In this open letter to Vietnam’s new Minister of Education, Pham warns against the failings of standardized education. He advances this argument not only with evidence from diverse sources, but also by developing an authoritative but respectful ethos. (Instructor: Benjamin Gassman) FOR THE VIETNAMESE YOUTH Duc Minh Pham Minister Phùng Xuân Nhạ, F irst, I would like to congratulate you on your new position as the Minister of Education of Vietnam. You have the power to shape the development of our nation for generations to come and create a bright future for Vietnam and every one of its young citizens. As a member of the Vietnamese youth, I am writing today to voice my concerns over our education system, specifically higher education, because, when it comes to providing our students with quality and equal learning opportunities, it is never not the time to act. As a developing country still healing in the wake of two devastating wars, Vietnam realizes that education is undeniably the most valuable investment in its future. In fact, our government spends one-fifth of its budget on education and training purposes, making Vietnam one of the most education-oriented countries globally (Government, Hồng). Still, every year, 1.2 million applicants compete for only 400,000 college spaces, thus creating a need for a fair and efficient college admissions system (International Business Publications 63). For years, the Ministry of Education and Training has tried to meet this need by radically standardizing every aspect of education. Every student in our country, from kindergarten to high school, uses the same textbooks, adheres to the same curriculum, and, when the time comes, takes the same national college exam. Public universities rank applicants by their test scores and admit the top ones without looking at any of their other strengths or weaknesses. Your 62 Mercer Street predecessors have argued that such a system limits corruption, creates an equal playing field, provides educators with an inexpensive way to examine their students, and ensures that every child, regardless of their background, can be a part of the competition. One would expect a system that ideal to function miraculously. Yet that is far from the case. Over the last three college admissions cycles alone, your ministry has repeatedly had to change the system to fix the obvious flaws. Two years ago, to address the difference in the learning conditions of students from different areas and of different ethnicities, the Ministry introduced a program that would award extra points to test-takers from rural areas or minority backgrounds. That initiative, while benefitting many, caused a national uproar. As one student puts it: “You get extra points for cycling 20km to school, but I don’t get extra points for waking up at 5am, and standing for 2 hours in 3 consecutive bus routes before class” (Quyên). The following year, the Ministry got rid of that program, and there were national stories about how a test that focused on a few core subjects would not be an accurate measurement and would favor urban schools with superior instructors and facilities. Then, this year, six different school subjects were merged together to create only two—Natural Sciences and Social Sciences—forcing students to be knowledgeable in many fields. Needless to say, this arrangement is going to receive major backlash from our students, educators, and parents. To be fair to your predecessors, it is crucial to point out that more developed countries have also tried to standardize their education. For instance, in 2002, the United States president signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, which would test students from third to eighth grade annually and tie their results to their educators (U.S. Government Publishing Office). The goal of the act was to increase American youth’s school performances, reduce and eradicate achievement gaps between ethnicities and regions, and give educators an incentive to deliver their best every school day. The result? Domestically, in 2015, Americans scored no higher on the SAT and ACT tests than they did before the act was passed, and the achievement gap that affected students of color and with disabilities stagnated, as it has for 50 years (Strauss, Camera). Internationally, on the PISA evaluation, a global scale to judge students’ performances, the For the Vietnamese Youth 63 average score of an American student in Math and Reading stalled or decreased from 2000 to 2015, and the United States consistently ranked out of proportion with its economic power in the global academic ranking in that time period (National Center for Education Statistics). It seems as if all that extra pressure on students and teachers was for nothing. Minister, perhaps you, like other lawmakers around world, are scratching your head as you try to tinker with the standardized system, hoping that one day it would accomplish its original aim. But I am here to tell you that such a system does not, and would never, work. Don’t get me wrong; as a young engineer, I am a supporter of a standardized system where it is applicable. And, on the surface, such a system sounds brilliant, as it provides an unbiased, equal evaluation of all students and a platform for holding instructors accountable. “An accountability system must have a consequence,” said President Bush about U.S. public education in 2001, “otherwise it’s not much of an accountability system” (Bush). But here’s where that idea falls short: education is not, has never been, and will never be standard. It is an irony that we tell our children to chase their dreams, only to weigh them all on the same, basic scale. It is as if we assure our kids they can be whoever they desire, as long as they do well in Math, Science, and Reading. Standardizing, in this case, is suppressing creativity, is failing to recognize that each youngster is filled with incredible potential, each one unique. Additionally, ‘accountability’ forces teachers to turn each student into a problem-solving machine. Minister, I am a computer programmer. My job is to put sophisticated lines of codes into computers to solve millions of problems every second, not making a single mistake in the process. But educators are not programmers, and children cannot become cold, mass-produced machines. Standardizing our students is destroying their futures and our society’s future as a whole. And no, standardization is not a pathway to equality. From 2000 to 2014, while No Child Left Behind was in effect in the U.S., the number of effectively segregated schools—those in which 75% or more of the students are from the same ethnic background—more than doubled in number, and “the percentage of all schools with socalled racial or socio-economic isolation grew from 9% to 16%” 64 Mercer Street (Toppo). These schools are the result of either racial tension or economic division in the U.S., issues that standardized testing simply could not address. One can imagine why it’s hard to reduce the racial achievement gap when students of different races study in different, isolated schools. In Vietnam, thanks to our evaluation systems, many Vietnamese people are led to become obsessed with money and power, which renowned professor Nguyễn Lân Dũng has called the “top 2 malformations of our culture” (Hà). Our schooling has led people to believe that there exists a scale that can measure all of us, in either money or power, and that one’s self-worth and life meaning depend uniquely on that scale alone. Such a mindset narrows one’s options in one’s career and life. It scares individuals out of speaking their minds, and prevents us from seeing the best in one another. Education and testing standardization not only fail to solve the social problems that we have right now, but also create new ones, weakening our country’s sense of community and unity. Mr. Nhạ, I know it’s hard to take a college freshman’s words seriously. But the facts don’t lie. For instance, let’s look at the difference between students’ dedication to Computer Science in high school and in college in our country. In the last college admissions cycle, at our top public engineering and science universities, Computer Science, as a major, had some of the strictest incoming test requirements for applicants. Furthermore, Computer Science students enjoy special programs that aren’t available to other majors, such as the Advanced Program in Computer Science at the University of Science. Many universities, like the University of Technology, even invested in facilities and qualified instructors to be accredited the ABET certification in Computer Science, shared with the very top colleges in the world. Yet one would be surprised to learn that, in Ho Chi Minh City, the financial center of our nation, only three high schools offer Computer Science as a major. Of those, none of them has a Computer Science club, and one even lets applicants who marginally fail the Math or Science major join the Computer Science class. The concentration of our institutions reflect the needs of our students. And it’s obvious, for high-schoolers who yearn for a career in Informatics, that their best bet is, ironically, disregarding the subject and focusing on standardized tests. This results in a considerable number of students entering For the Vietnamese Youth 65 college as computer scientists, despite not knowing about the subject’s ideas and challenges, or whether they have the strengths or passion to commit to that career for the next forty years. And, if you don’t think there is a consequence, remember that earlier this year a Chinese group hacked our largest airline and froze our air transportation for hours (Clark). A country that in theory puts its brightest minds in the Computer Science field can’t even protect itself and its citizens from foreign cyber threats. At the very least, this is about preparing our young citizens for their life decisions. At the very most, this is about our national security. Minister, this needs to change. Yes, there are challenges ahead. A thorough, personalized evaluation system for our students means training and hiring qualified personnel in all parts of the country, which costs money. But, as the only way to reach the summit is through taking little steps, we can only achieve this aim through a long-term plan. Maybe we might add the students’ three years of GPA to our evaluation this year, and next year, we could add their activities, and the year after that let them speak through an essay, and so on. You could say that such changes give urban students an unfair advantage, as rural kids don’t have equal extracurricular opportunities, but that, too, like all factors, should be taken into account when examining one’s readiness for college. You can say that such a system invites dishonesty, in which students participate in activities simply for the sake of their college applications rather than to be involved. But doing the right thing for the wrong reason is still a right thing nonetheless. Even if the students have different motives in mind when they reach out to extracurricular activities, they would still benefit from the experience and become more confident in whichever path they choose to follow. For the ones interested in growing into computer scientists, joining a computer club would allow them to see up close what the profession is about, to practice coding and gain insights on its potential challenges, to identify their own performances, and to be absolutely sure that they want to commit to the subject for college, and for life. If you’re still not convinced, know that any reform goes beyond just education. While I would love for our government to pass laws that specifically address ethnic and income inequalities, our people must realign our views of one another based on actions, not wealth or 66 Mercer Street power. All of these can eventually be achieved through education, through you, as the young students today will take over the country tomorrow. An evaluation system that gives students a chance to express themselves teaches them to celebrate diversity and invites constructive debates and disagreements. Through championing each individual, we can reinforce our country’s sense of community, as each person will know that society protects and appreciates his or her personal endeavors. A nation of loving and energized people who feel respected in their own land—that, Minister, can be your legacy. I know two boys my age, one who lives in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, but has to wake up every day at 5am to help set up his family’s noodle store, and another from a wealthy but slightly unstable family, as his father spends six months abroad for business every year. Their profiles say they have every chance to succeed, but no standardized system can convey the hardships they go through or the beauty of their characters. Likewise, there is nothing standard about our students, because life is rarely simple enough to be contained in Math, Science, and Reading. Instead, the foundations of our strong future are to be found in the diversity of our backgrounds, passions, and beliefs. Soon, Vietnam will either have accomplished and united citizens in all fields and professions, or standardized ones, crumbling under the complicated pressures of life. The decision is entirely up to you. But whether you care about the lives of each young individual of Vietnam, or you are concerned about our country, its economy, culture, and security, please, persevere. No matter the reason, please, do the right thing. Because we, as a nation, need you to. Sincerely, Duc M. Pham For the Vietnamese Youth 67 WORkS CITED Bush, George W. “Press Conference with President George W. Bush and Education Secretary Rod Paige to Introduce the President’s Education Program.” Washington, D. C., The White House, 23 Jan. 2001, www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/01/20010123-2.html Camera, Lauren. “Achievement Gap Between White and Black Students Still Gaping.” U.S. News, 13 Jan. 2016, www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2016/01/13/achievement-gap-between-white-and-black-students-still-gaping. Clark, Helen. “The Alleged Chinese Hacking at Vietnam’s Airports Shows That the South China Sea Battle Isn’t Just in the Water.” Huffington Post, 6 Aug. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/helen_clark/china-hack-vietnamsouth-china-sea_b_11357330.html. Government of Vietnam. “Số liệu ngân sách Nhà nước năm 2017” [State Budget Data for 2017]. Government Electronic Information Cống Thộng Tin Điện Tư Chính Phư, 15 Dec. 2016, chinhphu.vn/files/dlt/2016/12/NSNN.pdf. Hà Nhi. “GS Nguyễn Lân Dũng: Rất nhiều người Việt ham tiền, vô cảm, hèn nhát” [Prof. Nguyen Lan Dung: Many Vietnamese people enjoy money, are insensitive, cowardly]. Giao duc Giáo dục, 13 May 2013, giaoduc.net.vn/Muc-cu/Vi-khat-vongViet/GS-Nguyen-Lan-Dung-Rat-nhieu-nguoi-Viet-ham-tienvo-cam-hen-nhat-post117868.gd. Hồng Hạnh. “Việt Nam thuộc nhóm nước có tỉ lệ chi cho giáo dục cao nhất thế giới” [Vietnam is among the countries with the highest education spending in the world]. Dan Tri News Báo Dân trí, 30 Apr. 2010, dantri.com.vn/giao-duc-khuyenhoc/viet-nam-thuoc-nhom-nuoc-co-ty-le-chi-cho-giao-duccao-nhat-the-gioi-1272678374.htm. International Business Publications. Vietnam Export-Import, Trade and Business Directory—Strategic, Practical Information and Contacts. IBP, Inc., 22 Jan. 2016. National Center for Education Statistics. “Trends in Student Performance: Trends in U.S. Performance—Average Scores.” 68 Mercer Street Program for International Student Assessment, 2015, nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2015/pisa2015highlights_6.asp #table. Quyên Quyên. “Tranh cãi về cộng điểm ưu tiên vào ĐH” [Debate about extra points for college entrance]. Zing, 11 Aug. 2015, news.zing.vn/tranh-cai-ve-cong-diem-uu-tien-vao-dai-hocpost567870.html. Strauss, Valerie. “No Child Left Behind: What standardized test scores reveal about its legacy.” Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/answersheet/wp/2015/03/10/no-child-left-behind-what-standardizedtest-scores-reveal-about-its-legacy/. Toppo, Greg. “GAO study: Segregation worsening in U.S. schools.” USA Today, 17 May 2016, www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/05/17/gao-study-segregation-worsening-us-schools/84508438/. U.S. Government Publishing Office. “Public Law 107-110.” GPO.gov, 2002, www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW107publ110/html/PLAW-107publ110.htm. What you need. Fails to address expectatio ns of assignmen t Struggl es to articulat e/ develop Partly successful ; ambitious but inconsiste nt BEGINNING Clearly addresses a recipient & hints at the recipient’s experience / values X Identifies an issue faced by some institution, organization or group and initiates an argument about the issue X MIDDLE Describes specific examples/ evidence and includes context to help the reader understand the issue Develops an argument worthy of a real essay END X X Successful, Comments: compelling & ambitious Delivers a critical view and helps the reader consider the issue more deeply X OVERALL Clear sentences, coherent paragraphs & careful proofreading X The whole inquiry is shaped by a real question or problem X 1 Dear Drug-Free America Foundation, First of all, I would like to commend your company for the exemplary work you are doing. You have the power to influence the majority of Americans. Not only have you shaped the youth but also instilled discipline to everyone through the task you give to us to engage our minds. You have also taught me that it is never too late to change a mindset and it is possible to reform. As you know, Drug-Free America Foundation is a drug prevention organization which has been committed to ensuring that use of drugs is curbed. The organization is also non governmental and has various subdivisions. The first one is the Institute of drug policy which is formed by a group of physicians, scientists, and attorneys. There is also the International Scientific and Medical Forum on Drug Abuse which is built up of researchers who major in collecting statistics of drug-related cases around the country. The international task force on strategic drug policy is a branch of your organization which is based on a group of leading professionals who mainly press for a reduction in the number of demand for weed (Decorte, Tom, et al, 2017). The mission is to actually raise awareness and curb the intake of weed. Furthermore, it aims to educate people on the bad effects of weed and encourage people to live healthy lives. The company focuses on putting laws that will help reduce the intake of illegal drugs and reduce drug addiction, in various ways has helped reduce drug addiction. One of the noticeable ways this has been shown is through their drug education summits. The company hosts various summits which they teach various topics. Some of the topics include the impact of marijuana use, prescription drug abuse. The company also has plans to expand their topics (Walker, Denise, 2017). 2 Cannabis is known as weed is a drug that comes from the Indian hemp. It is often smoked but can also be eaten. A lot of people are supporting the issue of marijuana legalization. Drug policy Alliance says that marijuana should be regulated like alcohol and removed from the criminal justice system (“Marijuana Legalization and Regulation.”). Cannabis has been legalized in many states in the United States. A lot of people believe that marijuana has medicinal advantages. A lot of states have prohibited marijuana use for recreational purposes. Other countries have been able to adopt the policy of decriminalization to make its possession a non-criminal offense. Uruguay, Canada and recently South Africa are the only countries in the world who have legalized the use of cannabis for recreational purposes (“Canada Becomes Second Country to Legalise Recreational Cannabis.”). In addition to these countries, there are some organizations against this. There are different contrasting points on the matter about cannabis. Those wishing it to be legalized on the base that weed can be used as a medicine. Cannabis can be used to treat muscle spasm. Also, it can be used to treat diaphragm spasm, and since it’s cheap, most people choose to use it to treat their conditions. Cannabis does not reduce lung capacity, and to some extent, it can also improve it. The drug can be used to treat epileptic seizures. Aside from medical use, those who want it legalized have argued that controlled intake of the drug makes one relax more (Decorte, Tom, et al, 2017). Peter Grinspoon published on Harvard medical blog, saying that weed is “effective for the chronic pain that plagues millions of Americans, especially as they age”. Comparing weed to “opiates”, Grinspoon shows that using weed is a safer way to deal with pain. Some people with serious pain are thanking the fact that they have access to cannabis (Grinspoon). People should, at least try, to accept that cannabis is 3 sometimes positively affecting human bodies, not just the stereotypes to make teenagers get high. The organization should not prohibit the use of marijuana, instead, they should advocate more government regulations on drug use. In order not to be deformed, people should be informed. Just like the drinking culture on business occasions in Chinese society, where I come from. When business men are having dinner, the behavior that they use to show their sincerity to do business with each other is directly related with how much they are willing to drink alcohol. When one’s position is higher than the other, the subordinate would drink more in order to show that he or she is very respectful to the superior. When the superior don’t think you have drank enough, you are under the peer pressure and expectation to drink more. Even if people know that drinking beyond one’s capability is very bad for human body, which is the similar concept to drug use, this kind of behavior is widely and socially accepted by everyone. While people in China don’t judge alcohol use, they do judge cannabis use, a lot. Taiwanese actor Kai Ko was held in a police swoop in Beijing and disguised by the Chinese public for smoking marijuana (Central News Agency). People in China have bad impressions towards marijuana use due to lack of popularization. I think that’s because people have never seen such thing in their surroundings, and people have that nature fear toward unknowns. So people have high resistance to marijuana, but people see alcohol as they are growing up. Alcohols are presented all the time, even before kids. When it becomes common, people gradually accept the existence of it. People are socially accepting the phenomenon even if they know that they are unhealthy and unrighteous. Maybe with the legalization of weed and right 4 government regulations, people would gradually learn the fact that cannabis is not something horrifying, They need to be informed and know the pros and cons of marijuana. People are acquiescing the socially accepted facts that are bad like the drinking culture, but they are overly misunderstanding marijuana use, by considering it as a very forbidden area. Works Cited Campbell, William, Jean Twenge, and Nathan Carter. "Support for marijuana (cannabis) legalization: untangling age, period, and cohort effects." Collabra: Psychology 3.1 (2017). Carliner, Hannah, et al. "Cannabis use, attitudes, and legal status in the US: A review." Preventive medicine (2017). Decorte, Tom, et al. "Regulating Cannabis Social Clubs: A comparative analysis of legal and selfregulatory practices in Spain, Belgium, and Uruguay." International Journal of Drug Policy 43 (2017): 44-56. Walker, Denise D. "Legalization of cannabis: Considerations for intervening with adolescent consumers." Preventive medicine 104 (2017): 37-39. “Canada Becomes Second Country to Legalise Recreational Cannabis.” BBC News, BBC, 17 Oct. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45806255. 5 “Marijuana Legalization and Regulation.” Drug Policy Alliance, www.drugpolicy.org/issues/ marijuana-legalization-and-regulation. Grinspoon, Peter. “Medical Marijuana.” Harvard Health Blog, Harvard Health Publishing, 9 Jan. 2018, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085. Central News Agency. “'I Was Wrong': Actor Kai Ko Apologizes for Sm...” Taiwan News, Taiwan News, 24 July 2016, www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/2560048. 1 Dear Drug-Free America Foundation, First of all, I would like to commend your company for the exemplary work you are doing. You have the power to influence the majority of Americans. Not only have you shaped the youth but also instilled discipline to everyone through the task you give to us to engage our minds. You have also taught me that it is never too late to change a mindset and it is possible to reform. As you know, Drug-Free America Foundation is a drug prevention organization which has been committed to ensuring that use of drugs is curbed. The organization is also non governmental and has various subdivisions. The first one is the Institute of drug policy which is formed by a group of physicians, scientists, and attorneys. There is also the International Scientific and Medical Forum on Drug Abuse which is built up of researchers who major in collecting statistics of drug-related cases around the country. The international task force on strategic drug policy is a branch of your organization which is based on a group of leading professionals who mainly press for a reduction in the number of demand for weed (Decorte, Tom, et al, 2017). The mission is to actually raise awareness and curb the intake of weed. Furthermore, it aims to educate people on the bad effects of weed and encourage people to live healthy lives. The company focuses on putting laws that will help reduce the intake of illegal drugs and reduce drug addiction, in various ways has helped reduce drug addiction. One of the noticeable ways this has been shown is through their drug education summits. The company hosts various summits which they teach various topics. Some of the topics include the impact of marijuana use, prescription drug abuse. The company also has plans to expand their topics (Walker, Denise, 2017). 2 Cannabis is known as weed is a drug that comes from the Indian hemp. It is often smoked but can also be eaten. A lot of people are supporting the issue of marijuana legalization. Drug policy Alliance says that marijuana should be regulated like alcohol and removed from the criminal justice system (“Marijuana Legalization and Regulation.”). Cannabis has been legalized in many states in the United States. A lot of people believe that marijuana has medicinal advantages. A lot of states have prohibited marijuana use for recreational purposes. Other countries have been able to adopt the policy of decriminalization to make its possession a non-criminal offense. Uruguay, Canada and recently South Africa are the only countries in the world who have legalized the use of cannabis for recreational purposes (“Canada Becomes Second Country to Legalise Recreational Cannabis.”). In addition to these countries, there are some organizations against this. There are different contrasting points on the matter about cannabis. Those wishing it to be legalized on the base that weed can be used as a medicine. Cannabis can be used to treat muscle spasm. Also, it can be used to treat diaphragm spasm, and since it’s cheap, most people choose to use it to treat their conditions. Cannabis does not reduce lung capacity, and to some extent, it can also improve it. The drug can be used to treat epileptic seizures. Aside from medical use, those who want it legalized have argued that controlled intake of the drug makes one relax more (Decorte, Tom, et al, 2017). Peter Grinspoon published on Harvard medical blog, saying that weed is “effective for the chronic pain that plagues millions of Americans, especially as they age”. Comparing weed to “opiates”, Grinspoon shows that using weed is a safer way to deal with pain. Some people with serious pain are thanking the fact that they have access to cannabis (Grinspoon). People should, at least try, to accept that cannabis is 3 sometimes positively affecting human bodies, not just the stereotypes to make teenagers get high. The organization should not prohibit the use of marijuana, instead, they should advocate more government regulations on drug use. In order not to be deformed, people should be informed. Just like the drinking culture on business occasions in Chinese society, where I come from. When business men are having dinner, the behavior that they use to show their sincerity to do business with each other is directly related with how much they are willing to drink alcohol. When one’s position is higher than the other, the subordinate would drink more in order to show that he or she is very respectful to the superior. When the superior don’t think you have drank enough, you are under the peer pressure and expectation to drink more. Even if people know that drinking beyond one’s capability is very bad for human body, which is the similar concept to drug use, this kind of behavior is widely and socially accepted by everyone. While people in China don’t judge alcohol use, they do judge cannabis use, a lot. Taiwanese actor Kai Ko was held in a police swoop in Beijing and disguised by the Chinese public for smoking marijuana (Central News Agency). People in China have bad impressions towards marijuana use due to lack of popularization. I think that’s because people have never seen such thing in their surroundings, and people have that nature fear toward unknowns. So people have high resistance to marijuana, but people see alcohol as they are growing up. Alcohols are presented all the time, even before kids. When it becomes common, people gradually accept the existence of it. People are socially accepting the phenomenon even if they know that they are unhealthy and unrighteous. Maybe with the legalization of weed and right 4 government regulations, people would gradually learn the fact that cannabis is not something horrifying, They need to be informed and know the pros and cons of marijuana. People are acquiescing the socially accepted facts that are bad like the drinking culture, but they are overly misunderstanding marijuana use, by considering it as a very forbidden area. Works Cited Campbell, William, Jean Twenge, and Nathan Carter. "Support for marijuana (cannabis) legalization: untangling age, period, and cohort effects." Collabra: Psychology 3.1 (2017). Carliner, Hannah, et al. "Cannabis use, attitudes, and legal status in the US: A review." Preventive medicine (2017). Decorte, Tom, et al. "Regulating Cannabis Social Clubs: A comparative analysis of legal and selfregulatory practices in Spain, Belgium, and Uruguay." International Journal of Drug Policy 43 (2017): 44-56. Walker, Denise D. "Legalization of cannabis: Considerations for intervening with adolescent consumers." Preventive medicine 104 (2017): 37-39. “Canada Becomes Second Country to Legalise Recreational Cannabis.” BBC News, BBC, 17 Oct. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45806255. 5 “Marijuana Legalization and Regulation.” Drug Policy Alliance, www.drugpolicy.org/issues/ marijuana-legalization-and-regulation. Grinspoon, Peter. “Medical Marijuana.” Harvard Health Blog, Harvard Health Publishing, 9 Jan. 2018, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085. Central News Agency. “'I Was Wrong': Actor Kai Ko Apologizes for Sm...” Taiwan News, Taiwan News, 24 July 2016, www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/2560048. 
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