Bibliography

Ramani, Avinash. “Impact of Drug Abuse on Health and Society.” Medindia. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.

The War on Drugs: The Prison Industrial Complex. Dir. Sebastian J.F. Parallel Universe, 2007. Http://topdocumentaryfilms.com. Web.

“Economic and Social Consequences of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.” 1 Jan. 1998. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <https://www.unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1998-01-01_1.pdf>.

“How Illicit Drug Use Affects Business and the Economy.” The White House. The White House. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/ondcp-fact-sheets/how-illicit-drug-use-affects-business-and-the-economy>.

Julian Torrecampo

11/20/14

ENG 1101-D332

Research Paper First Draft

The World of Drugs

Wendell Barry once said, “People use drugs, legal and illegal, because their lives are intolerably painful or dull. They hate their work and find no rest in their leisure. They are estranged from their families and their neighbors. It should tell us something that in healthy societies drug use is celebrative, convivial, and occasional, whereas among us it is lonely, shameful, and addictive. We need drugs, apparently, because we have lost each other.”  The uses of many different drugs have been present throughout history and our lives. The consumption of drugs and also drug trafficking have a big impact on our society. These factors affect society, economy, and the use of drugs, whether they be legal or illegal.

The consumption and trafficking of drugs has a big effect on our society. It can affect families and communities. The use of drugs and also the trafficking of drugs can promote violence and harm to the community and endanger the safety of many people. Drugs and crime are related in several ways. Illegal production, manufacture, distribution, possession and consumption of illegal drugs constitute criminal offenses in most countries. “ In the United States, for example, almost 60 per cent of all federal prisoners in 1994 were drug offenders, up from 45 per cent in 1988.” (Economic and Social Consequences of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking). Drugs increase the likelihood of many kinds of criminal activity, whether it be by the user of the drugs, or due to conflicts between different groups in the market of trafficking drugs.

Tying into the effects of society, although certain drugs can be good for a person, they can be used wrongly and used for a different purpose than it was initially intended for. When drugs are abused, there can be a very big impact on the users’ health. The use of different drugs can have a short term effect on a person’s health or even some long term effects. Many can even lead to death. “The substances most commonly associated with drug-related deaths are heroin and other opiates, cocaine, and, to a lesser extent, barbiturates and amphetamine-type stimulants, notably methamphetamine.” (Economic and Social Consequences of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking).

Although the use of certain drugs can harm people, the methods used to harvest or create certain drugs can be harmful to our environment, which is another effect drugs has on our society. Some of the damages can be caused due to the destruction of a forest, disposing of toxic chemicals, and even the actions used to prevent cultivation of the materials used to make the drugs. For example, “In Boliva, some 30,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals used in the processing of illicit drugs are flushed down the waterways each year without any proper waste water treatment being carried out.” (Economic and Social Consequences of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking).

The consumption of drugs also has a big impact on our economy. Some of the big factors that affects our economy is the cost of enforcing the laws on drugs and also the costs of drug abuse. Billions of dollars are spent each year to try to stop drug trafficking and stop drug abuse. The economic cost of drug abuse in the United States was estimated at 193 billion dollars in 2007. This value includes money lost in productivity, healthcare costs, and criminal justice costs. There are also many costs that go towards the payment for the jobs that have people enforce the laws against drug trafficking and drug use. It is mostly tax dollars that are used in order to pay these expenses.

There are many drugs that are used that are legal, but there also many that are illegal. Both have positive and negative effects on people who use them. Many drugs that are legal are usually used to treat an illness or used to help improve the users’ health. Although these drugs can benefit a person, they can also be harmful if not used responsibly. A lot of people take drugs in order to feel good or to solve their problems. They then end up becoming addicted and start to abuse those drugs. Even though a drug is legal and is available to most people, they can still be as dangerous as those drugs that are illegal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40,393 people died of drug-induced causes in 2010.

There are also a handful drugs that are illegal, but are still used by many people. “The largest single consumer of illicit drugs in the world, however, still seems to be the United States, with some 12.8 million current drug abusers out of a total population of 260 million in 1995.” (Economic and Social Consequences of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking). There still has not been a way to end the war on drugs, and there still thousands of people abusing these drugs. Although the United States has spent so much money trying to prohibit drug use, they haven’t done much to stop it. Many users and dealers of illegal drugs end up going to jail, but then go right back to their old habits after they are released. Nothing is done to help them or to prevent this. Instead they are just punished for the crime.

Although there are a lot of negatives to the consumption of drugs, there are also some benefits. There can be benefits to the economy, where the prohibition of drugs can create jobs for people. Also the legalization of some drugs can create jobs. For example, the recent legalization of marijuana in certain states. Colorado exceeded over 5 million dollars in sales in the first week of legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical use. Not all drugs can be legalized though.

The consumption of drugs will always be part of our lives whether it be legally or illegally. There will always be people selling drugs who shouldn’t be. There are always consequences to the choices people make involving drugs. Many factors bring effects to our society, economy, and the way drugs are used. Many drugs are needed in order to keep certain people healthy and alive. Although, while these drugs are beneficial, they can also be abused and used in the wrong way. Instead of benefiting and healing a person, drugs can be harmful to ones health.

Julian Torrecampo

11/20/14

ENG 1101-D332

Research Paper First Draft

Drugs

Wendell Barry once said, “People use drugs, legal and illegal, because their lives are intolerably painful or dull. They hate their work and find no rest in their leisure. They are estranged from their families and their neighbors. It should tell us something that in healthy societies drug use is celebrative, convivial, and occasional, whereas among us it is lonely, shameful, and addictive. We need drugs, apparently, because we have lost each other.”  The uses of many different drugs have been present throughout history and our lives. The consumption of drugs and also drug trafficking have a big impact on our society. These factors affect society, economy, and the use of drugs, whether they be legal or illegal.

The consumption and trafficking of drugs has a big effect on our society. It can affect families and communities. The use drugs and also the trafficking of drugs can promote violence and harm to the community and endanger the safety of many people. Drugs and crime are related in several ways. Illegal production, manufacture, distribution, possession and consumption of illegal drugs constitute criminal offenses in most countries. “ In the United States, for example, almost 60 per cent of all federal prisoners in 1994 were drug offenders, up from 45 per cent in 1988.” Drugs increase the likelihood of many kinds of criminal activity, whether it be by the user of the drugs, or due to conflicts between different groups in the market of trafficking drugs.

Although certain drugs can be good for a person, they can be used wrongly and used for a different purpose than it was initially intended for. When drugs are abused, there can be a very big impact on the users’ health. The use of different drugs can have a short term effect on a person’s health or even some long term effects. Many can even lead to death. “The substances most commonly associated with drug-related deaths are heroin and other

opiates, cocaine, and, to a lesser extent, barbiturates and amphetamine-type stimulants, notably

methamphetamine.”

Although the use of certain drugs can harm people, the methods used to harvest or create certain drugs can be harmful to our environment. Some of the damages can be caused due to the destruction of a forest, disposing of toxic chemicals, and even the actions used to prevent cultivation of the materials used to make the drugs. For example, “In Boliva, some 30,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals used in the processing of illicit drugs are flushed down the waterways each year without any proper waste water treatment being carried out.”

The consumption of drugs also has a big impact on our economy. Some of the big factors that affects our economy is the cost of enforcing the laws on drugs and also the costs of drug abuse. Billions of dollars are spent each year to try to stop drug trafficking and stop drug abuse. The economic cost of drug abuse in the United States was estimated at $193 billion in 2007. This value includes money lost in productivity, healthcare costs, and criminal justice costs. There are also many costs that go towards the payment for the jobs that have people enforce the laws against drug trafficking and drug use. It is mostly tax dollars that are used in order to pay these expenses.

There are many drugs that are used that are legal, but there also many that are illegal. Both have positive and negative effects on people who use them. Many drugs that are legal are usually used to treat an illness or used to help improve the users’ health. Although these drugs can benefit a person, that can also be harmful if not used responsibly. A lot of people take drugs in order to feel good or to solve their problems. They then end up becoming addicted and start to abuse those drugs. Even though a drug is legal and is available to most people, they can still be as dangerous as those drugs that are illegal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40,393 people died of drug-induced causes in 2010.

There are also a handful drugs that are illegal, but are still used by many people. “The largest single consumer of illicit drugs in the world, however, still seems to be the United States, with some 12.8 million current drug abusers out of a total population of 260 million in 1995.” There still has not been a way to end the war on drugs, and there still thousands of people abusing these drugs. Although the United States has spent so much money trying to prohibit drug use, they haven’t done much to stop it. Many users and dealers of illegal drugs end up going to jail, but then go right back to their old habits after they are released. Nothing is done to help them or to prevent this. Instead they are just punished for the crime.

Although there are a lot of negatives to the consumption of drugs, there are also some benefits. There can be benefits to the economy, where the prohibition of drugs can create jobs for people. Also the legalization of some drugs can create jobs. For example, the recent legalization of marijuana in certain states. Colorado exceeded over $5 million in sales in the first week of legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical use. Not all drugs can be legalized though.

The consumption of drugs will always be part of our lives whether it be legally or illegally. There will always be people selling drugs who shouldn’t be. There are always consequences to the choices people make involving drugs. Many factors bring effects to our society, economy, and the way drugs are used. Many drugs are needed in order to keep certain people healthy and alive. Although these drugs are beneficial, they can also be abused and used in the wrong way. Instead of benefiting and healing a person, drugs can be harmful to ones health.

Julian Torrecampo

11/5/14

ENG 1101-D332

Outline

1. Intro

   1. Wendell Barry once said, “People use drugs, legal and illegal, because their lives are intolerably painful or dull. They hate their work and find no rest in their leisure. They are estranged from their families and their neighbors. It should tell us something that in healthy societies drug use is celebrative, convivial, and occasional, whereas among us it is lonely, shameful, and addictive. We need drugs, apparently, because we have lost each other.”  The prohibition of drugs has had a very big impact on today’s society. There are many different opinions when it comes to the uses of certain drugs.

      The different uses of drugs whether it be legal or illegal have brought different effects on the economy and society.

2. Body

   1. Different uses of drugs

      1. Legal

      2. Illegal

      3. Positive/Negative

   2. Effects on the economy

      1. Money

      2. Jobs

   3. Effects on society

      1. Violence

      2. Crime

3. Throughout history, the use of certain drugs have been prohibited. Many governments regulate the manufacture, distribution, sale and use of certain drugs. Many people disagree with these laws and decisions made, which cause violence and crime. The war on drugs has had an effect on the different uses of drugs, our society, and our economy.

Julian Torrecampo

12/3/14

ENG 1101-D332

Pro Marijuana

1. There is no existing evidence of anyone dying of a marijuana overdose
2. Numerous studies have established that marijuana helps reduce pain and other distressing symptoms.
3. Researchers found a chemical found in marijuana stops cancer from spreading.
4. Legalizing can increase revenues without increasing taxes
5. Legalization can create jobs
6. Decrease government spending
7. Instead of enforcing laws against marijuana, police officers will have more time and money to pursue criminals for more serious crimes.
8. Weaken criminal organizations
9. Prohibition doesn’t decrease drug use.

Julian Torrecampo

10/6/14

ENG1101-D332

Poem Summary

The song “Heartless” by Kanye West is about love and heartbreak. He tells a story of his heart being taken by a heartless woman who either did not love him back or was not faithful. He describes them as “cold as the winter wind”. She has caused another side of him that he has never seen before to come out. He feels as of he is a different person without her. Even though he has other good friends, he still feels lonely and misses her.

Julian Torrecampo

10/13/14

ENG 1101-D332

“Kick Push” by Lupe Fiasco

Jeannette Walls once said, “The most important thing in life is learning how to fall”. Throughout our lives, we will have many moments where we will fail and have hardships. We get better at improving our lives by getting back up from these hardships and learning from our past mistakes. This quote can be related to the song “Kick Push” by Lupe Fiasco. In his song, he addresses topics of ambition, fitting in, and determination.

Throughout the song, there is a theme of ambition. Lupe uses skateboarding to tell his story, which can be compared to life in general. In his first verse, he talks of the first time he stepped foot on a skateboard. He slips and falls and busts his lip. Even after that experience, he doesn’t quit. He says, But shorty didn’t quit there was something in the air

Yea, he said it was something so appealing

He couldn’t fight the feeling, something about it

He knew he couldn’t doubt it, couldn’t understand it

Despite his minor injury, he still finds something intriguing about skating, and he gets back up on his skateboard and keeps on practicing. He doesn’t let it get in the way of his wanting to progress at learning how to skate. Many people these days try something once, but fail and never try it again. I think that Lupe is trying to show us that even though we fail, we still have a chance to improve and get better at whatever it was that we failed at doing in the first place.

In the second verse of the song, Lupe Fiasco mentions love. He doesn’t let it get in his way from skateboarding. His ambition was keeping him from the girl that he loved. He says, “Uh, he said I would marry you But I’m engaged to these aerials and varials”. He chooses his love for skateboarding over his love for his girlfriend. He was to devoted to skateboarding and determined to progress his skills. Another example where Lupe incorporated the theme of having ambition is showed through each of his verses. He ends each verse with a scene of him being kicked out of a place to skate. This shows his ambition to continue skateboarding, even though he is continuously getting kicked out. Lupe ends each verse with “there’s no skating here”, but then he continues with, “And so he kick, push, kick, push…”. This shows that continuously being rejected will not keep him from skateboarding and getting to where he wants to be.

Lupe Fiasco incorporates a theme of fitting in. He talks about struggling to fit in as a rebel in this society, and finding the freedom he wants in order to skateboard, despite the opinions of other people. Growing up in Chicago, Lupe Fiasco is exposed to crime and drugs in the streets of the city. Despite all the influences that surrounded him, he sticks to skateboarding. Instead of trying to fit in with his friends, or other people doing illegal or unlawful things, he finds an alternative to their lifestyle. He says, “Just a rebel to the world with no place to go”. He is a rebel to the other people in his community. Though he is staying clean and away from crime, he is still persecuted. Whenever Lupe ends his verse with the line, “There’s no skating here”, I think that he could be using that as a metaphor for people being rejected because of their certain interests, or their lifestyles. People are being rejected and persecuted because they are different than everyone else. In his last verse, he finally finds a group of friends who have a similar passion for skateboarding. They all have found an alternative lifestyle from the drug dealers and the criminals, but they are still being chased off by security guards and they can never skate in peace. They find a way to stay clean, but society won’t allow them to pursue the only hobby that is keeping them off the streets.

The last theme that Lupe Fiasco addresses, is a theme of determination. He did not let anything slow him down from progressing his skills as a skateboarder, and to live a different lifestyle than everyone else. As he first started to learn to skateboard, his neighbors began to get annoyed by the constant sound of his skateboard hitting the ground. He did not let them stop him from learning how to skate, so he was forced to go to the skate park. He would spend so much time at the park that it would reach the time of day where he would get kicked out. Lupe refers to himself being, “labeled a misfit, a bandit.” Despite the criticism, he kept doing what he enjoyed. It was something keeping him away from the negativity in the world. As he got older, love was appearing in his life. He had a girlfriend who he loved, but he loved skateboarding more. He says, “And I don’t think this board is strong enough to carry two”. He says this as another excuse as to why he cannot be in a relationship. I think he says this because he feels that he cannot improve his skills as a skateboarder and support his girlfriend at the same time. Even love cannot stop his passion for skateboarding. And again, he continues to get kicked out of spots over and over again, but he keeps on going. He doesn’t care what people say or think about him, he just wants to do something that he loves.

In today’s society, many people feel rejected or persecuted. It can be because of what they look like, how they dress, where they’re from, or how they live their lives. They can feel like they don’t fit in or they don’t belong. Lupe Fiasco uses skateboarding to show his ambition, how he fit in, and his determination. Many people do things that they enjoy but they may think they do not fit into society because of these things. They then begin to stop doing whatever it is they are doing, and then they try to do what they think will make them fit in whether it is lawful or legal, or not. Lupe shows that even though there are alternative hobbies or activities that can be positive, but they can be unacceptable to society.

Julian Torrecampo

10/13/14

ENG 1101-D332

“Kick Push” by Lupe Fiasco

Jeannette Walls once said, “Most important thing in life is learning how to fall”. Throughout our lives, we will have many moments where we will fail and have hardships. We get better at improving our lives by getting back up from these hardships and learning from our past mistakes. This quote can be portrayed in the song “Kick Push” by Lupe Fiasco. In his song, he addresses topics of ambition, fitting in, and determination.

Throughout the song, there is a theme of ambition. Lupe uses skateboarding to tell his story, which can be compared to life in general. In his first verse, he talks of the first time he stepped foot on a skateboard. He slips and falls and busts his lip. Even after that experience, he doesn’t quit. He says, But shorty didn’t quit there was something in the air

Yea, he said it was something so appealing

He couldn’t fight the feeling, something about it

He knew he couldn’t doubt it, couldn’t understand it

Despite his minor injury, he still finds something intriguing about skating and he get back up on his skateboard and keeps on practicing. He didn’t let it get in the way of his wanting to progress at learning how to skate. Many people these days try something once, but fail and never try it again. I think that Lupe is trying to show us that even though we fail, we still have a chance to improve and get better at whatever it was that we failed at doing in the first place. In the second verse of the song, Lupe Fiasco mentions love. He doesn’t let it get in his way from skateboarding. His ambition was keeping him from the girl that he loved. He says, “Uh, he said I would marry you But I’m engaged to these aerials and varials”. He chooses his love for skateboarding over his love for his girlfriend. He was to devoted to skateboarding and determined to progress his skills. Another example where Lupe incorporated the theme of having ambition is showed through each of his verses. He ends each verse with a scene of him being kicked out of a place to skate. This shows his ambition to continue skateboarding, even though he is continuously getting kicked out. Lupe ends each verse with “there’s no skating here”, but then he continues with, “And so he kick, push, kick, push…”. This shows that continuously being rejected will not keep him from skateboarding and getting to where he wants.

Lupe Fiasco incorporates a theme of fitting in. He talks about struggling to fit in as a rebel in this society, and finding the freedom he wanted in order to skateboard, despite the opinions of other people. Growing up in Chicago, Lupe Fiasco was exposed to crime and drugs in the streets of the city. Despite all the influences that surrounded him, he stuck to skateboarding. Instead of trying to fit in with his friends, or other people doing illegal or unlawful things, he found an alternative to their lifestyle. He says, “Just a rebel to the world with no place to go”. He is a rebel to the other people in his community. Though he is staying clean and away from crime, he is still persecuted. Whenever Lupe ends his verse with the line “There’s no skating here”, I think that he could be using that as a metaphor for people being rejected because of their certain interests, or their lifestyles. People are being rejected and persecuted because they are different than everyone else. In his last verse, he finally find a group of friends that have a similar passion for skateboarding. They have all found and alternative lifestyle from the drug dealers and the criminals, but they are still being chased off by security guards and they could never skate in peace. They find a way to stay clean, but society won’t allow them to pursue the only hobby that is keeping them off the streets.

The last theme that Lupe Fiasco addresses, is a theme of determination. He did not let anything slow him down from progressing his skills as a skateboarder, and to live a different lifestyle than everyone else. As he first started to learn to skateboard, his neighbors began to get annoyed by the constant sound of his skateboard hitting the ground. He did not let them stop him from learning how to skate, so he was forced to go to the skate park. He would spend so much time at the park that it would reach the time of day where he would get kicked out. He shows that no matter what people told him, he kept doing what he enjoyed. It was something keeping him away from the negativity in the world. As he got older, love was appearing in his life. He had a girlfriend who he loved, but he loved skateboarding more. He says, “And I don’t think this board is strong enough to carry two”. He says this as another excuse as to why he cannot be in a relationship. I think he says this because he feels that he cannot improve his skills as a skateboarder and support his girlfriend at the same time. Even love cannot stop his passion for skateboarding. And again, he continues to get kicked out of spots over and over again, but he keeps on going. He doesn’t care what people say or think about him, he just wants to do something that he loves.

In today’s society, many people feel rejected or persecuted. It can be because of what they look like, how they dress, where they’re from, or how they live their lives. They can feel like they don’t fit in or they don’t belong. Lupe Fiasco uses skateboarding to show his ambition, how he fit in, and his determination. Many people do things that they enjoy but they may think they do not fit into society because of these things. They then begin to stop doing whatever it is they are doing, and then they try to do what they think will make them fit in whether it is lawful or legal, or not. Lupe shows that even though there are alternative hobbies or activities that can be positive, but they can be unacceptable to society.

Julian Torrecampo

10/8/14

ENG 1101-D332

Outline

1. Intro

   1. Many people in our society today feel rejected and despised. Lupe Fiasco illustrates this when he says, “Just a rebel to the world with no place to go” in his song “Kick Push”.

   2. In this song “Kick Push”, Lupe Fiasco addresses rejection from society, ambition, and his lifestyle.

2. Body

   1. Rejection from society

   2. Ambition

   3. Lifestyle

3. In today’s society, many people feel rejected or despised. It can be because of what they look like, how they dress, where they’re from, or their lifestyle. They can feel like they don’t fit in or they don’t belong.

Julian Torrecampo

9/29/14

ENG 1101-D332

Peer Review

Topic Sentence

1. I hate having to adjust to change, but I always have to deal with it because sometimes good things come out of it.
2. I find it hard having to change the routine I follow for a long period of time.
3. I have come to a realization that there would always be change.
4. Nothing in this world is permanent, changes are brought into our lives and how we deal with it depends upon ourselves.

Transitional Phrases

• call me pessimistic on this issue
• due to that
• so therefore
• as needed