Since my first blog post I have done more research on the topic of legalizing marijuana. I have gotten different opinions from several different sources such as doctors, scientists and regular individuals who are passionate about the topic. Even though some of my research may suggest that using marijuana for medicinal purposes does have some benefits I still stand by the fact that marijuana should remain illegal for three major reasons. Here’s why.

            The first reason I think marijuana should continue to be illegal is because of the effect it has on the brain, the lungs, and the heart. I’ll start with the effects it has on the brain. When inhaled, marijuana smoke can cause users to experience impaired coordination, difficulty with problems solving, and memory loss. Studies show that chronic marijuana users can be faced with an incapacitated ability to function at superior intellectual level days or even weeks after smoking. This means that these people will usually always be performing below par. Smoking marijuana can also enhance anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

            The effects that marijuana smoke actually has on the lungs are similar to the effects of tobacco smoke. Research shows that marijuana smoke contains 50-70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than marijuana smoke. Individuals who smoke marijuana usually inhale deeper and hold the smoke longer than cigarette users, therefore, exposing the lungs more to the carcinogenic smoke. When smoked daily marijuana can destroy and deregulate the growth of the epithelia cells, which could lead to cancer. Although there is no record of someone contracting cancer, smoking marijuana can still lead to respiratory illnesses; similar to cigarette smokers.

            When under the influence of marijuana your heart rate can increase by 20-100 percent; which could be from 30-50 beats per minuet. While your heart rate is increasing your blood pressure is also dropping. This influence could last up to 3 hours. When this happens individuals are four times more prone to having a heart attack. Although these chances are far more attainable for people who are of an older age or already suffer from cardiac problems, these facts are not to be ignored.

            The second reason I think that marijuana should remain illegal is because of its gateway potential. If somebody starts smoking marijuana at a young age then they are liable to get introduced to “harder” drugs such as crack cocaine, heroine, and meth later in life, looking for a better or more intense high. If we make marijuana more accessible by legalizing it than it’ll make other drugs easier to come by.

            My final reason on why we should not legalize marijuana is because I think it is just morally wrong. People constantly use the argument that alcohol is no better than marijuana, but alcohol such as wine has been so invested in cultures all over the world. We teach our children in school that you should not partake in drugs at all under any circumstances and to always so no. So how is turning around, going against your word and legalizing it setting a good example for anybody. Just because marijuana might not be as harmful as alcohol doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a drug.

You can find my first blog post here. 

But I have taken a look at some websites I frequent, mainly Tumblr. Tumblr is a blogging website, where one can make his or her own blog. It can range from a blog centered on an item or a band to a random blog, in which you can post whatever you want. A good handful of blogs are personal to the owner, in which they share their struggles with daily life. While browsing some of these blogs, I’ve found what are called ‘Ana’ and ‘Mia’ blogs, referring to Anorexia and Bulimia respectively. These blogs contain emancipated images of girls in fashion shows or even some airbrushes females on magazine covers. The people running the blogs are usually referring to these images as ‘thinspiration’ or ‘thinspo’.

Common Thinspiration are models in the media and girls from magazine covers and celebrities, who are also under this influence. Even the Internet is becoming a dangerous place for being comfortable with what you look like and who you are. Many celebrities have posed for magazines and complained about the editing they do to their bodies.

I personally think that this is all ridiculous.

What is so wrong with seeing a person with flaws? Does the media know their impact on young girls’ lives?  

Sources

            Attention all viewers! Recent studies have shown that the foods that we love the most, are killing us slowly. According to Top 10 Junk Foods, common foods that teenagers can easily find are French fries, a can of soda or chips. This junk food is found at an affordable price. Therefore everyone will buy them because they find them delicious and might even think they are nutritious. If our country increased the junk food prices and lowered the fruits and 100 percent fruit juice was at a cheaper price then our country wouldn’t be in an Obesity crisis.

            When we get hungry, we want something to eat fast and hot. That’s where the idea fast food restaurants came from. Before, the U.S did not have such a system of fast food because they knew that if the food were out for too long, it would begin to spoil. Then, they made up a system in which the food was going to be ready. This process is horrible because its fried fat, and/or through the microwave. This may sound disgusting but it’s the truth. Millions of Americans love fast food restaurant. That’s where obesity comes in. You see, when you are cooking greasy fat then you are serving poison to the community. You’re killing our country for a dollar a burger. If someone was hungry and it was between the food that is home or a fast food restaurant, 2 out of 3 people chose fast food because they don’t want the wait. This food is horrible for the body but like it tastes good, the community doesn’t mind.

            Obesity rates have also gone up in the United States because we are currently in a recession. Unemployment rates are going up because there is not enough money and not enough money means not enough food. Unless, you buy the unhealthy food that can potentially kill you. We need change and we need it now. The prices in our country have to change. What’s bad for us is extremely affordable but what’s good for us is horrible. How can this society not be as mindful with the new generation and putting them at risk of so many illnesses?

            There needs to be change now. In our country the obesity rates for a male is about 31 percent. This needs to stop now. There is no reason why we can’t eat what we want without having to pay a lot of money. All of this fast food is causing cancer to our citizens because the fries from fast food restaurants contain a chemical that causes cancer. The community does not know this because we are not aware. We buy but do not know what we are buying! This has to stop.

There are many ways that the new generation can eat these foods while leaving original flavors and no artificial flavors. If our government makes a change in our food change we can be able to lower the rates of obesity. For example, if they say that a bag of chips, costs two dollars and a bunch of bananas is 35 cents per pound then the country will want to eat the banana. The country goes for the cheapest item. IF the healthier things aren’t as expensive than I can guarantee that we would have a healthier child rate.

We can change this now. Change is something that we all need and especially this country. We need healthier foods for lunch, and more affordable prices for the foods we need to eat. We had so many farmers and now we have none. Like unemployment is so high and farmer rates are so low, then why don’t we hire farmers? If we hire these farmers, then our fruits will be more affordable and our country will be at a healthier state.

In the Trayvon Martin case, there have only been a few outbreaks.

According to Florida’s special prosecutor Angela Corey at a news conference has charged George Zimmerman with 2nd degree murder. He is being held with no bond. If George Zimmerman is convicted, he could face life in prison.

 http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-charged-murder-trayvon-martin-killing/story?id=16115469#.T7Qum59YtO6 (The link to Angela Corey announcing to the press that Zimmerman was being charged) 

 Also, they have uncovered the weapons in the killing and the photo of the exact spot he was killed at. News reports say Trayvon Martin had marijuana in his system before he was killed.

                                   9 mm handgun used by Zimmerman

                George Zimmerman being taken into custody in the far

                                         left of the photo.

To add to my research, I have looked up more information and looked up various videos and news reports on this case. I’ve also read many news articles about this case. My findings were helpful and gave me more insight on my issue. Finding out more about the case then I already knew made me realize there is a lot more than it seems to this cause. It’s more than just an African American teenager being killed by someone of a different race.

In my opinion, I think that Zimmerman has a bad judgment of people that were a different skin color than him, so that really gave him a reason to physically fight, then kill Trayvon. I also think that Zimmerman had no reason to shoot. Trayvon was unarmed. To me that wasn’t necessary. Even though Trayvon was taller and more fit then him, he still shouldn’t have shot him just because he got over powered. Other things could have been put in place then to kill an unarmed teenager. Like calling the police, or filling a report on Troyon, not leaving him dead and his family left to morn over his death.

I’m left wondering if this was really an act of racism and why did it take 44 days for Zimmerman to finally be arrested. I wonder would the situation had been different of Trayvon wasn’t an African American teenager. Maybe the outcome would have been different if Trayvon was white or of a difference race that wasn’t African American. But Zimmerman is the only person that was there at the shooting. He may tell his side of the story, but Trayvon Martin couldn’t live to tell his side. I think no one really knows what actually happened. Everyone has his or her own opinion on this. This is just what I think.

                            Zimmerman’s head after the shooting

But an unarmed teenager is left dead while he survives with a few cuts and bruises. 

            As an American growing up we are always told the amount of freedoms that we have and how amazing it is to live in our country. In only the past centuries African Americans and women have gained their rights. Now my rights as a woman are going to be taken away from me. For women a major step since gaining our rights is the Violence Against Women Act. This is what a women needs to stay protected and be given her rights as a United States Citizen. What is also apart of this act is Roe V. Wade, which legalizes early term abortions. Since this was added there has been a lot of backlash mostly from the Republican Party. This time they might get their way.

            Over the past few months Republicans have made a bill changing the rights of women. While reading the next part of this blog post imagine yourself as a woman having to live through these types of regulations. In one point the bill that is trying to be passed states that if a woman is on her death bed and it is between her and the child’s life no matter how far along in the pregnancy the child will always saved and the mother WILL DIE. In another point in the bill it says that in order for a woman to have an abortion first a rod must be stuck up her vagina and she must watch the fetus before she has an abortion. In one article I read  it discusses how Senator Farnese says that is this law is passed then men who need Viagra should need postate exams. Sarcastically describing how ridiculous this law is. There has been no proven medical reason that this needs to happen; the only thing it is helping is to scare women from doing what is best for them, ABORTION. During another point in the bill that the republicans are trying to pass it says that there will no longer be funding for hospitals for emergency abortions when the woman’s life is in danger.

            Many republicans before have tried to shut down family facilities like Planned Parenthood when in fact only 3% of their services consist of abortions. It went so far that many clinics were sued in Texas in 2011. In Arizona they banned funding leaving many woman without access to abortions putting their children in worse situations. If they can’t even pay for an abortion how are they going to take care of a child for 18 years?

            While attending a breast cancer walk with my mother and family on May 8th we witnessed people walking around with signs with pictures of open breast asking if they would do that to their own children. Basically saying destroying their bodies. To many people who that day had such importance to it ruined it. As a women in the United States of America IT IS MY RIGHT TO DO WHAT I WANT WITH MY OWN BODY. Most of the information and pictures that they had were wrong. Most women have abortions in there first trimester when it is only a fetus in their stomach. They showed pictures of full grown babies. Every year 1.37 million women in America have abortions. This is a large number and without clinics to have abortions or anywhere else that provides them most children will be brought into awful situations.

I do understand that sometimes people do not believe in abortions morally, religiously, and for other reasons. But no one is asking them to get one the only thing that we are asking is for women to get the rights to their bodies. When my mom was younger she worked in a women’s health center and has told me many stories about the awful things that she has experienced because of it. It becomes bigger than just us but at what point can I chose what I do for myself.  The article I read talks about how far people will truly go to stop women from many rights. What can we do to make a change?