Comparison of Websites: The Motley Fool and NORML Websites

2021-05-25
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Marijuana is one of the drugs that have received different criticism in most of the American states; some states legalize the use of marijuana. Although some states illegalize the use of marijuana, Approximately 100 million people are said to be involved in the consumption of the drug. In this paper, I will compare and contrast the two websites that provide information about marijuana use in America, The Motley Fool and NORML Org.

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A Large population of Americans consumes the drug whether legally or illegally. The Motley Fool is the website name for the article This Map Shows Where Marijuana is Legal authored by Seam Williams. The Motley Fool Website is health economics affiliated website examining the legal policy impacts on the economic performance. NORML website, on the other hand, is a law affiliated website that examines the legal impacts of the policies. NORML Org. (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) examines the legal impacts of marijuana, About Marijuana. Sean William, the author for The Motley Fool, graduated from UC San Diego with B.A in Economics. Williams focuses on the healthcare sectors since he started writing for the website in 2010. NORML, on the other hand, is a law organization where one can find legal representation and learn more about the legal issues affecting the American people.

Each of the websites has provided information on marijuana use and its impacts on the American people. Each website provides supporting evidence from other research institutions which makes their work reliable and valid. The Motley Fool has relied on evidence from other research institutions; for example, CBS News Polls of 2015, ArcView Market Research and New York Times Newspaper as the primary sources of information for the support evidence. However, NORML Org. has majorly relied on its research and internally generated information to support its arguments. Each of the websites is currently updated; for example, The Motley Fool was lastly updated on November 20, 2016. NORML Org. is also updated although the exact date has not been provided it is indicated that it was updated within the year 2016.

Credibility of the Websites

From the information gathered, I can claim that each of the websites is viable and credible; however, there has to be one which is more credible than the other. The Motley Fool seems to be more credible than NORML Org. especially because it relies on the organizations which provide viable information such as ArcView Market Research Institute and the New York Times Newspaper. The author Sean Williams relies on the information from other credible institutions. As compared to the other website, NORML Org. relies on the internally generated information. Although they also have a source of information from the websites library, its credibility is hard to determine. Most of the information used in NORML has been obtained from the websites library.

Although both of the websites provides information about marijuana use, each of them has presented the concepts from a different approach. NORML Org. presents the concepts from a legal perspective or approach while The Motley Fool presents its ideas from an economic perspective or approach. In NORML Org. the authors argue that marijuana use in America results in the arrest of over 500,000 Americans every year. The author (s) uses the graphical presentation to analyze the legal implications of the Marijuana use in America states. The website gives a comparison of the development use of marijuana since 1965 to 2015. As an illustration of the graph, the number of individuals arrested for illegal use of marijuana has significantly increased over the past decade; for example, as compared to between 1965 and 1970 where the arrest stood at 2 individuals per hour, the past decade between 2000 and 2015 the individual arrest has significantly increased to 73 individuals per hour. The Motley Fool however gives the discussion an economical approach; the author examines the economic implications of marijuana legalization. Williams uses the research findings from one of the research institutions, ArcView Market Research to estimate the economic implications of marijuana legalization in America. According to Williams observation, marijuana contributes to over $10 billion to the government revenue annually. The author further asserts that as the number of states legalizing the drug increases, the benefits also are expected to increase. Williams conquers with other scholars such as Cerda et al. (2012) who also assert that most states in America continue to legalize marijuana use. Williams uses the data from ArcView Market Research to estimate the future performance of marijuana; the legal marijuana is expected to contribute to over $50 billion to the states that have legalized it by 2026. He further confirms that this reflects approximately 24% annual growth rate in the industry. Williams argues that despite the legalization of marijuana in various American states, most investors have not been attracted by the business. The author gives an example with the US banks that are unable to invest in marijuana-related business organizations.

Despite the differences, the websites have various similarities, especially in the content. Each of the website presents the concept of marijuana use in America and how it has influenced America in the past years. As Williams writes on the website The Motley Fool, as compared to the previous year, the recent increase in the consumption rate and legalization of the marijuana in most states around the United States is giving a different picture. Williams argues that the recent increase in the legalization of marijuana has been majorly influenced by the change of publics perception towards marijuana use. He adopts from the CBS News Polls of 2015 which showed that approximately 84% of Americans like to see the drug legalized countrywide. NORML Org. also conquers with Williams idea that the rate of marijuana consumption is significantly increasing in America. NORML Org. states that approximately 25 million Americans use the drug either legally or illegally. By legally I mean that it is used in the states where it has been legalized which have been provided in both websites; for example, Colorado, Oregon, Washington D.C. and Alaska.

Both websites identify the use recent medical discovery use of marijuana which has been supported by various health researchers in the health sectors. According to Jampel (2010), marijuana can help in treatment of some diseases such as glaucoma. Both websites conquer with the opinion of other scientists claiming that marijuana is among the disease control mechanisms that the health sector has identified. Despite its addictive and adverse effects, marijuana has been identified to be useful to human health (Robson, 2014). Marijuana is used for clinical purposes; for example, as a pain reliever especially from the nerve damage (Robson, 2014). It is also identified for its powerful appetite stimulation for patients with appetite problems such as HIV victims. The information provided on both websites is credible as it is also supported by other scholarly works. For instance, the medical usefulness of marijuana has been widely accepted by various medical specialists. Marijuana is majorly known for its adverse effects; however, recent medical research indicates that the drug can be used for human treatment purposes as well (Hill, 2015). For instance, marijuana has been found to protect the human body against the malignant tumor tissues in the brain. This idea has been supported by the website, NORML Org. Further, The Motley Fool also shows that the recent increase in marijuana legalization has been influenced by the drugs recent medical discovery.

Marijuanas legalization is only applying in almost 28 states in the United States. Although the marijuana business is booming in the states where it is legalized, investors should take time before they decide to invest. The drug is legalized in some countries, but it remains illegal at the federal level; this means that the legal implications can affect the investors adversely leading to a significant loss. As it is reported in The Motley Fool website, investors should take their time and weigh the progress. The Motley Fool website has proven to be more credible as compared to the information given by the other website, NORML Org.

In conclusion, the recent medical discovery of marijuanas medical significance has fundamentally influenced the legalization of the drug across various states in America. I have examined the credibility of the information about marijuana provided by the two websites, NORML Org and The Motley Fool. From the observation, The Motley Fool has proven to be more credible as it does not only depend on information from reliable sources but also provide information which scholars have also conquered with. However, this does not mean that the other website is incredible; it is also credible but not as compared to The Motley Fool.

References

Cerda, M., Wall, M., Keyes, K. M., Galea, S., & Hasin, D. (2012). Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence. Drug and alcohol dependence, 120(1), 22-27.Hill, K. P. (2015). Medical marijuana for treatment of chronic pain and other medical and psychiatric problems: a clinical review. Jama, 313(24), 2474-2483.

Jampel, H. (2010). American glaucoma society position statement: marijuana and the treatment of glaucoma. Journal of glaucoma, 19(2), 75-76.NORML (2016). About Marijuana: Working to Reform Marijuana Laws. NORML Org. Retrieved from http://norml.org/aboutmarijuanaRobson, P. J. (2014). Therapeutic potential of cannabinoid medicines. Drug testing and analysis, 6(1-2), 24-30.

Williams, S. (November 20, 2016). This Map Shows Where Marijuana is Legal; The green revolution continues but investors are still stuck on the sidelines. The Motley Fool Web. Retrieved from http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/11/20/this-map-shows-where-marijuana-is-legal.aspx

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