This paper analyzes the economic, legal, and social aspects of the legal cannabis industry in the United States. These analyses include the history, current status, and future of all three components, all with an emphasis on reforming the existing systems in place in order to achieve the most beneficial cannabis industry possible. Many reformative legal implications are made, stressing the importance of decriminalizing cannabis, releasing nonviolent and cannabis-related criminals from prison, and expunging their criminal records. The paper places a heavy emphasis on the importance of designing the legal system to be fair and equal across all racial and ethnic groups, given that people of color have been hit the hardest in terms of cannabis-related issues. Economic components such as tax design and access to proper financial institutions are also included, as well as the social implications that have both gone into and are a product of the long-standing war on drugs. While there is no comprehensive solution for how to fix every aspect of the industry, this paper highlights key aspects to be aware of in the design stages of potential federal legalization.

Music streaming services have affected the music industry from both a financial and legal standpoint. Their current business model affects stakeholders such as artists, users, and investors. These services have been scrutinized recently for their imperfect royalty distribution model. Covid-19 has made these discussions even more relevant as touring income has come to a halt for musicians and the live entertainment industry. <br/>Under the current per-stream model, it is becoming exceedingly hard for artists to make a living off of streams. This forces artists to tour heavily as well as cut corners to create what is essentially “disposable art”. Rapidly releasing multiple projects a year has become the norm for many modern artists. This paper will examine the licensing framework, royalty payout issues, and propose a solution.

The threat of global climate change to the world’s water resources has jeopardized access to clean drinking water across the world and continues to devastate biodiversity and natural life globally. South Africa operates as a useful case study to understand and analyze the effectiveness of public policy responses to the perils of climate change on issues of water access and ecosystem preservation. After the new South African Constitution was enacted in 1997, protecting water resources and ensuring their equitable distribution across the nation’s population was a paramount goal of the young democratic government. The National Water Act was passed in 1998, nationalizing the country’s water infrastructure and putting in place programs seeking to ensure equitable distributive and environmental outcomes. Thus far, it has failed. Access to South Africa’s water resources is as stratified as access to its economy; its aquatic ecosystems remain in grave danger; and many of the same problems of South Africa’s Apartheid era still plague its efforts to create an equitable water system. Decision-making power continues to be concentrated in the hands of the wealthy, at the expense of historically marginalized groups, whose voices are still not adequately heard. Corporate actors still exert undue influence over legislative policy that favors economic growth over environmental sustainability. The looming threat of climate change is exponentially increasing the chances of disasters like Cape Town’s 2018 feared ‘Day Zero’. The National Water Act’s noble intentions were never actualized, and therefore the people of South Africa remain in serious danger of acute and chronic threats to their water supply.

The objective of this thesis is to further understand the obstacles that impoverished families face, which may include: meeting nutritional needs, an earlier introduction to violence, or struggles with family planning. It is crucial to illustrate the effects of poverty on the physical, mental, and emotional health of both children and caregivers. Additionally, the family dynamics and educational challenges for children will also be explored as supplemental research. This study will draw upon psychological theories with an emphasis on maternal and child health. The goal is to empower families to make informed family planning decisions. This project will be focused on supporting families in low-income areas, particularly in Arizona

The study investigated unconscious biases in physicians regarding conflicts in developing care plans for patients related to religious restrictions in medicine. Fourteen physicians were interviewed to discuss their experiences with these patients and find patterns and factors that could lead to more negative attitudes from the physicians in the patient’s care. It was found that the gender, religious background, and location of residency had various impacts on the attitude of the physician regarding a religious concern; however, there was no outstanding demographic that led to a comparatively negative attitude. Additionally, the type of reasoning a patient used related to a religious concern had an impact on the attitude of the physician, and this was due to the logic and duration of the concern as well as the attitude of the patient. These factors and patient cases were thoroughly analyzed and discussed throughout the paper to shed light on possible factors that could negatively affect the patient’s care.