Assignment:
Short Answer 1
Research the process by which state legalization of medical marijuana in California (Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act) occurred. Using the six-part policy-making process outlined below, describe what happened at each stage. Please refer to "Medical Marijuana Policy in the United States" provided with the Assessment documents. You may identify another state that is considering legalization of medical marijuana and is in the process of going through this policy process, and where in the process they currently find themselves.
• Problem Recognition: Problems that may potentially make their way onto the public policy agenda are recognized.
• Agenda Setting: Problems that are deemed worthy of attention are placed on the agenda.
• Policy Formulation: Various policies are crafted to deal with the problem that has been set on the agenda.
• Policy Adoption: An official policy is agreed upon.
• Policy Implementation: The public policy that has been officially agreed upon is put into action.
• Policy Analysis and Evaluation: The implemented policy is evaluated for its effectiveness.
Short Answer 2
Review data on motorcycle helmet laws and "Weaker Helmet Laws Increase Motorcycle Fatalities-LHSFNA," provided with the Assessment documents.
• How did motorcycle fatalities increase as a percentage of total vehicle deaths in Florida between 2000 and 2005, and between 2005 and 2012, after Florida changed its helmet laws in 2000?
• Provide a data-informed opinion regarding how changes in helmet laws affect motor vehicle fatalities.
Short Answer 3
Use the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) data from "Motorcycle Helmet Use-State Laws," and the "The Effects of Michigan's Weakened Motorcycle Helmet Use Law on Insurance Losses," provided in the Assessment documents, and other research you find on your own, to review data on states with partial helmet laws.
• Describe at least two impacts on injuries when Michigan weakened its helmet use laws.
• Justify the need for helmet use laws to protect motorcyclists and bystanders. In what ways does not wearing a helmet while operating a motorcycle impact the health and safety of other citizens? (1 page)
Short Answer 4
Describe at least one cost and one benefit of mandatory HIV testing and counseling. Include ways it may or may not increase population health. In addition, describe at least one barrier to HIV testing and HIV counseling, and describe how overcoming these barriers might increase population health. (1-2 pages)
Short Answer 5
Use the example of the tuberculosis outbreak in New York in the 1980s in "Tuberculosis in New York City-Turning the Tide" and "Tuberculosis, Culture, and Coercion" (provided with the Assessment documents) to complete the following:
• Describe two policies that were put into place to protect the public from infection, and what impact these policies had on public health. (1-2 pages)
• Provide a rationale for these kinds of policies to someone who argues that they infringe too much on individual liberties. (1 page)
Short Answer 6
Choose one of the following three issues and research the role advocacy and civic engagement has played in advancing these issues:
• Prevention of smoking cigarettes in public spaces
• Reduction in child obesity rates
• Increased penalties for drunk driving
Describe the role that advocacy and civic engagement played in advancing these policy-making efforts. (1-2 pages)