Strategic human resource management in tourism and hospitality Essay

Strategic human resource management in tourism and hospitality - Essay Example The SHRM approach focuses on long-term HR issues and macro-concerns such as organizational culture, values, commitment, and structure, among other things. In this view, Strategic HRM guides organizational decisions concerning personnel recruitment, training, development, performance management, and appraisal; personnel relations strategies, policies, and practices are also a key concern to SHRM. Unlike the traditional HRM, SHRM is an integrated approach in that its HRM strategies are integrated both with the business strategy and with one another. Strategic HRM plays a very crucial role in the tourism and hospitality industry because it leads to efficiency in service delivery and a multiplicity of competitive advantages for industry players (Baum, 2006). Some of the major challenges facing organizations and managers in the highly competitive tourism and hospitality sector are to do with recruiting, developing and maintaining a committed and competent workforce. To keep the workforce well managed, well-motivated, and focused on providing high-quality products and services to the increasingly demanding and discerning customers is another major concern for organizations and managers in the Tourism and Hospitality industry. ... Other major issues of great concern to long term HRM planning include changes in organizational structure and culture, matching resources to future requirements, development competitive advantages, management of knowledge, and change management. Strategic HRM enables the organizations to meet human capital requirements and to develop process capabilities i.e. the ability achieve outcomes more effectively. The aim of long term HRM is to identify all issues relating to the workforce that affect or they are affected by the strategic direction of the organization (Nickson, 2012); this enables the organization to make remedial interventions beforehand. In this respect, critical concerns of HRM such as choice of top management and formation of healthy human resource relations are crucial to every organization. HRM underscores the need for planning, matching HRM activities, and policies to business strategies; it also underscores the need for organizations to consider utilization of their w orkforce as a strategic source competitive advantage. McDonalds Restaurants SHRM McDonalds is one of the many organizations operating in the tourism and hospitality industry in general and the food industry in particular; McDonalds began in the USA back in the year 1955 with a single restaurant. Since it opened to date, McDonalds has become the world’s largest and fastest growing Quick Service restaurant with over $30 billion worth of sales (Chirantan, 2013). Today, McDonalds operates about 21,000 stores in over 101 countries in the world with plans of expansion in the future by opening an additional 3200 stores (Business2000, n.d). The food industry is a highly competitive sector that requires all players to maintain high standards of service, customer satisfaction, and hygiene.

The European Colonialism in 16th century to mid 20th Research Paper

The European Colonialism in 16th century to mid 20th - Research Paper Example As the discussion outlines by the mid-19th century, the powerful British Empire dropped mercantilism as well as trade restrictions followed by the introduction of free trade with very few restrictions and tariffs. African countries were the major victims of colonization. The main aim of the colonial rule was to exploit the colony’s economy and repatriate them to their home countries making the colony depend on them. This study highli9ghts that colonialism can be defined as the policy and practice of a power to extend and take control over weaker people specifically during the process of European settlement along with political control over the rest of the world. Osterhammel defined colonialism as the essence and the existence of colonies, which were governed in a different form from other territories with a relationship existing between the indigenous majority and a minority of foreign intruders. The colonial rulers implemented the fundamental decisions that affected the lives of the colonies. There are two forms of colonialism; settler colonialism involves immigration on a large scale mainly inspired by religion, politics or economic reasons and exploitation colonialism that involves few colonialists that focus on accessing resources such as labor and materials for export. Colonialism has a long history starting with the African empires in the pre-colonial error in Egypt, Phoenix,, Greece and R oman where colonies were built in antiquity. The word "colony" comes from the Latin colonies that mean "a place for agriculture". The Vietnamese created military colonies south of their original territory between the 11th and 18th century absorbing the territory. The modern colonialism started with the age of Discovery where Portugal and Spain had discovered new links across the oceans and established trading posts.  

Auditory system and optical system Essay Example for Free

Auditory system and optical system Essay Two of the most important sensory systems in human body are optical system and auditory system. Optical system or sometime called visual system involved in the process of taken amount of stimuli and transfer it into some figure that we can perceive as images that make senses. Auditory systems involved in sound wave that transduced by drum ear into some kind of vibration that eventually gets converted back into wave what we perceive as noise. There are a lot of similarities in their mechanisms of how they gather, carry and prepare those informations from sensory neurons. However, there are also a lots of differences on how each system operated and where does it takes information into difference area of the brain. For both systems, optical and auditory, the information comes from our environment in many forms. For example, optical system detected all still images and image in motion as far as human eyes can see. The auditory is ready to absorb any noise or sound for twenty-four hours a day. Their structures and mechanisms are similar in a way they gather information, prepare and perceive those information into something that make sense in our brain. After the sensory neurons carry information into specific system each detect, transduce and coding those information before they being send to central system, the brain. Both systems have similar structure that transmit those information to the final destination, the brain. Even though, both system basic the same. Each system perceive those information that perceive from sensory neuron in totally different way. For instance, optical system receive visible spectrum of wave of electromagnetic radiation. The frequency of wave created color and distinguish brightness by amplitude. In auditory system, the frequency of wave created tone ( pitch) and loudness by amplitude. For the optical system, the cornea gather light rays that pass into inferior of the eyes. The information such as lights brightness, hue/color or motion are translate into coded neural impulse. The codes then carried by optic nerves to the brain. However, the information from one side are send to the opposite side of hemisphere but stimuli go to the same side hemisphere. The optical information are stored in occipital lobes where it was process and try to make sense of those information base on experience and individual perception. For the auditory system, the sounds wave goes through the ear canal and hit the ear drum. They activate the the drum and the information being send through the fluid as a result it bents the hair cell in the cochlea and the information then translate into neural impulse. The intensity of sound waves determine by how many hair cell are fire as well as how frequently they fire. The auditory information then carried by auditory nerve from one side of the ear are sent to the opposite hemisphere. The auditory information are stored in temporal lobes where it was process and try to make sense of those information base on past experience and pattern. In conclusion, the optical and auditory systems have basically the same structure and mechanism but they both different in how they gathering, preparing, detecting, and translating those information. Each system are unique and unbelievably complex structure that we need to learn more.

Merchant of Venice Essay: The Depression of Antonio -- Merchant Venice

The Depression of Antonio in Merchant of Venice    In the Merchant of Venice, we see a truly anti-Semitic play by Shakespeare.   However, we also see a tale of money (greed and generosity), love (heterosexual and homosexual), and emotion (joy and sadness).   The play revolves around Bassanio's love for Portia.   Bassanio needs money to play the suitor to Portia in "style".   His friend who loves him, Antonio, agrees to give him the money, but, because all of his money is invested in his merchant ships he must take a loan from the greedy Jew Shylock.   Shylock loans him the money in exchange for a pound of his flesh if he does not pay the loan back on time.   Bassanio wins Portia's hand, but, before they are joined together, Portia will disguise herself in order to win the freedom of Antonio when his ships meet with ruin and he cannot repay Shylock.   Shylock ends up losing half his wealth and must convert before Portia is through with him.   Antonio is a fascinating character study when it comes to psychology because he is such a sad but noble character.   He is world-weary and life's material things do not bring him joy.   He is also confused about his sadness.   As he says in the opening speech of the play, "In sooth, I know not why I an so sad:/It wearies me; you say it wearies you;/But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,/What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born, I am to learn;/And such a want-wit sadness makes of me/That I have much ado to know myself" (Shakespeare   203).   Antonio explains he has scattered his investment risks quite adequately, so it is not his "merchandize" that makes him sad.   Yet, he does admit that he feels it is his nature to be sad, as if he has a chemical imbalance that classifies him as cl... ...nificance with those of the Jewish faith who might befriend him, and it gives him a cynical, negative perspective of the culture around him.   However, at the end of the play Antonio does seem to find some small measure of happiness when he comes to understand how much Portia has done on his behalf.   This shows him that his perceptions of her understanding may have been limited because he more than likely did not expect his strongest ally to be the wife of the man he loves, "Sweet lady, you have given me life and living;/For here I read for certain that my ships/Are safely come to road" (Shakespeare   228).   Thus, Antonio could be recommended for therapy because his depression has the potential to be ameliorated with a deeper understanding and acceptance of his thinking regarding life. Works Cited Shakespeare, W.   The Complete Works.   Random House, NY:   1975.   

Two Themes of George Bernard Shaw’ s Plays “Arms and the Man”

Arms and the Man is one of George Bernard Shaw†s successfully written plays that have become predominant and globally renowned. Shaw†s play leads itself to two themes that people can relate to, which are the importance of war and the essentials to true love and marriage. These themes are interwoven, for Shaw believed that while war is evil and stupid, and marriage desirable and good, both had become wrapped in romantic illusions which led to disastrous wars and also to unhappy marriages. 1 The theme of war applies itself into the plot within the first few pages of the melodrama, when the Bulgarians are at war with the Serbs. Romance is portrayed by the humorous and ironic relationships of Raina, Sergius and Bluntschli. Unfortunately, due to society†s lack of comprehension and failing to learn from our past errors, we are destined to repeat the majority of them. Another act of ignorance found in this play is the attitude of the Petkoffs towards their material advantages and their possessions of wealth, bringing them personal superiority. Arms and the Man is â€Å"as fresh and up-to-date today† as when Shaw first produced his play in 1894. 2 War is an unfortunate condition that exists when a group feels its vital interests are at stake and seeks to impose its beliefs or control on a rival group through the use of overt force. Shaw was a socialist and an ardent pacifist. 3 He did not agree to the idea of war, and he wrote about it to warn us, future generations, not to commit the same crime. The romantic view of war (he held) is based on the idealistic notation that men fight because they are heroes, and that the soldier who takes the biggest risks wins the greatest glory and is the greatest hero. Raina had imagined war as an exciting sport; after talking with Captain Bluntschli, one of the defeated, she now sees it as a dreadful reality. 5 Sergius, too, has learned something of the realities of war, and is so disgusted by them that he has sent in his resignation, saying ‘Soldiering†¦ is the coward†s art of attacking mercilessly when you are strong, and keeping out of harm†s way when you are week. â€Å"6 This theme of war helps Shaw†s Arms and the Man to continue as a fresh and current play, as it was in 1894. The battle of Slivnica was remarkable mainly for its surprise ending wherein the Bulgarians defeated the invading Serbians much more by good luck than good management, and went to ally themselves with Austrian Hungary thereby bringing World War I one small step closer. 7 Many other wars have taken place since then, and yet man has still to learn that war is not the answer. The romance in the play is portrayed by the humorous and ironic relationships of Raina, Sergius and Bluntschli. In Arms and the Man Raina Petkoff intends, at the time the play opens, to become the wife of Major Sergius Saranoff, who is then away fighting the Serbs. News has come home to Raina and her mother that Sergius has ridden bravely at the head of a victorious cavalry charge, and Raina rejoices because she can now believe that her affianced is ‘just as splendid and noble as he looks! That the world is really a glorious world for woman who can see its glory and men who can act its romance! † In the opening scene of the play, after adoring Sergius† portrait, Raina goes to bed murmuring ‘My hero! My hero! † This is a romantic view of life, but then reality suddenly breaks in upon her. An enemy solider, Captain Bluntschli the â€Å"chocolate-cream soldier†, escaping from gunfire in the Bulgarian countryside, scales the balcony of a mountain estate and lands in the bedroom of a young woman whose father and fiance are fighting on the front. He is desperate through exhaustion and fear, and Raina sneers at him. Nevertheless, when the pursuers come to search the house, Raina hides the fugitive and denies having seen him. She also feeds him chocolates, they are his passion; he carries them – like all professional soldiers, he says – into war instead of bullets. Bluntschli is Shaw†s affectionate parody of a Swiss pragmatist, level-headed and unemotional. It amuses Shaw to discombobulate him by placing him, initially, in a situation where his reasonableness cannot help him much. Raina no longer thinks of war as a romantic game, nor does she any longer think of marriage as the mating of a beautiful heroine and a ornamental and fickle Sergius. She takes as her husband the plain Bluntschli, whose common sense and six hotels in Switzerland will give her stability and comfort. The realities of love and marriage become one of the most frequent themes in Shaw†s plays throughout the remainder of his long life. 9 The complexities of love and marriage has not changed much over the years. For example, love and relationships were just as obscure in 1894 as they are in 1998. This makes Shaw†s play recent and the issues it deals with are understandable. Shaw believed that it was foolish to act as though the possession of wealth, or any other material advantages, is a sign of personal superiority. People may not any longer think it impressive to have an electric bell in the house, but there are countries nowadays where families with television sets and motor cars feel just as stupidly proud as the Petkoffs did with their bell and library. 10 Many people world-wide today consider themselves above others and look down on those with less materialistic possessions, as if they were inferior. Having more materialistic possessions and wealth does not necessarily mean it will bring you happiness, this is not the reality of life at all. As a mater of fact, those with less materialistic treasures tend to live a happier and peaceful life. This is because their efforts are not concentrated on wealth but rather on family and friends who support each other. Money and wealth can control a person to become greedy and require more. It is much better to live a life of harmony and peace, blessed for what to have, than to live worrying about the things that you do not have. That is a lesson Shaw is trying to teach us. We should learn from the Petkoffs and acquire a better attitude towards life and its materialistic treasures. If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience? † – George Bernard Shaw. Furthermore, Arms and the Man is â€Å"as fresh and up-to-date today† as when Shaw first produced his play in 1894. Shaw†s play leads itself to two themes that people can relate to, which are the importance of war and the essentials to true love and marriage. The theme of war applies itself into the plot within the first few pages of the play, when the Bulgarians are at war with the Serbs. Romance is portrayed by the humorous and ironic relationships of Raina, Sergius and Bluntschli. Shaw believed that it was foolish to act as though the possession of wealth, or any other material advantages, is a sign of personal superiority. Moreover, Arms and the Man is a successful play and will continue to prosper due to the nature of its themes, war and romance being contemporary with today†s society. Perhaps Shaw's best ability might have been his ability to attract attention to himself, his ideas, and his works. This ability never failed him.

Reading methods

English 1001 requires you to take additional classes including English 105 and 106, personally I do not like this method of classes but I do enjoy my 105 class out of all of them, because of this I am always given tons of reading material! In my 1001 class I recently read an article called â€Å"O. K. Glass† by Gary Shteyngart which is an article about the glasses developed by Google that can take pictures, record video, enable video chat with another person over Skype, and many other functions.When I was reading this article about 2 weeks ago it became extremely confusing to figure out ho was talking either the author or the person he was interviewing. I used this article to write a critical examination essay, examining the aspects of the article and deciding whether I agreed with the author or not. The Reading was about how the author was able to get ahold of a pair Google Glass and he was invited by Google to attend their Google Basecamp, which was to teach him about the fu nctions of Google Glass and all the possibilities using these glasses could produce.Shteyngart went around interviewing people on what they thought of Glass and also conducted his wn tests on it as a part of this article. For this reading I chose KWL+, personally I feel this strategy works the best for me it helps me remember what I read and shows me what I already knew. Some of the questions I came up with for this reading were why did Google not make the glasses compatible with Apple products, I realize they are competitors but more than 70% of the population that would buy Google Glass has an Apple IPhone.The reason you want the glasses to be compatible is because when they are synced the glasses they will show your phone screen through the lasses and you are also able to have a phone call without holding your phone. I also wondered about the quality of the camera on the glasses, considering the glasses are fairly small I wondered if it was as good as an IPhone camera. What I did learn from using KWL+ was that the audio recording on the glasses sounds like you are underwater when you talk, definitely something Google needs to work on.Also this accessory will only appeal to those willing to pay a hefty price tag of $1 500 for this pair of tech glasses. Even with the price tag in consideration almost everyone thinks hey are awesome: â€Å"that is so dope' says a college studentm (O. K. Glass). I believe Google Glass definitely has a place in todays society of ever advancing technology, 10 years ago something like this would be unheard of as well as way over the price tag of $1500.If Google is able to work out the kinks with the compatibility with Apple products I think the glasses will sell even better, and also working out the issues with the voice recognition. Shteyngart's article was relatively unbiased, it really did a great job of focusing on what the people thought of the glasses and what didn't work and hat worked straight forward and no deceptive sta tistics were in the article. One thing that helps Google Glass is that it is the first of its kind, nothing like this is available anywhere else.The glasses are scheduled to be released in 2014 so we will have to wait and see if Google is able to work out the kinks with its product. I plan to research the Glasses when the first real reviews come out in 2014 because I am excited to see if they are really worth buying. I will definitely use the KWL+ strategy again because it works the best for me and helps me retain information doesn't work well I will use ole faithful, KWL+.

Domestic Production of Marijuana and the Implications of Legalization Essays

Domestic Production of Marijuana and the Implications of Legalization Essays Domestic Production of Marijuana and the Implications of Legalization Paper Domestic Production of Marijuana and the Implications of Legalization Paper Widespread marijuana production and use, and lately, the calls for its legalization have created a stir in recent years. As such, there are a lot of things we need to know in order to understand this issue. What is the current state of marijuana domestic production? Who are the players in the legalization issue and what are its implications? This paper posits that legalization is being pushed primarily by business wanting a share of the market which is currently dominated by illegal organizations and users who wish to ease the moral and legal restrictions on its use. As such legalization will increase domestic marijuana production. Overview of the Domestic Marijuana Production Current Domestic Marijuana Availability Canabis has earned its status as the most valuable cash crop today. In 2006 alone, the current gross value of the estimated 68. 1 million marijuana plants in the U. S. stood at $35. 8 billion, far exceeding the value of legal, essential crops such as wheat. Outdoor marijuana made up 82. 8% of total production with a corresponding value of $31. 7 billion. Indoor marijuana accounted for 5. 2% pegged at $4. 1 billion (Gettman, 2006). Weed is typically for local consumption but its export is also viable. The annual supply of domestically produced weed is estimated between 8. 7-21. 8 million kilograms, a manifold increase since the 80’s (Gettman, 2006). Marijuana growing has been found everywhere. However, Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia rank as the top ten producers (Gettman, 2006), despite intensive eradication operations by the DEA. Large-scale production outdoors is easy and inexpensive with minimal plant care. Radical improvements in quality or potency have been achieved with advancements in technology such as the hydroponic system. As such, potency rates (measured in total plant THC content, the main mind-altering component) can now reach as high as 8. 77% from the 1. 5% average in the ‘70s (NDTA 2008). Local marijuana is expensive compared to other countries. According to one site, the average price for a quarter ounce of weed is $40 for low quality, $50 for medium quality and $80 for high quality and has remained steady for the past years (e-stoned. com). This proves that there is an established consumer base, proof that it is a very lucrative business and tax free too! Current Domestic Marijuana Consumption Among all the available illegal drugs, it is the most commonly used with consumers from all ages, genders, race and economic status (DEA website). However, use is most common among young people with its treatment as a recreational drug. There is no current government data on the actual number of marijuana users but the results of latest DHHS drug use survey show that there were 2. 1 million Americans, mostly minors, who used marijuana for the first time in 2006, a figure that has not changed dramatically since 2002 (NSDUH 2006). An estimate by one group using the current estimated supply and average consumption/user puts the number of American marijuana users at 15 million (NORML. com). This corresponds to 5% of the total population. The Global Youth Network also ranks the U. S. as one of the top 6 marijuana using countries in the world. Who Controls the Domestic Marijuana Production and Distribution? DEA 2008 reports show the involvement of drug trade organizations from Cuba and Asia in marijuana trafficking all over the country and they are now into indoor marijuana production as well, with expansions targeting the northern states. Mexican DTO’s, on the other hand are targeting outdoor marijuana production in the eastern states and marijuana smuggling in the border areas. Although there are freelance dealers who operate small-scale, widely commercial grade marijuana cultivation and sale, the wider, more systematic production and distribution targeting densely populated areas is controlled by drug-trade organizations. In addition, there is also a proliferation of internet pharmacies that offer marijuana (Scott hearing on the DEA’s Regulation of Medicine). Medical or Research Grade Marijuana Legal high potency Cannabis is used for FDA-approved studies or as prescription medicine. Medical marijuana is now legal in 13 states, permitting doctors to prescribe high-potency marijuana to increase the appetite of patients suffering from AIDS, alleviate pain or decrease the pressure in the eyes of glaucoma patients among others. Research grade marijuana cultivation is currently exclusive to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Medical marijuana is produced only after acquisition of a license. In the case of California, which was the first state to legalize, patients/care providers are allowed possession of 6-12 plants or a maximum 8 ounces of dried marijuana (SB 420). Further, possession in excess of this is permissible if prescribed by a doctor. Counties and municipalities can also impose local ordinances that allow possession/cultivation beyond the limits set by state law. Further, the joint efforts at marijuana cultivation by patients/caregivers as well as marijuana dispensaries are also allowed (SB 420). The Legalization of Marijuana In 2001, the U. S. Supreme Court voted unanimously not to allow the use of medical marijuana and the drug remains in the DEA Schedule 1 (DrugFreeAmerica. com). However, states can adopt state-wide laws with regards to Canabis. Of the 13 states that legalized medical marijuana, 6 of them have further adopted decriminalization. There are 6 other states that decriminalized but did not legalize marijuana. Fourteen qualify â€Å"drug use in driving† as a criminal offense while 20 states issue marijuana tax stamps (NORML. com). Legalization efforts range from lobbying for the legal cultivation and use of marijuana for medical and research purposes to its commercial production and distribution alongside other substances like alcohol or tobacco. Subsequently, decriminalization aims to apply the individual freedom of choice and eliminate the penalties for marijuana-related offenses. Lobby work for federal legalization has resulted in H. R. 2592, initiatives and referendum polls in the various states. The Arguments for Legalization and Counterviews The primary arguments for legalization are 1. marijuana has medicinal properties, 2. marijuana will bring in more revenue and save taxes on the federal marijuana eradication drives, 3. marijuana is relatively harmless and 4. legalization will actually decrease marijuana use. That it does have medicinal properties for specific ailments is already proven by initial research and actual practice. That marijuana will contribute to state revenue along with cigarettes is also not debatable. An economist calculated that the state of California can put up $1 billion from taxing a joint for $1, up to $400 million retail sales taxes and save $156 million from law enforcement (CANORML. com). That the federal government has been largely unsuccessful in its well-funded marijuana eradication drives also holds true as indicated in various news reports. That marijuana legalization will actually decrease its use will depend on a lot of factors. It might lessen the number of first time users if we reason that alcohol consumption was at its peak when it was illegal. However, habitual users will continue to be a steady market. Finally, that marijuana is a safer alternative to harder drugs, alcohol or even coffee is relative. Federal government agencies and anti-legalization groups also argue that there are alternative drugs for the same that cause no â€Å"highs†. They also present the immediate and cumulative ill-effects of marijuana while the more liberal call for more extensive research on it for commercial, federally approved medical use. For people who put premium on their health, using marijuana or any other addictive substance for that matter might not be acceptable. The government’s main reasons for not budging on the issue besides citing the health effects of its use include the membership of the U. S. in international treaties banning marijuana (Scott hearing on DEA’s Regulation of Medicine). Some Proponents of Marijuana Legalization There are 2 prominent groups campaigning for legalization. The Marijuana Policy Project is the advocacy arm of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS. org), the first pharmaceutical company aiming to break NIDA’s monopoly over research grade marijuana by funding the construction of a medical marijuana production facility in the University of Massachusetts. This is the first step in a 5-year marijuana drug development study worth $5 million (MAPS. org). The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a non-profit public-interest advocacy group representing the interests of millions of responsible American marijuana smokers, started its advocacy way back in 1970. Working with the NORML Foundation, it currently has community/school chapters in 45 states and in 7 other countries. Active in lobby work and media campaign, it also provides legal assistance to people charged with marijuana offenses. It favors the Democrat campaign as it hopes to have a more favorable response to pro-legalization from Congress. Conclusion Marijuana’s promising medicinal values is a minefield for pharmaceutical companies which would explain their financial involvement in and all-out support for the pro-legalization advocacy. The equally promising possibility of being granted the right to choose to use marijuana without fear of being punished legally and morally anywhere in the country is motivation enough, given the vast number of users. Politicians will also be happy with more taxes and guaranteed votes. Legalization, especially at the federal level, will affect production by stimulating legal private enterprises involved in medical/research grade as well as commercial marijuana production. Canabis will become another profit commodity which does not need much effort in marketing with the intensive campaigning by pro-legalization groups that target recreational users and patients as well. However, the effect of legalization on illegal production remains to be speculated but it will surely lose a portion of the occasional users market to legal marijuana producers. Finally, the greatest challenge and burden will fall on parents and law-enforcement agencies in how they can successfully educate children to prevent future marijuana addiction. For one, legalization makes further access to marijuana a whole lot easier because unlike other drugs that are manufactured in laboratories, this is planted everywhere. References Clint. Marijuana Prices in the USA. Retrieved February 12, 2008 from e- stoned. com/rec/44-Marijuana-Prices-in-the-USA/ Economics of Canabis Legalization. Retrieved February 13, 2008 from norml. org/index. cfm? Group_ID=4421 Gettman, John. (2006). Marijuana Production in the United States (2006). Retrieved February 12, 2008 from The Bulletin of Cannabis Reform, drugscience. org/bcr/index. html National Drug Threat Assessment, 2008. (2007). Retrieved February 12, 2008 from http://149. 101. 1. 32/dea/concern/18862/2008. pdf National Survey on Drug Use and Health. (2006) Retrieved February 12, 2008 from oas. samhsa. gov/nsduh/2k6nsduh/2k6Results. pdf MAPS DEA Lawsuit. Retrieved from Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Drugs, maps. org/mmj/DEAlawsuit. html#6 Marijuana Overview. Retrieved February 13, 2008 from the Drug Enforcement Agency, http://149. 101. 1. 32/dea/concern/marijuana. html Medical Excuse Marijuana. (2008) Retrieved from DrugFreeAmerica, dfaf. org/marijuana/excuse. php Putting a Value on Cannabis. (2008) Retrieved February 12, 2008 from National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, norml. org/index. cfm? Group_ID=4424 Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Retrieved February 13, 2008 from the Office of Applied Studies-SAMSA, oas. samhsa. gov/nhsda. htm Rep. Robert C. Scott Holds a Hearing on the Drug Enforcement Administrations Regulation of Medicine. Retrieved February 12, 2008 from maps. org/mmj/dealawsuit_congressional_hearing. html Senate Bill 420. Retrieved February 13, 2008 from albanyca. org/archive/pdf/022007_8_1_AttF. pdf