...Legalizing Marijuana: The ethical issue and problem Dorcas Rivera SOC 120 Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility Instructor: Robert Gala September 23, 2013 Legalizing Marijuana: The ethical issue and problem Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug. Therefore, legalizing marijuana, not only now, but for many years, has been the topic on rather or not it should be legalized. Even though marijuana has been legalized for medical use in 18 U.S. states, this has caused big controversy in our country and the ethical issue and problems it presents. In this article I will explain; what is marijuana, the risk of marijuana use, the effects of marijuana (in the brain and body), and the pros and cons of legalizing it. I will also explain how one of the classical theories, utilitarianism, would resolve the problem. On the other hand, I will contrast the response with the perspective brought to the issue by, ethical egoism. Lastly, will ended off choosing which of the two are closer to my view. 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. All forms of marijuana are mind-altering. In other words, they change how the brain works. They all contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana. They also contain more than 400 other chemicals. Marijuana's...
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...Legalizing Marijuana: An Ethical Perspective In today’s society, many ethical concerns arise on a daily basis, especially when it comes to the topic of legalizing marijuana. Many individuals have relied on the fact that marijuana was illegal, when determining whether smoking it should be considered unethical. However, many studies have shown that the effects of marijuana are not as detrimental as they were once made out to be. Legalizing marijuana can be an extremely controversial topic because several people have strong beliefs concerning why it should not be legalized, while a significant amount of people have stronger arguments, as to why it should be legalized. When it comes to looking at the ethical standpoint of legalizing marijuana, everyone has a different interpretation as to why marijuana should or should not be legalized. This is because everyone’s sense of morals and values differ. Legalizing marijuana for medicinal and recreational use would be beneficial for large amounts of people for many reasons. The theory of utilitarianism implies that the proper course of action should be the one, which benefits the greatest number of people. Many aspects of legalizing marijuana should be considered when determining if the benefits outweigh the risks. Several states have passed laws, which govern the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. In fact, over twenty states, as well as the District of Columbia have enacted laws that govern the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes...
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...medical use of marijuana. Although there are some people who simply dismiss the idea of medical marijuana as a subterfuge enabling liberalization, which they are afraid that there is a small chance that it will spread the plague of drug abuse. Having marijuana legalized could legitimate the drug as both safe and effective . Marijuana's industrial, medical, and recreational uses has definitely played an important role in regards to increasing its fame, there are even some presidential candidates that have even acknowledged the fact that they have even smoked marijuana before. Marijuana is an extremely safe drug simply because of its primary active ingredients THC along with other cannabinoids produce psychoactive effects and there is no fatal dose at all. However, there are other psychoactive drugs like alcohol, opiates, nicotine, and caffeine that can have fatal overdoses. This is why marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest, therapeutically active substance that is known to mankind. Although, there are some people who may feel morally violated in regards to legalizing marijuana and doing drugs may be a victimless crime but it is still viewed in a negative fashion by some people. But the utilitarianism thing to do would be to legalize marijuana because it will give a better outcome for the largest amount of people by helping to create jobs, helping to bring more economy to the government, and helping with medicinal purposes as well. In contrast, the relativist...
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...Final research paper Same sex marriage has been a hot topic in the news lately, as well as in the political arena. Marriage between a man and a man or a woman and a woman are felt by many to be morally wrong, but is it really? Or do these people fear the unknown and are using morality as the excuse for their negligence of the unknown? The utilitarian follow the utilitarian moral guide lines in their beliefs utilitarian’s would not be against same sex marriages. However if the Ethical egoist follows their moral guide lines then it is believed that they would be against same sex marriages. In this paper I am going to try to show you what has brought me to these beliefs and how I believe ones morals may differ in the pursuit of society’s happiness. Utilitarianism is about obtaining the greatest good for the greatest number of people. With that said utilitarian’s would not be against two people in love, joining together in the sanctity of marriage. According to Webster’s dictionary utilitarianism is defined as: “a theory that the aim of action should be the largest possible balance of pleasure over pain, or the greatest happiness of the greatest number.” Our ethic’s book Ethics Theory and Practice tenth edition (Thiroux and Krasemann 2009 page 317), “the basic argument against the morality of homosexuality is that it is unnatural and perverse; that is, it goes against the laws of God, traditional family values, and the moral values of Nature.” This creates the problems of...
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...Research has found that many users find marijuana to be a great therapeutic alternative when traditional therapeutic drugs start to become ineffective. The issue of employers having the legal right to fire employees who are registered medical marijuana users when testing positive during drug test makes employees feel helpless. This paper explores the legal, ethical, and social responsibilities that companies have in today’s society in regard to the use of medical marijuana. At Will Employment and Medical Marijuana: Analyses based on Legal, Ethical and Social Responsibility There is controversy over the rising issue of employment at-will and medical marijuana off company property. There are 22 states that allow the use of medical marijuana, but these states’ medical marijuana laws do not explicitly provide protection status to patients. Should this be legal and is it worth it for the organization to continue this practice? This paper will discuss the issue of “zero-tolerance” drug policies in organizations located in states that allow the legal use of medical marijuana, and the issues that arise will be analyzed and broken down into the “3 value” analysis of the law, ethics, and social responsibility. According to a report done by CNN there is a case concerning a Michigan man named Joseph Casias, 29, who was fired from his job at Wal-Mart after failing a drug test. Joseph has a rare form of brain cancer that causes him daily pain. His doctor prescribed him medical marijuana...
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...Deontology and Utilitarianism of Marijuana Brandon What do you think of when you hear the term Weed or Marijuana? Most people probably think illegal drugs, drug dealers, and crime. But what most people don’t realize is that Marijuana might be able help with some of today’s most common problems. For an Aids patient Marijuana helps fight appetite loss and headaches. The Marijuana seed is a source of nutritional value, and is a great source for cooking oils and vitamins. Before it was illegalized Marijuana was one of the main sources of paper and clothing. Marijuana can produce four times more fiber per acre than most trees used today. If you do the math on that anyone can see that Marijuana has a great chance of reducing deforestation. The war on drugs has cost our country millions of dollars over the past decades. But not only does the drug problem still exist it has actually grown over the decades. Alcohol causes more accidents and deaths than Marijuana ever has but it is not illegal. Alcohol will never be illegalized because it has always been so relative to most of the world’s cultures, but that doesn’t make it right. Do you still think so negatively of the term Marijuana? This paper will look at the Deontology and Utilitarian views of Marijuana. The purpose of this paper is to examine the rights and wrongs of Marijuana, and whether or not it should be illegalized. Is marijuana really an introductory drug? Many people believe so. In fact I believe...
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...Euthanasia: A Moral Dilemma The word euthanasia is derived from two Greek words, “eu” which means “good” and “thanatos” which means “death,” thus, you have the translation “good death.” For many, when faced with a terminal disease or injury, it is all they truly want. That is, the ability to choose the right to die, in lieu of, a slow and painful death. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Euthanasia as, “The act or practice of killing hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy,” and also, “The act of or practice of allowing a hopelessly sick or injured patient to die by taking less than complete medical measures to prolong life – mercy killing.” In those two separate definitions, you have the words that define the difference between active and passive euthanasia. “The act or practice of killing…” is what is termed as active euthanasia, in that it involves a person physically “doing” something to bring about the death of an individual. Whereas, “the act or practice of allowing…” is considered passive euthanasia, in that it allows a person to die. Normally, this entails the withholding or withdrawal of necessary medical equipment or medicine. Historically, both methods have evoked great emotional turmoil throughout society. Why? Because, it puts into dispute moral, cultural, social, and religious values that individual’s hold regarding their right to live, aswell as their right to die. Furthermore, individuals want to be able...
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...Assisted Suicide PHI 200: Mind and Machine Physician Assisted Suicide Physician assisted suicide is the common term whereby a physician, at the request of a terminally ill patient, assists the patient in voluntarily ending their own life. Assistance can mean providing one with the means (drugs or equipment) to end their own lives, but may extend to other actions. There are currently three states in the US which allow physician assisted suicide as well as a handful of countries. Global public debate has been ongoing for decades, centering on legal, religious, and moral conceptions of suicide and a personal right to death. “In some religious contexts, while a suicide is considered to be an offense made out of unknowing, confusion, or despair, assisted suicides are ostensibly actions made in faith, with no expectation of incurred sin or such that would bar transcendence to an afterlife”. In certain religious denominations, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, suicides are considered a serious sin. So, many Catholics oppose the practice of assisted suicide. For years, doctors have been prohibited from assisting patients to end their own lives. There are many arguments for and against assisting terminally ill patients to remain in control of their own destiny. Should a terminally ill patient be able to commit suicide? Proponents of patients’ rights argue that patients have the right to die...
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...to have an abortion or if she wants to keep the baby. I believe in pro-choice, which means that a woman should have complete control of her decision to either continue with the pregnancy or terminate the pregnancy. In the Mary Pluski Case, she was raped, became pregnant and does not want to have a baby. She is not ready to take care of a baby and she does not want to bring a baby into the world while she is not ready to make that change into her life. In some cases of rape, abortion can be seen as a method to free the woman of the pain and trauma the victim may have received. For plenty women, giving birth to a child that resulted from a rape can be just as brutal as the rape itself. I believe the ethical theory my argument reflects would be Act Utilitarianism. The person that may or may not have the abortion is making a decision for a certain reason. The decision may not be a right or wrong decision, because of the outcome or consequence of the decision. We all have freedom and it is that person's decision on what they decide to do. It is their body and their life, so they should be able to decide how they want to live it. Having an abortion may be a selfish action of the mother, but it may also be to protect...
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...In a recent online poll, people were asked to name the best quality, or virtue, that a person should have. The top three answers were honesty, integrity, and a solid work ethic. Gambling is not an activity that could be described using any of these words. Gambling corrupts the values of the life, replacing them with greed and selfishness. It is a form of theft from taxpayers, encourages the neglect of children and jobs, attracts a criminal element, cultivates laziness and lends itself easily to other societal ills such as alcohol and drug use and prostitution. Gambling undermines the work ethic by offering a “something for nothing” attitude and leads people to profit by causing loss to others. Most proponents of gambling consider it to be harmless recreation. However, like the tobacco industry, the gambling industry relies and thrives on addiction. The bulk of the gambling industry’s profits come from problem and compulsive gamblers. In terms of casinos, they produce no wealth for anyone other than the owners. They do not produce a good to be manufactured or exchanged. Almost every dollar spent in a casino is utilized by the casino; -- it is sucked out of the community, not spent elsewhere, or put into a savings account. Gambling and casinos are not economic development. We, as a society, must choose to build a future on solid economic foundation, or build a casino economy where we say it does not matter. The social costs of gambling, the externalities, are hard...
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...PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE: LEGALITY AND MORALITY Wednesday - May 8th, 2002 By Martin Levin, 107 Irving Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (617)-497-6828 mlevin@levinlaw.com On Sunday, June 21, 1992, Jennifer Cowart, age thirty-two, and her brother George Kowalski, age twenty-eight, traveled to Pensacola Beach, Florida, for a day of relaxation. At the end of the day, Jennifer and George were heading back to their vehicle when Jennifer noticed a go-kart track. The two entered the track, bought tickets, and began riding. Within one minute, Jennifer’s go-kart bumped into one of the side guardrails, flipped on its side, and burst into flames. Jennifer was seat-belted in the go-kart and could not get out. George tried to run into the fire to save his sister, but the flames were too intense. Bystanders attempted to use a fire extinguisher, but it did little to lessen the inferno. Jennifer was trapped in the burning go-kart for two minutes when her seat-belt finally burned through and she fell to the ground. George grabbed his sister and pulled her away from the fire. Jennifer was alive. She was lying on the asphalt alert, oriented, and coherent. She had suffered 3rd and 4th degree burns covering ninety-five percent of her body. She was suffering the worst pain imaginable. At the scene, Jennifer begged the rescue personnel to “let me die.” Instead, Jennifer was flown to a burn center in Mobile, Alabama, where she remained for one year until she was overcome by an infection...
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...contents critical thinking thinking critically about ethical issues 1 ETHICAL REASONING 3 2 VALUES-BASED ETHICAL REASONING 9 3 RIGHTS-BASED ETHICAL REASONING 15 4 CONSEQUENCE-BASED ETHICAL REASONING 20 5 ERRORS IN ETHICAL REASONING 25 5.1 THE IS/OUGHT FALLACY 25 5.2 THE ARBITRARY LINE FALLACY 27 REVIEW OF TERMS 29 THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE 29 THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT WHAT YOU HEAR 30 THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT WHAT YOU READ 30 THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT WHAT YOU WRITE 35 THINKING CRITICALLY WHEN YOU DISCUSS 36 REASONING TEST QUESTIONS 36 T H I N K I N G C R I T I C A L L Y A B O U T E T H I C A L I S S U E S We don’t cover any particular step or steps in this section—you can, and should, apply all of your critical thinking skills when you think about ethical issues (hence, the entire template is bolded)! Template for critical analysis of arguments 1. What’s the point (claim/opinion/conclusion)? s Look for subconclusions as well. 2. What are the reasons/what is the evidence? s s Articulate all unstated premises. Articulate connections. 3. What exactly is meant by . . .? s s s Define terms. Clarify all imprecise language. Eliminate or replace “loaded” language and other manipulations. 4. Assess the reasoning/evidence: s s If deductive, check for truth/acceptability and validity. If inductive, check for truth/acceptability...
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...The Power of Logic The Power of Logic FOU RTH E DITION Frances Howard-Snyder Daniel Howard-Snyder Ryan Wasserman WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Published by McGraw-Hill, an imprint of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2009, 2005, 2002, 1999, by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGrawHill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOC/DOC 0 9 8 ISBN: 978-0-07-340737-1 MHID: 0-07-340737-2 Editor in Chief: Michael Ryan Editorial Director: Beth Mejia Sponsoring Editor: Mark Georgiev Marketing Manager: Pamela Cooper Editorial Coordinator: Briana Porco Production Editors: Melissa Williams/Melanie Field, Strawberry Field Publishing Cover Designer: Ashley Bedell Cover Photo: © Dan Trist/Corbis Media Project Manager: Thomas Brierly Production Supervisor: Louis Swaim Composition: This text was set in 10.5/12.5 Goudy by Aptara, Inc. Printing: Printed on 45# New Era Matte by R.R. Donnelley & Sons, Inc. Credits: The credits section for this book is on page 647, following the Answer Key in the back of the book, and is considered an extension of the copyright page. ...
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...'Vhat'Ve Can't A Guide J. Budzisze wski WHAT WE CAN’T NOT KNOW J. BUDZISZEWSKI WHAT WE CAN’T NOT KNOW A Guide Revised and Expanded Edition IGNATIUS PRESS SAN FRANCISCO First edition published by Spence Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas ©2003 by J. Budziszewski All rights reserved Cover illustration: Comstock/Fotosearch.com Cover design by Sam Torode ©2004 Spence Publishing Company Used by permission Published in 2011 by Ignatius Press, San Francisco ©2003, 2011 J. Budziszewski All rights reserved ISBN 978-1-58617-481-1 Library of Congress Control Number 2010927673 Printed in the United States of America To my grandparents Julian and Janina Budziszewski, long departed, not forgotten The mind of man is the product of live Law; it thinks by law, it dwells in the midst of law, it gathers from law its growth; with law, therefore, can it alone work to any result. —George MacDonald CONTENTS PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION A New Phase of an Old Tradition ix PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION Whom This Book Is For xix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xxiii INTRODUCTION The Moral Common Ground 3 I THE LOST WORLD Things We Can’t Not Know 1 2 What It Is That We Can’t Not Know 3 Could We Get By Knowing Less? II EXPLAINING THE LOST WORLD 4 The First and Second Witnesses 5 The Third and Fourth Witnesses 6 Some Objections vii 19 29 54 83 93 116 viii WHAT WE CAN’T NOT KNOW III HOW THE LOST WORLD WAS LOST 7...
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...Download GRE Big Book Word List GRE Big Book Word List abase v. To lower in position, estimation, or the like; degrade. abbess n. The lady superior of a nunnery. abbey n. The group of buildings which collectively form the dwelling-place of a society of monks or nuns. abbot n. The superior of a community of monks. abdicate v. To give up (royal power or the like). abdomen n. In mammals, the visceral cavity between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor; the belly. abdominal n. Of, pertaining to, or situated on the abdomen. abduction n. A carrying away of a person against his will, or illegally. abed adv. In bed; on a bed. aberration n. Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course. abet v. To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense). abeyance n. A state of suspension or temporary inaction. abhorrence n. The act of detesting extremely. abhorrent adj. Very repugnant; hateful. abidance n. An abiding. abject adj. Sunk to a low condition. abjure v. To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath. able-bodied adj. Competent for physical service. ablution n. A washing or cleansing, especially of the body. abnegate v. To renounce (a right or privilege). abnormal adj. Not conformed to the ordinary rule or standard. abominable adj. Very hateful. abominate v. To hate violently. abomination n. A very detestable act or practice. aboriginal adj. Primitive; unsophisticated. aborigines n. The original of earliest known inhabitants of a country. http://www.testsworld.com/gre-word-list...
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