Pros of Legalized Marijuana in the United States
Draft a 6-8 page argumentative research essay on your chosen topic. A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
1. Argumentative Thesis Statement
❒ Have you included a thesis in your introduction that takes a clear, specific position on one side of a debatable issue?
2. Argument Development
❒ Are all of the details relevant to the purpose of your essay?
❒ Is the argument supported using rhetorical appeals and source material?
❒ Is your essay 6-8 pages (approximately 1500-2000 words, not including your references or reflection question responses)? If not, which details do you need to add or remove?
3. Research
❒ Have you cited outside sources effectively using quotation, summary, or paraphrase techniques?
❒ Are the sources incorporated smoothly, providing the reader with signal phrases and context for the source information?
❒ Have you referenced a range of at least 7 credible sources?
❒ Have you properly cited your sources according to APA style guidelines?
❒ Have you included an APA style reference page below your essay?
4. Reflection
❒ Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses?
❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?
B. Reflection
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.
Provide one example of a place where you have used rhetorical appeals or source material to support your argument. How does this enhance your essay? (2-3 sentences)
Touchstone 4 is a revision of this draft. What kind of feedback would be helpful for you as you revise? Are there parts of your draft that you’re uncertain of? (3-4 sentences)
Argumentative Essay on the Pros of Legalized Marijuana in the United States
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Introduction
Marijuana has been a drug that has continued splitting opinion, especially in the U.S. While much of the opponents are against the presumed side effects of its usage, there is also scientific evidence that backs u its benefits. This has meant that the debate continues to rage over and over again. There also seems to be some reaction from the American government, as some states have finally caved in to the pressure and legalized its usage for certain purposes. Whether one is a critic or supporter, however, it is evident that marijuana usage has its benefits and disadvantages. Weighing between these two sides is what creates the difference. Legalized marijuana, however, seems to have several benefits.
Pros for Legalization of Marijuana
There is a need to look at it from an administrative point of view. The country's prison and remand system is currently bursting on its seams due to a high number of remandees and prisoners. Most of these inmates are people accused of being in possession of marijuana, quite a petty crime to say the least. Legalizing it will see that the remand system doesn't admit more people and, therefore, help prevent the government from committing too much funds towards running these institutions. Because of the sale and usage of marijuana, over 70,000 people have been unfairly charged and incarcerated (Ryan, 2018). It is quite ironic for the government to pump so much funds towards the sustenance of prisons. Yet, it could use that money for other things, such as additional development of social amenities.
National governments and other states spend billions of U.S. dollars to prosecute legal cases regarding the medical use of marijuana. This government expenditure can be used for other more beneficial programs if the medical use of marijuana is legalized. Many lives have been shattered due to marijuana-related convictions in states where medical marijuana is outlawed. Marijuana probation rules have resulted in the conviction of thousands of people. The majority of these folks are first-time offenders who have been forced to leave their jobs and families behind (Wegman, 2014). Furthermore, according to Pew (2018), there is clear statistical proof to show that incarceration doesn't reduce drug use. There is, therefore, a clear case of misplaced priorities for the government when it tries combatting marijuana by putting everyone involved behind bars rather than trying to find a solution to the same.
The argument over the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes has raged for years. There is growing evidence that marijuana is being used for medical purposes (Wang, & Cataldo, 2016). Marijuana is now being used to treat a variety of ailments in modern medicine. The number of states that have legalized marijuana demonstrates the therapeutic herb's relevance. By 2016, for example, twenty-eight states had legalized marijuana for medical use (Ellison, 2017). As a result, all states should be able to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, as twenty states have already done so. All those states don't seem to be doing the wrong thing by legalizing it; they know it is right. Medical use of marijuana is a good cause and something that indeed deserves legalization.
It should be legalized since that would be the most humane thing to do from a medical or patient’s point of view. Medical marijuana use should be legalized because sick people should not be left to suffer when marijuana can provide a solution. Although uncontrolled recreational marijuana usage can cause withdrawal symptoms, the number of health issues that marijuana can be used to treat or manage outweighs the risk of withdrawal symptoms. Marijuana, according to (Ellison, 2017), can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease and other significant neurocognitive disorders. This information explains why the chemical is already legal in some places and encourages the remaining states to follow suit. Therefore, it will make quite a lot of sense if it is legalized to save lives.
The statistics to support the legalization of marijuana are there, and as it is always said, numbers don't lie. According to medical professionals in California, more than 250,000 people with recurrent migraines have been treated (Lusk & Rutherford, 2017). These specialists claim that cannabinoids, a key ingredient in marijuana, are more successful at treating migraine headaches than other conventional medications. Good health statistics are always what every government wants, be it at the state or federal levels. Nothing makes a state prouder than the good health of its population or citizens. It is honourable for states who have yet to legalize marijuana for medical purposes to reconsider. If something is working, it needs to be embraced by the larger society. If there is a need for a change that will be beneficial for the public, then there is a need to implement it and nothing more than such a noble one.
Also, legalization will open up more avenues through which there will be further open research on the drug, as opposed to now, where the research is very contro...