Thursday, May 6, 2010

Peer Response 4 to Justin Hillebrand's Genetically Modified Foods

I read Justin Hillebrand’s post on “Genetically Modified Food”. He starts out by saying what genetically modified food is and then has two articles about them, one “for” and one “against”. He then, talks about each article and tells what is in each of them. Then, Justin shares his opinion on this topic. He thinks that genetically modified foods are good, but we still need to have natural, organic, foods so that we don’t lose it. I like this post, and I’d have to say I agree with his views on this topic. I agree, because genetically modified foods could end world hunger, but we can’t lose our original plants.

Post 5: Compare two online articles

The legalization of marijuana is currently a popular topic for many people. I found two opposing articles on this subject. The first one “Legalization of Marijuana” is for the legalization. This article starts out by sharing some statistics about arrests in the US due to marijuana. Then, it goes on to point out the impacts of these arrests on the families, simply on their choice of a recreational drug. Next, there is a statistic pointing out that there are no deaths recorded due to the use of marijuana. They point out the possible health problems due to abuse compared to other drugs, which are minimal. Next, the results of a medical study by UCLA were given and concluded that there were no differences in smokers and non-smokers of marijuana.

The second article is “The Case Against Legalizing Marijuana”. This article starts with a “for marijuana” point and refutes it. It then goes on to point out that if it was legalized, the big tobacco companies would start making it cheap, but start putting stuff in it like cigarettes. Another point is that if we do it for an economic purpose, we are forgetting our morals. They compare it to if only California were to lower the drinking age to 18, lots of 18-20 year olds would come to California and be irresponsible and create chaos. It ends with saying that medical marijuana is fine, but they aren’t going to go support legalizing morphine and Vicodin. Then, they say the effect it would have on the work-force.

I think that the first article is more convincing, because it has statistics and facts. Both have some good points though. After reading both of these articles, my viewpoint still hasn’t changed on this topic. I think that they should legalize it, because when you compare it to alcohol, marijuana doesn’t have as near as many effects on you.