Final project on Substance Abuse

STUDENTS ARE TO SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOING QUESTIONS AND FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES IN COMPLETING A 4 PAGE RESEARCH PAPER.
Question 1. There is no consensus on the effectiveness of marijuana as a treatment for symptoms of pain, nausea, vomiting and other problems caused by illnesses or their treatment. By 2011, 16 states and the District of Columbia had laws permitting medical use of marijuana. There are an estimated 200,000 persons in California who use medical marijuana. Discuss the controversies with regard to the use and legality of medical marijuana.
Question 2. Cocaine abuse and addiction continues to be a problem that plagues our nation, One of NIDA’s most important goals is to translate what scientists learn from research, in order to help the public better understand drug abuse and addiction, and to develop more effective strategies for their
prevention and treatment.
Question 3. Opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, surpassing car accidents and firearm deaths over the past few years. Opioid overdoses have been responsible for life expectancy declining for the past three years, a trend not seen since 1918. We are working on innovative treatments for opioid use disorder and the prevention of overdose.
INTRODUCTION (1-1.5 page)
Begin by introducing the topic and providing a thesis statement describing the focus of
the paper (i.e., this research will provide an overview of the relationship between
substance abuse and recidivism and summarize the prior literature that has investigated
this issue). A general overview of the state of research in your topical area should also be
provided here.
LITERATURE REVIEW (2-3 pages)
After identifying the topic and establishing its importance, you will provide a
review of the relevant literature. This should consist of 2 pages describing prior research
that is related to your topic. Sources can include academic peer-reviewed journals,
books, government reports, and even a limited number of accounts from the popular press
or accurate websites. You must read these materials, describe how they specifically
pertain to your topic, and cite them appropriately. When citing references, follow the
APA guidelines posted below. Your paper should consist of a minimum of 5 references.
Rule-of-thumb—generally easier/more appropriate to begin with the early research and
trace the development over time and end with the most recent studies.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION (1.5-2 page)
This section should include a general review of the overall key findings from the
research in your topical area and discuss the limitations of the prior research (i.e., small
samples, only males or females, short follow-up period, focused only on non-serious or
serious/violent sex offenders, only in once city/state/or region, etc.). In the next portion
of this section try to map out future directions for research in this area and offer
suggestions about how future studies can improve upon those of the past.
REFERENCES
SUMMARY
1) Introduction (1 page; double-spaced)
2) Literature review (2 pages; double-spaced)
3) Discussion/Conclusion (1 page; double-spaced)
4) References (single-spaced and in alphabetical order)
PROFESSIONAL WRITING SKILLS
In addition to including the elements discussed above, you must also demonstrate
professional writing skills. In order to satisfy this requirement, you must adhere to the
following guidelines:
1) Provide a title page: center all information on the page and include the following:
A) Title of your paper
B) Course name and number
2) Include page numbers in the lower right-hand corner excluding the title page
3) Double-space all text and single-space references
4) Use correct spelling and remove all typographical errors
5) Use an appropriate font such as: Arial or Times New Roman with a 12-point font size
6) Create headings for each section such as “Literature Review” and “Discussion/Conclusion”
7) Use correct citations and referencing format as presented below
IN TEXT CITATIONS
If author’s name is in the text, follow it with the publication year in parentheses.
When Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) studied…
If the author’s name is not in the text, enclose the last name and year in parentheses at the
end of the sentence.
When the study was completed… (Wolfgang, Figlio, & Sellin, 1972).
If the page number is to be included, it follows the year of publication after a colon.
According to Gottfredson (1987, p. 2), a state of behavior…
According to a recent study (Gottfredson, 1987, p. 2), a state of behavior…
For three authors, give all last names in the first citation in the text. Afterwards, use the
last name of the first author and et al. For more than three names, use the first author’s
last name plus et al.
(Johnson, Smith, & Harris, 2003)
(Johnson et al., 2003)
Quotations in the text must begin and end with quotation marks. The citation follows the
end quote mark and precedes the period.
However, in a subsequent study “the data were reported by more specific job
types which showed that technologically oriented jobs paid better” (Hildenbrand,
1999, p. 47).
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES FOR BOOKS
One author
Champion, D.J. (1994). Measuring offender risk: A criminal justice sourcebook.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Two authors
Farrington, D. P., & Tarling, R. (1985). Prediction in criminology. Albany, NY: State
University of New York Press.
Chapter in book
Thomas, G. (2000). “Intelligence and anti-terrorism.” In M.B. Peterson, B. Morehouse, &
R. Wright (eds.), Intelligence 2000: Revising the basic elements (pp. 26-30).
Lawrenceville, NJ: International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence
Analysts.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES FOR PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL
ARTICLES
One author
Moffit, T.E. (1993). Adolescent-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A
developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100, 674-701.
Two or more authors
Hirschi, T., & Gottfredson, M. (1983). Age and the explanation of crime. American
Journal of Sociology, 89, 552-584.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES FOR NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE ARTICLES
Magazine
Jana, R. (2000). “Preventing culture clashes – As the IT workforce grows more diverse,
managers must improve awareness without creating inconsistency.” InfoWorld,
April 24, pp. 95.
Newspaper
Rimland, B. (2000). “Do children’s shots invite autism?” Los Angeles Times, April 26,
A13.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES FOR ONLINE CONENT
Information posted on a website
American Sociological Association. (2000). “Code of ethics.” Washington, DC:
American Sociological Association, Retrieved Feb. 1, 2007 (http://www.asanet.org/codeethics).
Web version of a newspaper
Clary, M. (2000). “Vieques Protesters Removed Without Incident.” Los Angeles Times,
May 5. Retrieved Feb. 1, 2007 (http://articles.latimes.com/2000/may/05/news/mn-
26735).

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