Columns

Athletes should not be prescribed opioids for pain management

Athletes are often willing to put their bodies and minds under tremendous stress, sacrificing everything for the opportunity to be the best. But at what point does sacrificing everything mean having nothing?...


Columns

Harm reduction is the best way to combat drug misuse

In the third season of the seminal HBO drama series “The Wire,” Baltimore police Major Howard “Bunny” Colvin allows drug dealers in his district to sell their drugs in certain safe zones...


Columns

Scientists should adapt a more flexible model of addiction

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2020, 40.3 million Americans aged 12 or older suffered from a substance use disorder within the past year. Forty-three million is...


Columns

Legalizing marijuana is not a fix-all solution

On April 1, 2022, the House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act with a vote of 220 to 204. The act would federally legalize marijuana by decriminalizing...


Columns

Religion should not be forced onto children

Growing up Catholic, my parents made me and my three other siblings attend church every Sunday, just as their parents did with them. While my older sisters went to a Catholic elementary...


Columns

Academy Awards need to diversify

The Academy Awards’ history of overlooking diverse representation is on a slow path to change. The 2022 awards season left fans pleasantly surprised by the increased recognition across all awards. Winners like...


Columns

Art can be separated from the artists

Ever since I was young, I have had an unhealthy obsession with “Harry Potter.” I loved the books, movies and games. I had hundreds of collectibles and spent a great deal of...


Columns

Madeline Albright's role in the Iraq War should be confronted

Former President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright passed away on March 23, 2022. Her death was met with a commemorative op-ed piece by Hillary Clinton in The New York Times....


Columns

The avocado industry thrives on exploitation of Mexico

On February 11, 2022, the U.S. government administered a temporary ban on the inspection of avocados imported from Michoacán, Mexico. Why? Mexico supplies 80 percent of the United States’ avocados, and with...


Columns

Overconsumption and conservation cannot coexist

There is an ever-present urge permeating this country to buy more goods. New computers are replaced by newer computers. Clothing is replaced with new clothing for arbitrary reasons, such as a new...