The Paw Print

    Are you a hungry, active individual looking for the perfect snack before exercise, a tired athlete rummaging for a delicious meal after a hard work out or even someone who wants to nibble at something after playing for five hours straight on their Wii?

    It is easy to take for granted that through exercise we can all lead healthy lifestyles and increase the quality of life. But receiving the maximum benefit from exercise involves more than just waking up everyday and doing an hour of jumping jacks, push ups and sit ups before heading out to work or school. In fact, diet is the key to generating good performance.

    There is no particular diet that suits everyone. Every individual’s needs vary depending on the type and intensity of physical activity, the frequency and duration of the workout, the individual’s size and weight and the overall calorie intake needed. But there is a general criterion for what to eat before and after exercise. 

    Before heading out to bike, play basketball or even enjoy a regular Sunday walk near the ocean, it is necessary to gratify the desires of the stomach to reach a level adequate for exercise.

    “It is not the food, but the type of macro-nutrient they eat before exercise. Carbohydrates are the most important fuel for the body to intake,” said Cheryl McKenzie, a Ph.D. licensed sport nutritionist in Arizona.

    Generally speaking, the best choices before exercise are victuals low in saturated fat and refined sugar—in other words, carbohydrates. The reason is simple: the body stores carbohydrates in many forms and later uses it as energy during exercise. More specifically, it is our primary energy source; our diet should contain seventy percent carbohydrates . However, because our muscles can only retain a limited amount of gylcogen (a form of carbohydrate), these stores should be replenished throughout the day, especially before exercise.

    “A pre-meal should consist of 10-30 grams of wheat protein along with liquid carbohydrates such as fruit juice and Gatorade,” said Jeff Kotterman, director of the National Association of Sport Nutrition (NASN). “A one to one gram ratio of these products is essential for a good balance of diet.”

    Fifteen percent of calories should come from proteins including lean meat, fish, and eggs. Next in importance are fats. Although it is best to abstain from food high in fat, our pre-exercise meal needs approximately 20 to 30 percent of fat per day with less than 10 percent of this coming from saturated fat. Without these three substantial organic compounds to furnish nutrition, the stomach will be running on empty, lowering the effectiveness of an exercise.

    But what to eat isn’t the only thing to consider. When to eat is just as important. Guidelines suggest allowing four hours for digestion of a big meal (1200-2000 calories), two hours for a light meal (600 calories) and at most an hour for a snack (300 calories). As a workout draws near, it is crucial to hammer away on the intake of carbohydrates and focus less on fats and proteins simply because carbohydrates are digested in the small intestines while fats and proteins are broken down in the stomach. What this means is that cramping and indigestion are more likely to occur if the stomach is glutted with high fat and proteins. 

    Philip Acciarito, 20, exercises on a daily basis and agrees with the importance of timing his meals. “I don’t start exercising until I feel my food has been digested,” he said. 

    Moreover, eating a heavy meal right before a workout may cause vomiting or nausea. “I do not run on empty stomach, but if I am going to eat anything, it has to be at least 1-2 hours prior to exercising,” said Tak Huang, 35, a vigorous weekend jogger and biker.

    Hydration is also vital. Throughout exercise, the consumption of water enables us to preserve the fluid volume in the blood, maintain a cool body temperature and restore the depletion of fluids to sweat. 

    Kotterman said that 6-12 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes is required for an hour-long workout, McKennzie suggests “Drink[ing] two cups [of fluids] 15 minutes before the exercise, four to eight ounces every 15 minutes during light exercise and 16 ounces for very intense/ heavy exercise.” Kotterman also recommends sports drinks with high carbohydrates such as fruit Juice or gatorade. McKenzie stressed drinking a beverage that contains electrolytes to recover lost fluids from sweating.

    â€œYes! I definitely drink a lot of water during my work out because I believe it helps my body rejuvenate from all the sweat!” exclaimed 28-year-old Vera Yau.

    The post-exercise meal is fundamental for recovery from exercise. “After swimming or playing handball I feel tired, weak and worn out and that is when food comes into place. I eat right after I finish playing my sports to boost my body’s energy levels and it feels great!” said 13-year-old Thinle Wangmo, a dedicated swimmer and handball player.

    As a matter of fact, research indicates that eating is crucial in the 45 minutes right after exercise to help the body recover. Furthermore, McKenzie recommends a one to three ratio of protein to carbohydrate whereas Kotterman believes a one to four ratio is just as efficient. 

    Studies also confirmed that consuming carbohydrates two hours after exercise would maximize energy replacement, but more precisely the 15-20 minutes immediately after a workout. After the two-hour window, the replacement rate would decrease from seven or eight percent an hour to five percent an hour.

    Following the guidelines above won’t guarantee rock-hard abs, but it is the first step to eating healthy and staying healthy. “Each meal serves a different purpose in the way the body utilizes, replenishes and stores energy; therefore they are all the most important,” said McKenzie. After all, you are only foolproof if you got the right food.

“Where do you live?”

            “Brooklyn.”

            “Oh shoot, do you hear gunshots at night?”

            Too often, many of my classmates wrongly stereotype that Brooklyn is really “ghetto” or violent. With my school located in the northern Bronx and a majority of my peers from Queens and Manhattan, my home is in the “minority” neighborhood. But it’s definitely not a bad thing for me. Taking the hour and a half train ride everyday to school for the most part doesn’t even bother or frustrate me. Because not that many people come from this borough, I have even grown to appreciate and be more proud of my community.

Tucked in the southwest corner of Brooklyn, is a quiet neighborhood called Bay Ridge. It has been my home ever since I was born and to be honest, at times, I can’t imagine living anywhere else in NewYork City. Even though it is still in the city, Bay Ridge sometimes reminds me of one of those creepy small towns in the scary movies… especially at night. One of the pharmacies near my home still has a slightly vague reminiscence of a Victorian-style feel to it. 

    When I was little, I was always scared of the “Gingerbread House” which is across from Fort Hamilton High School. My apartment building is separated from the neighborhood stores by a long and usually vacant sidewalk.On the sides of the street are entrances to mini dirt paths that are surrounded by trees and tall grass. There is also Owl’s Head Park which is 27.1 acres of trees, hills and grasslands.

But what I love most about my neighborhood is the 69^th Street Veterans Memorial Pier which has a pathway for bikers, joggers, roller bladders, fishermen and pedestrians that stretches from Bay Ridge to Bensonhurst. Biking on this road, I can smell the waters of the NewYork Bay, look across to see Staten Island, Manhattan, and the Statue of Liberty, and go under the historical Verrazano Bridge. It sounds cliché, but simply put, biking and living in this part of Brooklyn just gives me a sense of tranquility and relaxation…instead of fear, as some of my classmates like to think.

After a long day in Manhattan, Bay Ridge is an escape from the city in the city.

            Alioune Sow is a passionate trumpet player. But the 17-year-old Sow is no longer able to indulge his love for music as much as heo nce did at his school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, also known as the Fame School. “I can’t even take three music classes anymore; it was the only class I looked forward to.”

            Not only are Sow’s music classes being cut, but necessary academic classes are also being removed.

With the economy in a rut, New York City Schools are facing budget cuts. These financial problems are cutting into core subjects as well as the specialized arts programs for which the school is known.

According to LaGuardia’s “Back to School,” letter which was sent out to all the students, the school’s funding last year was reduced by $929,091, and funding for the upcoming year has been reduced by an additional $702,554. This is a total decrease of $1,631,645 in the school’s budget over the last two years.

Asa solution, periods 0 and 11 are being eliminated, and each remaining period
will increase from 40 to 45 minutes.

“The issue is how the money is distributed,” said Ana Montano, age 17, also a student at LaGuardia.

However,students are frustrated that a specialized high school known for its extraordinary art courses would eliminate elective art courses.

According to the school letter, art majors are losing their option to take an extra elective while instrumental majors will have fewer music classes from which to choose. Drama, dance, and vocal majors will also have less to look forward to since the school is cutting down on Musicals. In addition, tech majors are left with little work to do because their department receives the least amount of money, according to Nicole Levine, a guidance counselor at the school.

Moreover,academic classes that some colleges require from students are also being cut.For example, physics is being cut for all grades while pre-calculus is only offered to advanced juniors, according to the “Back to School” letter.

Atypical student would take pre-calculus during his or her senior year to prepare for college. Seniors have been preparing for pre-calculus, but it will no longer be available to them. The only available math classes will be advanced-placement(AP) calculus and AP statistics. This gives students a smaller chance of passing the course with a requisite grade. The physics course has been removed and replaced with AP courses.

The reliance on AP courses puts more pressure on students. “It just got harder for me to get a regents diploma,” complains Surfin Percy, age 17, a football and baseball player. “I can’t even hang out after school. I either have practice or I have to babysit my little brothers. How am I supposed to keep up with AP classes?”

Although AP classes technically help prepare students for college, they are also more demanding than normal classes, which may lead to a chain reaction. If students can’t handle the courses, and are forced to take them, they can fail. And if they fail, their chances of being admitted to college may decrease.

The main victims of these budget cuts are the future seniors and freshmen. All students are required to take and pass at least one full year of foreign language. Students once had the opportunity to take a foreign language course until they are qualified to take the regents which is about two or three years of foreign language courses.

Now, freshmen can’t take the class in their first year of high school. “They have to wait until sophomore year,” explains Director Guidance Counselor of the Art Department, Michael Bonventre. “There’s just not money for enough classes.”

            Increasing college tuition. Rising unemployment. For students who are on the verge of going on to college and for their concerned parents, it all has an all-too-familiar ring. The instability in the world is rapidly affecting all, with no obvious end in sight.

            Because of economic factors, more teens are considering joining the military as they make decisions about their post-high school direction. 

            Recruiters from nearby recruiting centers hold school assemblies on the topic. However,this makes some students feel pressure to enlist. 

            “It’s uncomfortable,” Travis Clemington, 17, said. “They sort of hunt you down and suck you in a warp and ask you lots of question till you break down and begin to think about the military more and more. It was that or they asked more questions about our plans—which mine at the time weren’t looking too good.”  

With the country’s economy worsening, the number of young people considering a military career has significantly increased for the first time in about five years, buoyed by more positive news out of Iraq, according to Staff Sergeant Curtis Lancaster of the Air Force recruiting center in Jamaica, Queens. All branches of the military are experiencing an increase in recruitment. Military officials are predicting that interest will rise even further if the economy continues to suffer. 

            The percentage of young people who said they would probably join the military increased from 9 percent to 11 percent in the first half of this year,according to a Pentagon-sponsored survey. The poll questioned 3,304 young people ages of 16 to 21. 

            People join the military for a great variety of reasons: Some want to nobly defend their country against attack; some seek training and education otherwise unavailable to them; some want to follow a family tradition; some crave to be heroes; some want to take big risks to experience life at its limits; some are ambitious for high rank and power; some want a ticket out of ghetto life— to get a job that they hope will provide a credential and an employable skill for the future and some just plain want money during this time of economic struggle. 

            Andrew Walters, 17, of Kew Gardens plans to be among those joining up. “It’s something I’ve waited for since I was 9; after seeing the commercials on TV, I knew it was my calling,” Walters said. “The money would be great [too].” 

            Mandatory military service ended in 1973; since then, the United States has relied on a volunteer military. However, the term “volunteer” doesn’t accurately describe why teens have historically considered the option of the military. By the early 1980s, the term “poverty draft” had gained currency to indicate that the enlisted ranks of the military were made up of young people with limited economic opportunities. Patriotism and “duty to one’s country” motivates some enlistees, but many young people who join wind up in the military for different reasons, ranging from the promise of citizenship to economic pressure to the desire to escape a dead-end situation at home. People join “more because of the money,” said Lancaster, the Air Force staff sergeant. 

            According to a 2007 Associated Press analysis, “nearly three-fourths of [the U.S. troops] killed in Iraq came from towns where the per capita income was below the national average. More than half came from towns where the percentage of people living in poverty topped the national average.” 

            “I have no job,” said Walters. “I wanted to do something I was interested in. That’s why I wanted to be an Airman. That and the money.” 

            As a rising senior at Thomas Edison High School, Walters views this as his best opportunity, even though he has an 87 grade point average. “I have no othe roptions beside this,” he said. “I want something to do after I graduate. Going to college isn’t for me, it just won’t feel right.” 

            Financial hardships drive many like him to view the military’s promise of money for college as their only hope to study beyond high school.

             Referring to young people who stay home rather than attend college, Lancaster said, “They’re not going anywhere there. This place is a dead end. I can offer them more.” 

            Whatever reason young people have for joining up, now is the time when they are making important decisions about the future, when summer is almost over and school starts once again in the fall. 

            â€œI know this is what I want,” said Walters. “I can feel it.”

The Marine Corps brass band’s rendition of “God Bless America” and “Amazing Grace“ resonated in the air. Just shortly after 8 a.m on the Fourth of July, the animated crowd stood at the base of the Statue of Liberty holding tiny American flags in their hands and green foam crowns on their sweaty heads. In the center of the gathering, all the attention was drawn to a giant, bright-red ribbon that was about to be cut by four oversized pairs of scissors.

“We are going to open up the crown to the people of America and to the people of the world,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said, marking the historic reopening of the Statue of Liberty.

Only a privileged group of enthusiastic visitors had the opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty’s famous and long-isolated crown, which was closed after the 9/11 attacks. They had won the battle of the online reservation system. Those who victoriously obtained the tickets paid $3 online to the national monument and then $12 more for the 15-minute ferry ride.

Visitors traveled from around the world to be a part of the historic moment. The first 30-person-group to ascend to the crown lined up to mount the 354 steps of the double-helix staircase, a Fourth of July event that was symbolically loaded with liberty and national pride. The remaining visitors gathered at the foot of Lady Liberty as they looked up at the 305-foot tall statue in awe and anticipated their turn to finally journey up to the top.

Yun Lan Yu, 56, one of the many faces to have shown up on the momentous day, stood in line with two of her granddaughters.

 “When is it going to be our turn grandma?” little nine-year-old Nancy asked impatiently.

With ecstatic momentum, the two kids jumped up and down as they endured the bureaucracy of tight security until they were finally let into Lady Liberty herself. At last, the began the climb.

“This was everything I imagined it to be,” Yu said in a mere whisper. “All the stories ever been told to me shows up right in front of my eyes right there and then. It’s like a miracle that is replaying. I’m witnessing what my great-grandmother saw when she got here.”

After nearly three years of being closed to the public, the base, pedestal and outdoor observation deck were reopened in August of 2004. But the Lady’s crown remained off-limits. Officials were concerned that the winding staircase was a fire hazard and would be difficult to evacuate in case of an emergency and that the claustrophobic climb frightened visitors.

The National Park Services noted on their Web site that visitors who had tried to climb the stairs to the crown often suffered from heat exhaustion, shortness of breathand panic attacks. However, according to federal officials, even after a $20 million effort to improve the hazardous conditions, the crown still could not be safely reopened to the public—until now. New handrails were installed to help aide those climbing the stairs and a maximum was established at 30 people per hour to journey up to the crown.

Sweat-streaked and a little out of breath, the visitors would finally reach the small room at the top of the Statue, with 25 windows overlooking the New York Harbor. There,visitors have the privilege to gaze out into the sea to get a birds-eye view of the world around them. 

“Remarkable,”said Yu describing the sweeping view from above, “Thinking back, [coming toAmerica] has got to be the best decision I ever made.”

Yu came toAmerica officially when she was 24-years-old in 1977, still under her mother’s wings. It’s been 15 years since she first applied for a travel Visa after taking a one-month long journey on a boat to Hong Kong from her home in Canton,China. There, she patiently waited for her Visa to be approved.

            â€œI wanted to create my own meaning to what America means—a change.”

           Yu’s great-grandfather was the idol of her generation and the one before her. He got approved for a Visa quickly due to the railroad job he had obtained in San Francisco in the early 1900s. After hearing countless tales about America, Yu knew she wanted to go. She finally convinced her mother to allow her to come toAmerica with her to start a new life.

             â€œEven though I was young, I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to be. Not there. I hated it. I always heard about liberty, the money and the opportunities available here in America and I believed them.” 

           At age 24, she began her voyage to America with seven of her family members accompanying her—her grandmother, parents, three sisters and two brothers.

           Yu finally got the long-awaited stamp on her Hong Kong passport and then flew to Japan. The next stop was Hawaii, then Vancouver and finally New York City.

           With an almost photographic memory, Yu described her early years in America. “The building on 167^th Street and Shakespeare Avenue, Apt 4F in theBronx,” she remembered clearly. It was a tenement building full of “angry and frustrated people who always asked for too much.” 

            â€œI remember crying because I was scared. I told my mom and we just left.” The family of eight moved to Jackson Heights, Queens and rented a two-room apartment.  There, four out of the five siblings moved on to find jobs as seamstresses, jobs they would work for more than 20 years.

           Now that the Statue of Liberty has completely reopened, the family rejoices once again for having left the “horrible conditions” of their home country behind. “We have no regrets, the Statue of Liberty reminds us of that,” Yu said. 

           â€œAmerica helped me be the person I wanted to be all along. I could have never done that if I stayed in China.”

For Yu, visiting the Statue of Liberty was a way to pass along an appreciation of America’s opportunities and promises to her granddaughters.

“Now they can experience what I have experience[d] and what my great-grandparents have experienced when they came here. The first thing they saw was the Statue of Liberty and it’s the only thing I have left of them in memory.” 

I stood in the small audience, trying to catch glimpses of the guest, Chef Fabio, through masses of perfectly blown-out blonde hair topped on the heads of excited tourists. Their hair was a fake as the show.$0 Don’t get me wrong, the show “Good Morning America” is probably not the only news program that is guilty of forcing a utopia-like atmosphere, but my experience there helped me understand how the producers and anchors create such a seamless production.$0$0 As the camera swept across the studio filming the audience, the audience director, Samantha, whispered to us, “You’re having the time of your lives.” And then on queue we roared and clapped and whistled as the tan and white-teethed robot anchors entered the spotlight, laughing at a joke that was never told. The applause died down and the producer signaled us to keep up our overly enthusiastic ovation. $0$0 My classmates, teachers and I were surrounded by pastel colors and as I mentioned, blonde straight hair. In our own city, we were out of place. $0$0 As we tried to tour the control room, we were ordered to stick to one side of the hallway to let workers pass through. She laughed and mentioned how funny it is to watch her co-workers smile at tour groups and tell them how happy they were that we were there, and later complain to her that tour groups are always in the way and inconvenient.$0$0 Were the anchors thinking the same things? Probably. Although they all greeted us as if we were old friends from high school, and seemed as enthusiastic about taking photos as much as the audience, I realized that fake smiles and giggles are part of their job. They are paid to make sure that families across America want to wake up to their faces. $0

             To end the tour, participants cool down with refreshing gelatos and sorbets at Ciao Bella on Mott Street.  Founded in 1983, Ciao Bella first appeared in New York’s Little Italy.  Offering a variety of flavors, Ciao Bella is the perfect place to visit during those hot summer days.  The lime sorbet in particular offers a refreshing and tangy taste.

            Free NYC Dessert Fest is a wonderful activity to do on those lazy days.   It not only feeds your stomach but it feeds your mind with a taste of all the shops New York City offers.

    â€œTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen” begins two years after where the first Transformers movie left off. The villainous Decepticons, though they have been defeated, have not left earth. The main human protagonist, Sam Witwicky, played by Shia LaBeof, in all his teenaged hormone-heroism has unknowingly created a chain of events that lead to a huge battle against the Decepticons. 

    As for the Autobots, not only do they have to deal with the Decepticons but also President Obama’s administration, who wants the Autobots to leave earth. Bumblebee, the Autobot/Camaro, remains as Sam’s guardian and pet. There are also new robot additions to both the Decepticons and Autobots, each with its own unique characteristics. 

    There is still romance within this story as Sam’s girlfriend Mikaela Banes, played by Megan Foxx, tries to get some indication that Sam loves her. Also the music is once again played by Linkin Park with a new song called “New Divide.” 

    â€œTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen” has, however, received terrible reviews over the past couple of months. Many reviewers hated the movie for one reason: the twin Autobot characters. Mudflap and Skids, voiced by Reno Wilson and Tom Kenny, curse frequently and argue throughout the movie. They were seen by some reviewers as immature and bumbling heroes who did not know how to get along. 

    According to Rotten Tomatoes’ 215 reviews, “Revenge of the Fallen” got only a 20 percent approval rating. But even though the reviews have been harsh, audiences have responded to the movie with great enthusiasm. According to Cinema Score, average cinema-goers gave the movie a B+. 

    The film proceeded to achieve the biggest Wednesday opening in history, bringing in $62 million in total receipts on its first day,  ranking it as the second-biggest opening day of all-time behind “Batman: The Dark Knight.” 

    The film grossed $108.9 million on its first weekend, making it the biggest weekend gross of 2009 and the seventh-largest in history, and brought in $200 million in its first five days, putting it in second place behind “Batman: The Dark Knight’s $203.7 million for all-time highest five-day opening. It remained number one at the box office for two weeks straight. Also, it was the first film of 2009 to reach the $300 million in a single nation.

    As of August 2, 2009, the film had made $805,962,222 worldwide. By July 20, 2009, less than a month after being released, “Revenge of the Fallen” had surpassed the total earnings of the 2007 Transformers movie. 

    Frankly, the movie has enough action to support it throughout the entire movie. It had some humor that seemed vulgar, but other than that the movie did turn out well. This movie certainly has some graphic deaths of the robots so it might not be appropriate for children. This movie is for anyone who wants to see humor, explosions, robots that looks like animals and extreme robot gore!!!

    It was the place I would go to every morning right before school and every afternoon right after school, the place that sold Brisk Iced Tea in a can for 50 cents and pecan spin wheels for 35 cents. That place was the bodega on the corner of 116th street. Now that bodega no longer exists.

    Gentrification is a recurring topic of discussion at the dinner table in my home. My mother, my sister and I always talk about the new places being built and the old stores and buildings that have been closed, replaced or relocated.

    I’ve lived in the same apartment for my 17-year existence so I have witnessed first-hand the tremendous change in the area. Many of my neighbors have relocated to more affordable houses as rents continue to climb, while others, like us, are striving to stay.

    There has been shift in the demographics of the Harlem community. According to the Gotham Gazette, in 2006 Harlem was populated with 69.27 percent blacks and 6.55 percent whites. Back in the 1990s, Harlem was populated with 87.55 percent blacks and 1.50 percent whites. There’s a big difference in the racial make up of Harlem today and that of almost 20 years ago.

    Earlier in my life, I would not have expected such a change in the community. I first noticed the change about five years ago when I started to see Caucasian people make their way around the neighborhood–that rarely ever happened.

    I remember when Caucasians were afraid to walk the streets of Harlem while those streets were just home to me. I’ve never lived in the so-called ‘hood’ but people have always stereotyped Harlem as a den for drug dealers and abandoned buildings.

    Now, the average condominium is selling for $1,601,644, organic supermarkets are replacing regular grocery stores, and people who once refused to step foot above 110th street are walking around late at night with their children.

    I can’t say that I don’t like diversity, but it’s just not the same anymore. Harlem was the place where blacks could feel comfortable in their own skin; they wouldn’t have to be discriminated against since everyone could identify with each other racially, culturally and for the most part religiously.

    Now there are the veterans in the neighborhood and the new people that have moved in. Everyone can’t quite relate to one another except for the one similarity: living in the same neighborhood.

    Nineteen-year-old Ciara Davis sits on the bench as she rolls the greenish-brown crushed leaves into a vanilla-flavored blunt cigar wrapper, “I’m not harming anyone so why shouldn’t I have the liberty to smoke what I’d like to?”  

    Marijuana is not legal, but it remains a popular drug among New Yorkers who smoke it in public or in the privacy of their homes.   

    Legalization of marijuana is highly discussed amongst certain organizations on both sides of the issue. Marijuana is often used to soothe a person and give the smoker a “high” state of mind. “The use of marijuana should be in the ambit of choices for adults,” said Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He believes the drug should be legal, just like alcohol is for adults 21 and over. 

    Marijuana is considered the most commonly used illicit drug according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Although many have lobbied for legalization of the popularly uses drug, it hasn’t been a main legislative concern. Polling has shown that many Americans do not support legalization. According to a CBS News poll released in March of 2009, 58 percent of respondents said that marijuana should not be legalized, even if it could be taxed while 31 percent supported legalization. The number of supporters has increased over the years; up from only 12 percent in 1969 according to Gallup polling. But it isn’t just recreational use that is the subject of this decades-long debate; marijuana’s medicinal benefits have led to changes in some local laws.   

    Medical marijuana is currently legal in nine states including California, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont. It is said to be an effective treatment of nausea for patients affecting with illnesses like cancer or AIDS. For this reason, proponents favor legalization at least for medicinal purposes..“I don’t feel that marijuana should be legalized only for recreational reasons,” said nutritionist Lisa Muhammed, who has done some research regarding marijuana and its effects. “People need to focus on more positive things. Medical marijuana is used for people that actually have cancer and need to release stress.”   

    The active ingredient in Marijuana, THC, affects nerve receptors in the brain  and leads to a feeling of euphoria and causes the user’s heart rate to increase. Marijuana, which is considered to have a high risk for abuse by the DEA, can have some serious negative effects.  According to Above The Influence, an anti-drug organization young people who use the drug weekly have double the risk of depression in the future, and heavy marijuana users are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia in the future.   

    But some users, like Davis, are not convinced by these warnings. “I highly doubt that I’ll die from marijuana,” she said as she exhaled smoke. “If I do though, at least I’ll be at peace and I had a good life while I smoked my marijuana.”  

     Many people worry that if marijuana is legalized, more people will use it without moderation. Essence Mason, a student at City College, 21, stated that people don’t have certain creative outlets, such as writing poetry, dancing or drawing to release stress so they resort to smoking illegal substances.  $0$0$0$0$0 A lot of people also feel that legalization would make more people want to go out and try the drug. Officer Jason Jambor of the Central Park Precinct said that some people believe legalizing marijuana would free up the police, allowing them to make arrests for more serious crimes like robberies and shootouts. 

    When found smoking marijuana, people are not always arrested; sometimes they get a ticket for smoking in a public area, depending on the amount of drugs they were carrying. Officer Jambor felt indifferent about whether the drug should be made legal or not; he just has to uphold the law.    

    The jury remains out on the exact repercussions of marijuana use, and its prospects for legalization. “Any psychotropic drug is not going to be harmless,” said St. Pierre, “[but] you just have to be responsible for how much you take in.”