This assignment was interesting to say the least. It was very different from writing a traditional essay but that is what made this assignment more fun. A traditional essay comes off as tedious but this composition in two genres felt like a breath of fresh air. However I have never been on the creative front of things so it was also quite challenging to try to think outside of my usual box. For my genres I chose a political cartoon and a poster. I chose those genres because they were out of my comfort zone and I wanted to make my best attempt to express myself in a way I often do not do. My intended audience had no effect on my choice because I felt no matter the medium I could figure out a way to reach my intended audience.  I used pathos and logos as my rhetorical strategies to best convey my message to my audience, which was the United States Government. I used pathos in my political cartoon to show the confusing emotional struggle that can take place in America with the reverberations of the government’s actions and policies. I showed this in the fact that the family living in the mushroom is split on whether to trust the government or not. On the one hand the government is there to make sure things work and run smoothly in the world so they should be trusted. But on the other hand many of their decisions have resulted in sometimes tragedy. I used logos when I made my poster. I did this by showing that many of the hot topics in current events such as climate change, blm, women’s rights are only strengthened by research and are idea built on the backs of academic research while the government’s war with Afghanistan, the opioid crisis, and the war on drugs were built on the backs of political games. 

My inquiry-based research essay was written in regards to the topic of Psychedelic legalization and effects they have. I think for this type of paper I want to focus my audience primarily on the US government and through that the rest of its citizens. I chose such a broad scope because I think too narrow of a focus will render my voice useless because of my chosen genres. Based on my type of topic I feel like it is important to try to reach the “man” directly. The U.S. Government is a body made up of thousands of different voices with different opinions but all tend to have very little time. A poster and a political cartoon have been used in America’s history to both criticize and spread awareness and I think in this instance it is no different. I would like to use my voice to outline some flaws in the legislative system. I think criticism is at times the most eye-catching form of media for the populace and what the populace focuses on the governing body at least catches wind of. To achieve this I will use primarily ethos and logos. Ethos by showing the illogical legislation placed under psychedelic substances that have led to great grief in American families and wasted potential in the medical fields. Ethos by showing, not necessarily my ethics, but the ethics that branch all of us together. In a more clear sense, we are undeniably human beings and no matter our differences we are still interlocked by this fact and I want to focus on that to strengthen my arguments. 

My inquiry-based research essay was written in regards to the topic of Psychedelic legalization and effects they have. I think for this type of paper I want to focus my audience primarily on the US government by using the genre’s of a poster and a political cartoon. I think focusing my audience towards the US government will allow me to make the attempt to raise the case for Psychedelic medical legalization. I think this is an important issue because of present and previous research and I believe the best way to represent this issue towards the US government would be through the mediums of a political cartoon and a poster. Political cartoons have been used since the dawn of the American government to critique the actions it takes and is so easily recognizable and understandable that it can be shared with almost anyone. I think for these reasons a political cartoon would represent the topic of medical psychedelics amicably. I think a poster does similar things a political cartoon does. However I believe, where a poster is stronger than a political cartoon is in its share-ability. A political cartoon is already quite spreadable to the masses but a poster is stripped down even further and that is why they can be seen in various public places while political cartoons generally have their home in newspapers and magazines. With these two mediums I believe our audience, that being the US government, will be able to quickly and easily understand my position and my motive and very quickly at that. This is certainly not the most effective way of conveying information. For that I believe an essay or even a film would be a better medium. However the mediums I have chosen are the best for quick and impactful understanding which I feel is necessary in the busy lives of politicians and other various representatives of our democracy.

I believe the way I refined and rethought my research question was with the Professors wise recommendations and how to move forward with the ideas behind my paper. There was a great deal of research and reading needed to be done for my topic of Psychedelic substances for therapy and the legislation about them. Often I would have to read very difficult scientific literature but as I often read scientific literature regardless I was able to find the big pictures of what they were describing. Also there were often articles that were not very helpful and from risky sources because of the nature of the subject. The audience played the role of listeners and interested parties looking to find more information about a developing situation in American science. This is because my audience for my example paper was mainly other researchers and those that would find this topic so interesting to go through it diligently. This process has broadened my idea of a theory of writing by showing me that there is much more to writing than I first assumed. I believed that writing was primarily what one created from their own understanding of something. Now however I would like to include that writing is not only your understanding but also the understanding of those whose backs you stood upon to write yourself. We all take information from someone else to better understand things so no one really is original. In that sense writing is kind of like a history of human knowledge and if characterized that way there is much more inherent worth that is recognized in writing. 

The sources I have found range from scientific studies about the effects of MDMA and Psilocybin to newspieces about the current legalization trajectories of these substances in specifically North America. The first source I knew of and immediately added was the site maps.org otherwise known as Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies which was an organization designed specifically for the study of psychedelics in a clinical setting. I knew of this organization prior to my research because it has become quite famous for the amount of money it raised this past year from private donations. This source is at the forefront for psychedelic research mainly because they have the funding to actually run research trials. Most researchers who want to do studies with psychedelics struggle in finding someone to fund them so most of the new reputable studies come straight from MAPS. This source and its various studies will make the backbone of my paper analyzing the basics of these substances to better understand them. The main focal point of my paper will be what we understand already about these substances so good research trials are integral for this to be accomplished. I have another study that analyzed the current climate regarding psychedelics which was found on NCBI (which is the National Library of Medicine). This study is good because it helps me clarify the different factors that psychedelics have to overcome even with empirical studies of positive effects. It will also be integral in my paper because it will help me conceptualize the former studies on these psychedelics and their effects and link that with the legalization process that are transpiring around North America. I have added to this repertoire three different common news organizations perspectives on the issue of psychedelic legalization. They are unfortunately all left leaning organizations, Rolling Stone, Vox, and Vice respectively. It would be helpful to have a convservative viewpoint but in regards to psychedelics it is difficult to find one that is not rampant with stereotypes and misinformation. These three articles will help me paint the picture of the legalization process and give it the social perspective I believe psychedelics need in order to better be understood. I have paired this with two final sources. The first is an op-ed from the NYTimes about why NOT to legalize Psychedelic mushrooms which is important to my paper to diversify the viewpoints. The final resource is the California Psilocybin Decriminalization Initiative which I believe is an important part of what is going on politically and socially within California. It will help my paper by showing what a petition in favor of psychedelics is really asking by showing a real example of one. This will tie out my whole paper by providing a real life example of the base behind psychedelics and how they wield their intentions. I considered using another article from Fox News about the recent Oregon Psilocybin option for legalization on their ballot but it was so hard to find a good place in my paper for it because of the fact that their bias is so hard to ignore. I settled on trying to find something from another new source as I think that would help me form a better paper and I ended up with an Op-Ed from the NYTimes. I think I may be missing some more impressive sources in regards to my legalization articles and I think I will do some more digging in regards to that because there is so much that is going on in the small political realms across North America that those three articles may not do the scope of interest justice. 

Bibliography:

• Byock, Ira. “Taking Psychedelics Seriously.” Journal of Palliative Medicine, vol. 21, no. 4, Apr. 2018, pp. 417–421, 10.1089/jpm.2017.0684.
• “Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.” MAPS, 2019, maps.org/.
• Margolin, Shelby Hartman, Madison, et al. “First, It Was Weed — Now, Voters Have a Chance for Legal Psychedelics.” Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2020, www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/lsd-psilocybin-psychedelics-legal-ballot-election-1079488/.
• Lopez, German. “2020’s Psychedelic Drug Ballot Measures, Explained.” Vox, 20 Oct. 2020, www.vox.com/future-perfect/21509465/psychedelic-magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-medical-legalization-decriminalization-oregon-washington-dc. Accessed 26 Oct. 2020.
• Semely, John. “After Legal Win, What’s Next for Magic Mushrooms?” Www.Vice.Com, 17 Aug. 2020, www.vice.com/en/article/jgxkwg/after-legal-win-whats-next-for-magic-mushrooms.
• “Home.” Decriminalize California, decrimca.org/?v=f24485ae434a. Accessed 26 Oct. 2020.
• Pollan, Michael. “Opinion | Michael Pollan: Not So Fast on Psychedelic Mushrooms.” The New York Times, 10 May 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/opinion/denver-mushrooms-psilocybin.html.

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Question: How are psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and mdma used for therapeutic treatment in the medical community, and how are national and local governments lobbying for the legalization of these drugs around the world?

As someone who has practiced meditation for quite some time it is no secret that the mind is a wonderful labyrinth to get lost in. Psychedelics similarly have impacted a wide range of individuals to become more peaceful within their skin. I believe it is becoming imperative to familiarize ourselves with the growing age of psychedelics that have been seen as taboo for so long in academic culture. I think this is relevant to our society because certain states and countries have already begun the shift towards utilization of psychedelics in the medical facility (and some even recreationally) rather than complete abolition of them. MDMA has been designated as a “breakthrough therapy” by the FDA which in itself should sound the awareness towards curiosity at least in regards to MDMA. Psilocybin has been legalized medically in Canada and is on the ballot for medical legalization in Oregon, which should also steer one into curiosity regarding these substances. The average rate for a therapy success rate is 50% which is merely a coin flip. Not to mention this coin flip is thousands of dollars and once a week for at least 16 weeks. On the other hand MDMA assisted psychotherapy has had a 61% success rate with just 3 clinical sessions. This is one of the reasons why a large part of the medical world is very enthusiastic about MDMA and some of that enthusiasm falls into Psilocybin as well. 

Modal Essay: Roseman, Leor, et al. “The Effects of Psilocybin and MDMA on between-Network Resting State Functional Connectivity in Healthy Volunteers.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 23 Mar. 2014, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00204/full.

Name of Publication: MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) (Due to the nature of the subject various papers deemed reputable for publication have been conducted by non-for-profit organizations such as MAPS and then self-published) 

This research topic has been supremely interesting to me so a great deal of the research has been sitting in a folder on my computer. A good deal of refresher is necessary as there are a great number of interesting clinical trials going on currently but most have already been bookmarked by me because I like to keep updated on the various new research. However more information gathering has to be conducted on the various legislation that is taking place around the world regarding psychedelics. This will probably be completed in the next coming days. The essay chosen was a strong backbone for a lot of the interest garnered for psychedelics. 

Bibliography: 

1. Byock, Ira. “Taking Psychedelics Seriously.” Journal of Palliative Medicine, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Apr. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5867510/.
2. “MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy.” MAPS, maps.org/research/mdma (This has a large number of various studies that the MAPS organization is conducting and has conducted; roughly 6-8 will be used in my final paper) 
3. Sessa, Ben, et al. “A Review of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-Assisted Psychotherapy.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, Frontiers Media S.A., 20 Mar. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6435835/.

With the medical community beginning to validate psilocybin and mdma for therapeutic treatment and their legalization in certain states on the frontier, have these substances been an effective treatment and to what extent will our society begin to see them? Psychedelics have been a large part of American history and have left a large imprint on the American people both positive and negative. With the changing times and perhaps the changing outlook, I think it is imperative to take a good look at the science behind the use to better understand these substances and possibly even chip away at hidden biases and preconceived notions. Another aspect worth looking at would also be the legislative support these substances are beginning to have in certain states and other countries that we may not have expected. I think this is a very important topic because whether we like it or not it looks fairly likely that these substances will  no longer be restricted by our government and the more scientific information we can have about them, the more we can make educated decisions in our own lives. I came up with this topic because I have had a long interest to understand the philosophy of the mind with the use of physics and I think psychedelics may provide a great aid in that quest. I think the best way to approach a topic like this is to stay adamantly to the science and to be wary of implanting my own opinions into the subject. Another interesting thing is to choose wisely the opinions of others that I will allow for opinions in itself, though useful if used correctly, can give the wrong impressions to the readers.

I believe that writing is the process of attempting to intentionally transfer consciousness from the medium of one’s mind to a tangible format such as paper. Any form of writing will strengthen this view and teach one more about oneself. The rhetorical essay was in line with what I know about writing as it is just another outlet of creativity to relay information from one’s noggin to a tangible medium albeit a slightly boring one. I do say this with all the kindness possible but such assignments leave the student (particularly me) drained by the end of it. I think this is because other than a goal of a good grade there doesn’t seem to be much in regards to satisfaction while writing it and when finished. I will say that it is not feasible to understand higher concepts of writing without digging through the mud first and figuring out the different parts of a nonfiction piece is an important testament to that. In the rhetorical essay lies the potentiality for more exciting understanding in the future and I don’t believe that is too bad in itself. I also think this assignment really exemplifies the ability to follow a process and with that process still create vastly different works because of the range of subjects. This in itself can be a wonderful skill to master though I personally have not always been enthusiastic about this type of work.

These are the four articles I will be using for my source-based essay on poverty.

1. Kurtzleben, Danielle. “Seeking Suburban Votes, Trump To Repeal Rule Combating Racial Bias In Housing.” NPR, NPR, 21 July 2020, www.npr.org/2020/07/21/893471887/seeking-suburban-votes-trump-targets-rule-to-combat-racial-bias-in-housing. 

• This article is highlighting the tweet Donald Trump made regarding the AFFH Housing regulation of which was implemented by the Obama Biden administration to combat discrimination in federally assisted jurisdictions. In simple terms, it forced those areas receiving federal housing funds to assess the amount of discrimination they have and work on a plan to diminish it. This is an important piece of legislation as it forced those receiving money from the United States government to really look at their own practices and the practices that were instigated in shaping communities since segregation, hence it banned them from looking away and pretending this wasn’t an issue. Trump is praising the rescinding of this legislation because his base is mostly white and this type of legislation would make it likely to put affordable housing in the suburbs where his base tends to reside. In other words he wants to keep the suburbs white and not have affordable housing there. 

1. Sherwin, Wilson. “Turning Shame to Blame: Advancing the fortunes of the poor starts with a change in perspective.” The Progressive, vol. 84, no. 2, Apr.-May 2020, p. 24. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A622649623/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=97c197ff. Accessed 18 Sept. 2020.

• This magazine article is trying to convey the point that throughout history those in poverty, if the poverty becomes widespread enough, will develop a collectivist spirit and take matters into their own hands. The author portrays this with a wonderful organization called the poor people’s campaign which was formed in 2018. The poor people’s campaign has ideas focused on an annual UBI (akin to the platform democratic Andrew Yang ran on, though he wanted a monthly UBI), systematic racism, our war economy, and ecological devastation. The authors point in referencing this organization is to reinforce the idea that those suffering will eventually get pissed off enough to take action.

1. Smialek, Jeanna, et al. “U.S. Poverty Hit a Record Low Before the Pandemic Recession.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/business/economy/poverty-record-low-prior-to-pandemic.html.

• This NY Times news piece sheds light on the many factors or interweaving webs that poverty is tangled in. It sheds light onto the recent impact of coronavirus and how low poverty was before its impact due to our labor heavy economy. But the news piece also makes a great point that even though income was rising and poverty was the lowest it has been it is besides the point if people are only a couple missed paychecks away from entering poverty as the impacts of the coronavirus have clearly shown. It goes on to talk about how healthcare plays a role in poverty and the widening gap between the rich and the poor. 

1. Finch WH and Hernández Finch ME (2020) Poverty and Covid-19: Rates of Incidence and Deaths in the United States During the First 10 Weeks of the Pandemic. Front. Sociol. 5:47. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2020.00047

• This scientific study attempted to analyze the first 10 weeks of the coronavirus and its relation to poverty. It found out that more poor countries initially had a higher death rate and infection rate but that over time more wealthy countries overtook them. It has pointed to the lack of testing that usually means a great amount of lost lives in a COVID infected country. This is why it points to America’s large amount of deaths due to its incredibly mixed response. This is because in countries that focused on contact tracing and surveillance (South Korea, Singapore) inherited a very low rate of the virus but since this was not implementable in America (Americans don’t like being tracked) we focused on masks and lock downs to slow the virus. The researchers made a clear point that the effect of this method may not be clearly known for a long time but its initial results don’t look promising. 

One of the more pressing problems within our cities’ limelight’s has been poverty.  From the homeless block on West 72nd in NYC to the 101 Freeway homeless encampment in LA I think we all are trying our darnedest to ignore this rising issue. I want to understand why homelessness is climbing and climbing (though I can sure make some fairly good guesses) and more pressingly, why we rush to ignore it and why, for such a simple concept as taking care of those less fortunate, we rush to condemn and to criticize. In other words the psychology of helping those less fortunate and what we can do to solve such a problem for our trajectory seems only towards an increase and not an eradication of homelessness. I have been deeply passionate about this issue for I always value a human being based on their present needs and not their past mistakes. However because of this point of view, I’ve gotten into tense arguments with unlike minded individuals that condemn me for giving a dollar to someone who asked because they cannot trust said individual to use that money with good faith. So like Scooby Do, I want to chase after the real culprit and find out why we all are so quick to point fingers instead of lending a hand and what others think about this problem. I think this is incredibly important for we are neglecting those around us and I think that says a lot about America and its culture.