in which the patient flip from showing a strong personality at the beginning, to an angry person in a few minutes later, to be an actor ,then laugh then cry then laugh again in such a short period of time. Moreover, I felt that the nurses and staff provided to me and other students a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere by answering our questions, allowing us to join staff meeting and group therapy and counseling. In my opinion, the stuff attitude toward student is an important component in creating a positive clinical experience. Literature review These negative and stigmatizing attitudes seem to be more prevalent at the begening of the nursing program with more positive attitudes reported by students in their final year of training (McCann et al., 2010, p. 34) these attitudes appear to have a significant influence on nursing students’ career choices. However, orientation to the clinical areas should not only familiarize students to the physical environment and policies and procedures relevant to the clinical setting, but also must acknowledge students’ anxiety and offer students strategies to address this. The lack of experience contributes to student stress in clinical practice and can lead  to nursing students being confused about their roles (Grav, Juul, & Hellzen, 2010). AS a result, students often demonstrate a lack of confidence and a sense of inadequacy with their role of therapeutic interaction. Therefore, clinical staff and nurse educators need to be effective in anticipating and alleviating clinical stress for students. It is important that educators encourage students to advocate the people they are working with, but to do this, students need support. Emotional support is identified as being an important component of the role of both the clinical mentor/preceptor and the academic lecturer/instructor (Koskinen et al.,2011). However, with appropriate support nursing students will grow in skills, knowledge and confidence throughout their clinical experience. Conclusion Through the clinical experience, I have learned something new about myself. I have learned basic counseling skills by listening to the patient, identifying potential problems, empathizing with him and providing basic care to prevent further problem. I didn’t know that with just a few simple words of encouragement and empathy, it could please and calm a mentally ill patient. Communication can make the patient, feel relaxed and cheerful. For example Miss H end up in the facility as a result of an attempt to commit suicide. In addition to medication, one to one therapy and group therapy helped Miss H to look at the reasons and causes which led her to find life meaningless and thinking of death as an escape. Finally, I have learned that supporting recovery requires a cultural awareness embedded in the vision of values and trust (NHS, Scotland, 2011). Therefore, this working relationship to recovery is a very valuable process which puts the responsibility on promoting personal and professional growth and understanding. To conclude, I hope to improve further in my psychosocial and counseling skills as I continue my journey in nursing. References References Koskinen, L., Mikkonen, I., & Jokinen, P. (2011). Learning from the world of mental health care: nursing students’ narratives. Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, 18(7), 622-628. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2850.2011.01711.x NHS Scotland, (2010) An Evaluation of the Impact of the Dissemination of Educational Resources to Support Values-Based and Recovery-Focused Recovery Learning Materials. McCann, T., Clark, E., & Lu, S. (2010). Bachelor of Nursing students career choices: A three year longitudinal study. Nurse Education Today, 30(1), 31-36. Grav, S., Juul, E. M. L., & Hellzen, O. (2010). Undergraduate nursing student experiences of their mental health clinical placement. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research & Clinical Studies / Và ¥rd i Norden, 30(1), 4-8.

Legalization of Marijuana

Legalization of Marijuana Free Online Research Papers Though some people may abuse the drug, marijuana should be legalized because of the benefits the drug offers to many others. There are medical benefits to marijuana use such as for cancer patients, people infected with AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and epileptics. The physical effects of marijuana use are relatively harmless. The government could make a significant profit by taxing marijuana if the drug was legalized and possibly diminish the drug dealers business. By decriminalizing the drug, the government would also save money because the United States spends millions of dollars to enforce marijuana laws. Marijuana has been around for thousands of years. The drug has been known to treat ailments since 3000 B.C. such as constipation, whooping cough, rheumatic pains, malaria, and absent-mindedness, to induce sleep and to lower fevers. The drug was introduced to the United States in the early 1920’s by Mexican immigrants. Today, medical marijuana is used for glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and used to help those with AIDS and individuals who are undergoing chemotherapy.† 78 % of cancer patients claim smoking marijuana –unlike any other drugshelped stop the nausea which is accompanied by chemotherapy†. (Stiefel, C. Marijuana on the ballot February 21, 1997) The cannabis plant helps to encourage their appetite despite the queasiness that comes with these therapies. Condition Cancer Chemotherapy Vomiting and nausea AIDS-related wasting Stimulates appetite Multiple sclerosis/ Epilepsy Reduces muscle spasms Glaucoma Reduces fluid pressure build up Patients with glaucoma, an eye disease, say marijuana has prevented them from going blind by reducing fluid pressure in their eyes. Some people say marijuana prevents epileptic seizures; reduces migraine headache pain; and alleviates the muscular tremors and paralysis of multiple sclerosis. (Stiefel, C. Marijuana on the ballot February 21, 1997) Doctors presently prescribe drugs that are known to be highly addictive and potentially harmful such as Morphine, OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet and some anti-depressants. Medical marijuana is one of the most broadly supported issues in the drug policy reform. In 1976, the U.S. federal government created the Investigational New Drug (IND) compassionate access program and granted the first of 12 patients the right to use medical marijuana as part of a clinical research program. The first state to legalize marijuana for medical use in 1978 was New Mexico. The federal government later approved synthetic THC (Marinol) as prescription medication in 1985. During 1989-1991 individuals with severe illnesses (several with AIDS) flood the United States government with requests to be apart the medical marijuana program. A 1990 survey concluded that 44 % of cancer doctors recommended marijuana to at least one of their patients. However, the program ended in 1992 due to being inundated by applicants; currently there are only seven patients, who can legally use marijuana through the federal program, (Stiefel, C. Marijuana on the ballot February 21, 1997). Whi le the majority of states in the U.S. oppose, there are 11 states that have legally recognized medical marijuana use for their citizens, including: Alaska, Hawaii, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Colorado, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island. Marijuana was first used as a pleasure-inducing drug in the United States in 1900. Marijuana continues to be the most common illegal drug in the United States; the drug has been illegal to sell, grow, or have in possession since 1937. Unlike legal drugs like tobacco and alcohol, marijuana contains an ingredient that produces euphoria. In passing the Controlled Substances Act, the United States Congress classified marijuana a high potential for abuse in 1970. However, marijuana use did not decline. Recreational marijuana use continued to spread and became one of the most prevalent drugs in the America, only second to alcohol. Marijuana is easily accessible in the streets and known as reefer, bud, weed, grass, pot, and maryjane. In the last fifteen years, the number of teens who anticipate trying marijuana has doubled. On 1995, 20 %of 8th graders, 34% of 10th graders and 42 % of 12th graders said they had smoked marijua na. It is understood that we do not want our children to abuse this â€Å"therapeutic† drug, so we, as the adults should enforce the situation the same way we address alcohol and tobacco products. Many American citizens are concerned that marijuana will be abused if legalized. It is speculated that marijuana may be a gateway drug to other drugs. There has never been substantial evidence of anyone overdosing or dying from use of the drug. Some marijuana users consume the drug to relieve stress or tension. Though the physical effects of marijuana use are moderately harmless, some individuals argue smoking marijuana is likely to generate more health problems than one already has. The cannabis plant is classified a psychoactive drug but has not been proven to be a lethal drug. Marijuana use has been linked to distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, and touch), memory loss, loss of coordination, trouble with concentration, increased heart rate, reduced blood pressure and some say marijuana smoke contains more cancer-causing chemicals than cigarette smoke. Some studies show that THC may even damage the immune cells that help fight diseases. While there are various side effe cts to marijuana, consider the alternative with other â€Å"therapeutic† drugs such as alcohol or tobacco users. Alcohol has been linked to numerous violent crimes, while marijuana users are usually more tranquil. There are some adverse results that are very significant; however, there are adverse results to just about everything in today’s society. The Marijuana Policy Project is a nationwide organization that works to decriminalize marijuana. The organization is the largest marijuana policy reform in the United States. The Marijuana Policy Project deems that the greatest damage correlated with marijuana is imprisonment. The projects’ main emphasis is to remove the criminal penalties for marijuana use, with a particular prominence on making marijuana medically available to terminally ill people who have the approval of their doctors. Legalizing marijuana could save the U.S. government money and generate money as well. Prohibition of marijuana is extremely costly to our country. The government spends an estimated $7.7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition because an extensive amount of resources are required to apprehend those individuals who buy or sell illegal drugs, prosecuting them in court, and housing them in jail. A marijuana user is arrested approximately every 36 seconds. John Walters, the White House drug czar has a yearly advertising budget of $60 million, which he uses for the most part to run anti-marijuana advertisement campaigns. Decriminalizing marijuana would save the American taxpayers a tremendous amount of money, to the tune of a projected $44 billion every fiscal year. Miron, Jeffrey A. Costs of Marijuana Prohibition: Economic Analysis Table 2: Expenditures Attributable to Marijuana Prohibition ($ in millions) (2003) Police Budget Judicial Budget Corrections Budget Total State Total: MJ Prohib: Total MJ Prohib: Total MJ Prohib. Total MJ Prohib. Alabama 656 18.28 262 28.56 404 4.04 1,322 51 Alaska 177 3.61 130 14.17 175 1.75 482 20 Arizona 1096 33.79 611 66.60 955 9.55 2,662 110 Arkansas 351 6.99 156 17.00 328 3.28 835 27 California 8703 227.97 6255 681.80 7170 71.70 22,128 981 Colorado 830 19.48 329 35.86 820 8.20 1,979 64 Connecticut 682 19.25 430 46.87 554 5.54 1,666 72 Delaware 166 4.82 90 9.81 228 2.28 484 17 Florida 3738 103.19 1396 152.16 3272 32.72 8,406 288 Georgia 1279 48.38 525 57.23 1375 13.75 3,179 119 Hawaii 222 2.49 180 19.62 153 1.53 555 24 Idaho 207 4.61 102 11.12 191 1.91 500 18 Illinois 3053 84.28 961 104.75 1763 17.63 5,777 207 Indiana 843 28.25 325 35.43 727 7.27 1,895 71 Iowa 426 13.44 253 27.58 298 2.98 977 44 Kansas 430 12.26 206 22.45 349 3.49 985 38 Kentucky 488 19.78 290 31.61 610 6.10 1,388 57 Louisiana 829 27.89 359 39.13 780 7.80 1,968 75 Maine 164 6.31 69 7.52 123 1.23 356 15 Maryland 1120 39.68 489 53.30 1104 11.04 2,713 104 Massachusetts 1479 53.98 628 68.45 795 7.95 2,902 130 Michigan 1792 40.62 905 98.65 1853 18.53 4,550 158 Minnesotta 874 37.18 442 48.18 591 5.91 1,907 91 Mississippi 404 12.03 154 16.79 292 2.92 850 32 Missouri 886 21.79 359 39.13 627 6.27 1,872 67 Montana 136 1.02 66 7.19 125 1.25 327 9 Nebraska 235 8.98 96 10.46 231 2.31 562 22 Nevada 539 10.32 248 27.03 471 4.71 1,258 42 New Hampshire 187 8.84 92 10.03 115 1.15 394 20 New Jersey 2231 78.52 948 103.33 1480 14.80 4,659 197 New Mexico 382 6.12 167 18.20 315 3.15 864 27.47 New York 5717 274.42 2262 246.56 4392 43.92 12,371 564.90 North Carolina 1318 33.03 470 51.23 1159 11.59 2,947 95.85 North Dakota 68 1.43 55 6.00 40 0.40 163 7.82 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  00 40 0.40 163 7.82  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  end_of_the_skype_highlighting Ohio 2124 58.03 1158 126.22 1937 19.37 5,219 203.63 Oklahoma 518 21.53 193 21.04 511 5.11 1,222 47.68 Oregon 696 15.23 356 38.80 747 7.47 1,799 61.50 Pennsylvania 2220 59.82 1067 116.30 2221 22.21 5,508 198.33 Rhode Island 211 8.23 105 11.45 139 1.39 455 21.06 South Carolina 653 28.79 179 19.51 559 5.59 1,391 53.89 South Dakota 88 2.91 40 4.36 81 0.81 209 8.08 Tennessee 940 36.47 399 43.49 604 6.04 1,943 86.00 Texas 3204 88.47 1355 147.70 3755 37.55 8,314 273.71 Utah 381 7.30 202 22.02 351 3.51 934 32.83 Vermont 78 1.69 39 4.25 66 0.66 183 6.60 Virginia 1176 31.08 513 55.92 1246 12.46 2,935 99.46 Washington 1007 26.66 470 51.23 1053 10.53 2,530 88.42 West Virginia 171 5.17 108 11.77 184 1.84 463 18.79 Wisconsin 1124 0.13 440 47.96 1030 10.30 2,594 58.39 Wyoming 99 2.83 50 5.45 98 0.98 247 9.26 56,398 1,707.41 26,984 2941.26 48447 484.47 131,829 5,133 Arrest Data: http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/crime/ Judicial Percent: Pastore and Maguire (2003), Table 5.42, p.444 Budget Data: census.gov/govs/www/state00.html Incarceration Percent: Pastore and Maguire (2003), Table 6.30, p.499 Taxing marijuana like alcohol or tobacco would produce an expected $37 billion in tax proceeds. In the year 2008, at least 41% of Americans support legalizing marijuana according to a poll given by Zogby International. Many individuals believe legalizing marijuana could be very beneficial to the public. A score of people are certain that this drug has countless medical and economical advantages, as well as the decline in the occurrence of crime. It is deemed by many that the numerous benefits of marijuana clearly outweigh the risks associated with marijuana use. Those that oppose the legalization of marijuana refuse to embrace the therapeutic gains of its use, yet they are rampant to accept other legal narcotics that are known to be highly addictive with dangerous side effects. The disadvantages of legalizing marijuana include the battle of keeping the â€Å"herb† out of our youths’ hands, basically the same issue we have with alcohol and tobacco products. Opposers argue that marijuana use initiates the use of other drugs that may be harsher and more severe. These conservatives also expect that legalizing marijuana will encourage an epidemic in usage. Smoking marijuana in general may warrant health issues. Alcohol warrants health issues. Tobacco warrants health issues. Individuals that do not wish to consume alcohol or tobacco products do not do so. An adult should be allowed to make the decision on whether they choose to use this therapeutic plant or not. Millions of adult Americans use marijuana regularly because they find it helps to ease their pains or helps them to relax after a stressful day. A controlled marijuana market would better defend their health and be much safer than the unfettered black market. Though marijuana is legal in other countries, the plant remains the second most prevalent drug in America whether used by the terminally ill, or by those individuals looking to indulge into one of life’s sweetest pleasures. Decriminalizing marijuana is not necessarily excusing or supporting marijuana use but instead recognizing the communal authenticity of its presence. References Facts about marijuana seeds, legalizing marijuana, growing cannabis leaf, www.marijuanahydro.com 1996 Hammer, J. The war over weed., Newsweek, Vol. 131, Issue 11 March 16, 1995 McMurray, C. Medicinal Marijuana: Is It What the Doctor Ordered? Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing, p1-2, 2p December 16, 2003 Miron, Jeffrey A. Costs of Marijuana Prohibition: Economic Analysis www.prohibitioncosts.org/mironreport.html June 2005 Silverberg, D. Arresting the Drug Laws. Progressive, Vol. 69 Issue 8, p33-33, 1p August 2005 Stiefel, C. Marijuana on the ballot. Science World, Vol. 53 Issue 10, p8, 3p, 2 color; February 21, 1997 Research Papers on Legalization of MarijuanaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Moral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesThe Fifth HorsemanGenetic EngineeringTwilight of the UAWNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceBringing Democracy to Africa Legalization of Marijuana Free Online Research Papers From the beginning of time, cannabis has played a major role in all of our lives. According to Jerome Jaffe, the earliest known fabric was woven from hemp in 8000 BCE. The Chinese treated arthritis and gout with hemp in 2727 BCE. In 1762 you could be thrown in jail for NOT growing marijuana in Virginia. And as recently as 1944, shortly after the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, the LaGuardia report questioned the government’s sanity regarding the use of cannabis. â€Å"The laws governing marijuana today are largely due to three very powerful Americans (Williams Randolph Hearst, Andrew Mellon, and Lamont Du Pont) who were afraid they would lose tremendous amounts of money if hemp was allowed to reach its full commercial potential. To protect their bottom line, they engaged in an all out campaign to convince the country that marijuana (which no one had ever heard of) was on the brink of ruining their lives† (OBrien, Cohen, Evans, and Fine, 175). I will not be reporting a biography of these individuals, I will only be expressing my thoughts on legalization. Although there are certainly negative aspects of any idea, I wholeheartedly support the legalization of marijuana in our society an d culture today. One of the pessimistic features of the legalization of an illicit drug would be control. There would have to be a system in place, much like the laws regarding alcohol, to regulate the use of marijuana. There would obviously have to be laws controlling the amount of marijuana in possession of the person as well as a way to ensure the productivity of the working class; perhaps by restricting it in the same way a person would get fired or jailed for over intoxication at work or while operating heavy machinery. Another negative aspect of legalization is the common dullness which can result in excessive smoking of marijuana. However, this may change once a person gets used to the substance. â€Å"They will become more functional in public and may actually adapt well in most circumstances† (Andrews, 661). The only reason people may come across as useless in the eyes of the sober is due to the fact that marijuana is, in fact, illegal and frowned upon by all those who do not partake. This causes the individual to become paranoid in a public setting and nervous because of the constant judging from the sober. As was mentioned before, I wholeheartedly support the legalization of marijuana. Economically, it could be taxed and sold at a slightly higher price, putting the small time dealers out of business, cutting down on the drug related crimes; all while putting money in the governments pocket. Medicinally, it is ideal for people with any kind of gastrointestinal problems like ulcers or heartburn. It has an obvious use in the treatment of glaucoma and cancer/AIDS related anxiety and nausea. Physically it could help nurse the disease of bulimia and anorexia by aiding food consumption. It also does not have the same debilitating effect on the body as does, say alcohol. The list could conceivably go on for pages. In my opinion, the pros most definitely outweigh the cons. I look forward to the day when marijuana will finally be legalized and alcohol consumption will diminish. It is time for the entire nation to gain legal entrance into the â€Å"secret garden† where the quality of human life may just be that much better. References Andrews, Matthew. (1972). The Parents Guide to Drugs (Doubleday Co.). pp. 4-12. Jaffe, Jerome H. (1995). Encylopedia of Drugs Alcohol (Simon Schuster). pp. 659-663. OBrien, R., Cohen, S., Evans, G., and Fine, J., (Eds.). (1992). The Enclopedia of Drug Abuse (Facts on File, Inc.). pp. 175-179. Research Papers on Legalization of MarijuanaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseCapital Punishment19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraPETSTEL analysis of IndiaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoTwilight of the UAWArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)