How does the legalization of marijuana affect Americas economy and Research Paper

How does the legalization of marijuana affect Americas economy and patients who need marijuana for medical purposes - Research Paper Example This discussion explores ways in which legalization of the drug affects America’s economy and patients who need marijuana for medical purposes through answering the following question. One of the arguments that have been fronted in advocacy for marijuana legalization is the potential economic benefits that the move could offer at macroeconomic level. Bradford (1) reports economic effects that two states in the United States, having legalized marijuana, could benefits. Professional opinions among economists support this. According to estimates, Colorado and Washington are likely to expand their revenues by a total of $ 550 million and estimates from similar sources indicate an annual expansion of the United States economy by about $ 14 billion. Legalizing marijuana and levying fee for dealership is another significant benefit to the government as a source of revenue and this has proved successful in Mendocino county of California. This is good news especially because the nation is facing problems of budget deficit that the additional revenue can remedy. In addition to the direct benefits that legalizing marijuana could offer, it would also reduce government expense s that are associated with enforcement of marijuana laws. According to data from the year 2007, the nation spends as high as $ I billion dollars on incarcerating convicts on marijuana charges and a change in the law would save the expenditure that can be used in other utilities, especially on investment expenditure for economic development. Reports by economists estimate that the government spends about $ 13.7 billion in enforcing current marijuana laws and legalization would save this amount that could be used in funding social or investment projects. The savings also include potential tax revenues that the legalization could derive. Price reduction is another potential economic benefit

The Pros and Cons of Allowing Media Presence in Combat Zones Essay

The Pros and Cons of Allowing Media Presence in Combat Zones - Essay Example The researcher states that although critics perceive the presence of the media in the combat zone as a defective step favoring military interests, large numbers of reporters viewed it as a victory for the people’s right to know. They argue that war reporting was substantially better than distant or impersonal reporting. Allowing the presence of the media in the combat zone may have advantages. First, the administration will learn to honor its pledge of freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Second, implanting the media will allow journalists to give ‘actual’ or ‘personal’ coverage or reports about the war, providing a more vivid picture of the chaos and horrors of war. Third, journalists on the combat zone could amend incorrect statements of military staff and unearth facts that may have been concealed by military officers. Ultimately, although critics claimed that reporters in the combat zone can get ‘intimate’ with military personn el, advocates emphasized that military officers can also provide additional ideas and disclose vital information to these implanted reporters. However, the practice posed many dilemmas to objective reporting of war activities. First, the rules for attaching reporters to combat units are not intended to allow unrestrained liberty to cover the war, but to make sure that the military account of the conflict is the only one publicized. Members of the press are not permitted to travel alone, which implies they could merely depend on a small number of sources aside from the military personnel. Interviews have to be documented, which implies average service personnel were less probable to scrutinize military operations or protocols. Officials are permitted to edit report and control electronic communication or broadcasts for ‘operational secrecy’ (Pfau et al., 2004) which may be described as anything the general in command of the troops wanted to expunge. Second, it would be h ard to stay neutral when journalists rely on the military for basic necessities like information, security, transportation, shelter, and food. Gordon Dillow, a reporter who experienced actual exposure in war, revealed (Exoo, 2009, 107): I found myself falling in love with my subject. I fell in love with ‘my’ marines. Maybe it’s understandable. When you live with the same guys for weeks, sharing their dreams and miseries, learning about their wives and girlfriends, their hopes and dreams, admiring their physical courage and strength, you start to