Marijuana and Kids

This article talks about the long lasting controversial issue of medical marijuana. It states that while nearly two-thirds of people agree that their state should allow medical marijuana for adults, half as many -- just over a third -- say it should be allowed for children. It also states that eighty percent of respondents say adults shouldn't be allowed to use medical marijuana in front of kids. States have now been permitting medical marijuana and only few enforce strict rules regarding use by children. The majority of Americans worry that exposure to marijuana may be harmful to kids' health.

The article states the from the Mott poll ten percent of respondents in the Mott poll either have a medical marijuana card or know someone who does, while 7 percent either use marijuana when children are present or know someone who does. Medical marijuana laws have been in the news around the country because of the ethical and legal complexity it has brought. There have even been cases of children even being taken away from parents using medical marijuana at home. In Maine, even though medical marijuana is legal, the state's Supreme Judicial Court ruled that it can make a person unfit as a parent and therefore risk custody rights.

More states are being faced with questions regarding if children that have qualifying conditions should be able to use it too. In Connecticut, they are considering a bill that would expand the state's medical marijuana program to children. In New Jersey, the health department recently took a step toward allowing edible medical marijuana for kids. Colorado permits a special strain of cannabis known as "Charlotte's Web" used by hundreds of children.

There is little science about the safety of treating children with medical marijuana. Research has indicated that children’s brains and nervous systems are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of marijuana. This raises a concern in some people. Advocates for medical marijuana argue that it can be safe and effective for treating symptoms related to diseases such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and epilepsy for adults and children. Others are concerned about inadequate scientific testing as a treatment, negative side effects on the brain and other organs and evidence that drug use early in life is more likely to lead to drug addiction in adulthood.

This is an ethical issue that we are being faced with and is very controversial. More research should be done on this subject in order to get more information on the affects it could have on children.

Reference:

University of Michigan Health System. (2015, April). Most Americans say medical marijuana shouldn't be used by kids or in front of kids, legal or not. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150420084545.htm

Robots As Weapons

This article is about the ethical issues on the field of lethal autonomous weapon systems, or killer robots. These machines could roam a battlefield, on the ground or in the air, picking their own targets and then shredding them with cannon fire, or blowing them up with missiles, without any human intervention. It is said that this technology is 20 plus years away but there are similar systems from a German automated system for defending bases in Afghanistan, and a robot by South Korea in the demilitarized zone. These systems rely on a human approving the computer’s actions, but at a speed which excludes the possibility of consideration. There is as little as half a second in which to press or not to press the lethal button. Half a second is just inside the norm of reaction times, but military aircraft are routinely built to be so maneuverable that the human nervous system cannot react quickly enough to make the constant corrections necessary to keep them in the air. It is said that in some way this is an ethical advantage because machines cannot feel hate and they cannot lie. Robots are autonomous but they cannot be morally responsible as humans. 

Reference:

The Guardian. (2015, April). The Guardian view on robots as weapons: the human factor. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/13/guardian-view-on-killer-robots-lethal-autonomous-weapons-systems

Ethics of embryo editing divides scientists

This article is about scientists who agree that the use of powerful gene techniques on human embryos needs to be restricted. But they are divided amongst each other as to why. Some say that if safety is not an issue then the applications could have a bright future and eradicate diseases. On the other hand, some say that modifying the DNA of embryos is an ethical line that should not be crossed.

These gene modifying techniques use enzymes called nucleases to change DNA at specific points and basically rewrite the genetic information. A recent event was from Sangamo BioSciences of Richmond, California. They used an older gene modifying technology zinc-finger nucleases to remove a gene from white-blood cells that encodes the receptor to which HIV binds to enter the cells.

There is no divide amongst scientists that this technology can do some amazing things and have usefulness. The divide comes from the concerns of the use of gene editing to modify the genomes of eggs and fertilized eggs. Some concerns are that parents will want to use this technology to simply change a child’s eye color. Groups that do not agree with this technology say that we are humans and not transgenic rats. There are clear ethic issues in this topic. Would we be crossing the boundary to modifying human genes?

Reference
Cyranoski, D. (2015, March). Ethics of embryo editing divides scientists : Nature News & Comment. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/news/ethics-of-embryo-editing-divides-scientists-1.17131

3D printing raises ethical issues in medicine

 This article talks about how 3D printing is giving doctors the potential to improve medical treatments and procedures for condition such as bone cancer, arthritis, glaucoma and hearing loss. With this new medical ability there comes many ethical issues that arise. The three issues they list are justice in access to health care, testing for safety and efficacy, and whether these technologies should be used to enhance the capacity of individuals beyond what is 'normal' for humans. This technology is doing something for the good of patients, yet is under attack for being unethical.

3D bio-printing allows orthopaedic surgeons to print artificial bone from a scan of the patient. This allows for the surgeons to print exactly the right size and shape to fit that particular patient. This means that treatments are meant to be tailored for each individual patient. This technology has been used to create skull implants and a titanium heel for a patient with cancer.

This article mentions that in the future, 3D printing technologies may be used together with advances in stem cell research to print living bone cells from patients' own cells or functioning organs for transplant. However, 3D bio-printing will continue to raise many ethical questions as the technology advances.


References:
Dodds, S. (2015, February). 3D printing raises ethical issues in medicine. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2015/02/11/4161675.htm