Should the government legalize marijuana for the public good?

Pro Arguments 1.The government should legalize marijuana as it could benefit the economy. 2.The government should legalize marijuana as there are medical benefits to legalizing marijuana. 3.The government should legalize marijuana as there is more social acceptance to using marijuana. 4.The government should legalize marijuana as it will reduce problems for law enforcement and prison system.

Con Arguments 1.The government should not legalize marijuana since the use of marijuana is dangerous to your health. 2.The government should not legalize marijuana as it could increase crime. 3.The government should not legalize marijuana since it is immoral and illegal.

Resources Pro: Video, #1 #2, #3 #4 - Must use (5) facts/evidence from the resources that support your argument Con: Video, #1 #2, #3, #5 - Must use (5) facts/evidence from the resources that support your argument

The government should not legalize marijuana since it is immoral. 98% of people report using marijuana as an intoxicant and not for medical use (video) Future impact on kids unknown (video) Federal law bans it for any reason. Violating that promotes disrespect for the law (video) Marijuana is not legal anywhere in the world. (video)

Counterclaim with evidence Marijuana has medical benefits including pain relief for cancer patients and has a 30-40% decrease in pain relief compared to 20% for placebo drug (article #2)

Introduction components Eye catching opening statement (fact/quote/statistic) Statement of the debate; discusses both sides to the debate Thesis statement that clearly states the author’s view and argument to be discussed

Sample Introduction Studies show that 6,000 people a day use marijuana for the first time (video). To most Americans this fact will be shocking to hear but is it enough of a reason to legalize marijuana? To some people marijuana should be legalized due to the medical benefits while other disagree stating that it is immoral to use for any reason. The debate over marijuana has been going on for decades and the recent legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington only increased the debate (article #3). After reviewing the information on the debate, the government should not legalize marijuana since it is immoral.

Body Paragraph Components 1 st sentence clearly states the argument/mini- thesis to be discussed Evidence used strongly supports the argument with specific information from ALL the resources that connect to the argument Supportive sentences used to explain why the evidence is relevant Counterclaim with information to support it is stated. (“Although…”, “Those who oppose this view say…”) Author defends why their argument is stronger than opposing view

Facts/Supporting Statements #1. Studies show that 98% of people report using medical marijuana as an intoxicant and not for medical use (video) Statement: This proves that even though they say its for medical benefits, most people are using the drug to just get high. #2. Little real research done on the effects of marijuana the future impact on kids unknown (video) Statement: It would be immoral to legalize the drug if it could then end up having a negative impact on future generations

Sample Body Paragraph The strongest reason against legalizing marijuana is that is immoral. Studies show that 98% of people report using medical marijuana as an intoxicant and not for medical use (video). This proves that even though they say its for medical benefits, most people are using the drug to just get high. Because there has been little real research done on the effects of marijuana the future impact on kids unknown, It would be immoral to legalize the drug if it could then end up having a negative impact on future generations (video). The federal law bans marijuana it for any reason so violating that law promotes disrespect for the law (video). This is proven by the statistic that 48% of teens report using marijuana despite it being illegal(video). Finally, marijuana is not legal anywhere in the world (video). If marijuana was as safe and innocent as supporters say then other nations would have made it legal long before the United States. Although marijuana has medical benefits including pain relief for cancer patients and has a 30-40% decrease in pain relief compared to 20% for placebo drug, the FDA has approved two synthetic cannaboid drugs for extreme nausea that would provide legal treatment for the same reasons so there is no reason to use marijuana(article #2). There will always be people who try to defend why morals should not dictate laws but when you look at the evidence presented it is easy to see why the government should not legalize marijuana to protect the public which is the moral thing to do.

Conclusion Components Restate clearly the author’s position on the topic. At least on piece of information to defend the argument. Clear counterclaim/opposing view is stated.

Sample Conclusion For many the debate over the legalization of marijuana is not an easy one to choose a side. There are strong statistics and arguments that support both views. Although supporters of it being legal argue that there are medical benefits to the use of marijuana, there are other medical treatments for the same illnesses and to make it legal for anyone to use for that reason isn’t a strong enough reason. When 98% of medical marijuana users are using the drug just to get high and not to treat cancer, that is a problem for the nation. This strong of a statistic proves it is important to teach young people what is right and wrong and legalizing marijuana would send them the wrong message. The government should not legalize marijuana since it is immoral.