Herps in the news: Grammar Matters

Many may recall the decision made in 2015 to ban the transport of the reticulated python and the green anaconda under the Lacey Act, which was written  to regulate the transportation of injurious species. The Lacey Act came to be in the early 1900s and has recently been brought to light. Under this act, it is  illegal to transport injurious species, such as the reticulated python and green anaconda "between the continental United States, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any possession of the United States” as stated by the U.S Interior Department. While many were in favor of this ban, many groups greatly opposed it. Most prominently know for their opposition was the United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK), who recently challenged this ban based on the wording. Their claim was that under the Lacey Act, the transportation of the reticulated python and green anaconda was only banned between these areas listed, but not between individual states in the United States. Due to this grammatical error of not specifically indicating the ban of transportation between states, the U.S. Court of Appeal ultimately agreed with USARK and reprieved the ban.
In my opinion, the USARK is correct in their argument, but should consider the risks involved in reprieving this ban. While constrictors are popular in the pet trade, they must realize that some people do not perform proper research before buying these snakes and cannot keep them and ultimately let them go in the wild. This is a problem not only for the released snake itself, but the wildlife around the snake that will be greatly impacted. The food web would be greatly altered and the snakes may not do well in certain areas and may not survive. Personally I believed if USARK wanted to legalize the trade of these constrictors they should have looked to propose and amendment where those who desire these snakes can have proper licenses and hold accountability for the snakes and the actions they take as opposed to opening the market to anyone. 
Overall, the article is written in a very proper manner and is not biased towards one side. Although the information is from a reptile magazine where you can have a mix group of readers, the authors simply stated the facts and let the reader decide their own unbiased opinion. 
To read more about this topic, go to http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Grammar-Matters-As-3-Judge-Panel-Lifts-Ban-On-Transport-of-Reticulated-Python-and-Green-Anacondas-In-the-United-States/ 

Green Anaconda

Reticulated Python