Differences and Similarities in the Arguments for Legalizing Marijuana

In New York City, one of our largest cities in the United States, if you are caught with marijuana it is punishable by law. An arrest for possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana in a public place is classified as criminal possession of marijuana in the 5th degree a Class B misdemeanor punishable by 3

In the society we live in, everybody wants to be right. People will have their own unique stance on any controversial subject, and marijuana is no different. Marijuana is a very important topic of discussion especially in the current election season. The drug is discussed on television, social media, and virtually everywhere on the internet. In the article “This Is Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Everywhere” associate viral content editor for The Huffington Post, Renee Jacques, challenges traditional notions of the prohibition of marijuana by brilliantly using rhetorical appeals to persuade you to join the majority. Contrary to Jacques, John Hawkins, writer for www.townhall.com, takes a different stance in his article “5 Reasons Marijuana Should Remain Illegal” holding tight to the traditional, negative view of the drug by using a mixture of logos and pathos to make you question why any human with a brain would smoke cannabis. Although both writers use rhetorical strategies to persuade you to their respective side of the argument, the differing degrees the authors use those strategies renders Jacques’ article much more persuasive to a general audience.

Over the last 30 years public opinion has changed about the legalization of marijuana, mostly likely because a sizable percentage of Americans about 38% admit to having tried the drug, according to a Gallup study (Swift, 2013), approval has risen from 28% of

Marijuana is a drug that is an ongoing issue in the United States for many years debating about whether it should be legal, so in 2010 the state of California proposed the “Tax, Regulate, and Control Cannabis Act” for voters to vote on which would make marijuana illegal. Charles Stimson, a former assistant U.S. Attorney specializing in crime, had strong opinions about what he thought about the issue and was paid to write an article by the Heritage Foundation where he could voice his opinion about legalized marijuana. In his article “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No,” Charles Stimson tries to persuade his audience, voters of California, that they should vote against legalized marijuana. He tries to persuade his audience

the marijuana accordingly to help stimulate the economy. “If you made it licit, and taxed it, the

2. Once they discover that the government has been lying about marijuana, they are less inclined to believe official warnings about other drugs. 3. Once they buy marijuana on the black market, they are more likely to have the opportunity to buy other drugs” (Sullum). There is an obvious connection between pot smoking and other drug use because people who like the “high” that they get from pot, will enjoy a different “high” from another drug. However there is no connection between using marijuana and the desire to use other drugs. It is a matter of personality, environment, and personal influence. Even a National Academy of Sciences panel stated “There is no evidence that marijuana serves as a stepping stone on the bases of its particular drug effect” in a recent report (Sullum). Many other pro-prohibitionists have stated that marijuana is responsible for a long list of health problems. Although marijuana is connected to immediate lung problems like occasional coughing and phlegm production, and an increased risk for acute chest infections, there has never been a single tie to cancer. The results of studies linking marijuana smoking to lung cancer have also been hindered by small test sizes and subject bias, and the true results are saturated with unconfirmed studies and secret procedures with public results (Buddy). Marijuana is gaining headway with the most recent Gallup poll reported that 48 percent of the population supports decriminalization of marijuana, while

The cost to keep Marijuana illegal is too expensive and unnecessary for something that does not pose a threat to society. The amount of money that is spent arresting responsible Marijuana users can be used towards something more high priority and important that will benefit the United States. Many Marijuana users are taking up valuable space in jail for possession when they in fact do not pose a threat to society. FBI records show that 829,627 marijuana users were arrested in 2006 which is a 43,000 person increase, for possession alone (Should Governments Legalize and Tax Marijuana). Jeffrey Miron is the director of undergraduate studies at Harvard University and estimates that legalizing marijuana would save $13.7 billion per year in government spending on enforcement of prohibition. Miron states that “First, legalization eliminates arrests for trafficking and possession. Second, legalization saves judicial and incarceration expenses. Third, legalization allows taxation of drug

In the essay “Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized,” there are four supporting arguments stated of opponents on legalizing marijuana. For instance, opponents argue “scientific reports show harmful effects of habitual marijuana use” (2). In addition, prominent politicians in Massachusetts contend “legalization provides a veneer of acceptance that will encourage children and teens to try it” (3). Furthermore, “legalization will give the cannabis industry the same incentive the alcohol industry has to encourage excessive use and lobby against tax and regulation” is argued by opponents (6). Lastly, the essay counters “legalization has already had negative consequences on

There is also strong support on the other side, opposing the decriminalization of marijuana. Their argument is that by legalizing, or even decriminalizing small amounts or marijuana will lead to an increase of the use of other drugs. They also contradict the view of those who support the decriminalization of marijuana by stating the marijuana is indeed a gateway drug that will

For the sake of building off the previous entry, I would like to incorporate a couple of marijuana related legal statistics from Steven Nelson’s article Police Made One Marijuana Arrest Every 42 Seconds in 2012. The Federal Bureau of Investigation released data on the crime figures for drug-related crimes in 2012 and it showed that a staggering 749,825 people were arrested for marijuana related offenses; that is one arrest every 42 seconds. It also accounted for 48.3 percent of all drug arrests. Even with the recent upsurge in public support for the liberation of the drug policy, police arrested the same number of people in 2012 on pot-related charges as they did in 2011. These numbers have led many people to begin forming advocacy groups geared to decriminalize the drug. Dan Riffle, the director of

Success at the ballot box in the past year in Colorado and Washington may have improved Americans’ acceptance for marijuana legalization. Support for legalization has leaped 10 percentage points since last November and

of young people that use marijuana is still on the rise from year to year. Yet still surprisingly,

American Civil Liberties Union estimated $211 million was spent by local governments between 2000 and 2010 to enforce marijuana laws. An economist and a senior lecturer at Harvard University found that $20 billion would be saved on law enforcement and generated from taxes should marijuana use become legal. That number is not significant in terms of an overall government budget, but arguably high costs for a drug with the comparably causes little harm (Sledge, 2013).

Legalization of marijuana is one of the most controversial topics in American society today. Surveys done by the US Government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive showed that 95 million Americans have used marijuana. There are two opposing sides that have strong stances on whether it should become legal or should remain illegal. We have one side that is anti-marijuana and the other is pro-marijuana. Each side provides valid and strong arguments supporting their views. The purpose of this paper is to carefully examine each opposing side and try to find some way to come to a compromise.

The legalization of marijuana is a very controversial issue that is being debated across the United States. In the article "Going to Pot?," by Damon Linker, Linker attempts to persuade readers that legalizing of marijuana can cause more harm than help. This publication was released in November of 2001. Although two other writers, Richard Lowry and Andrew Sullivan, try to change readers beliefs Linker maintains his stance against marijuana. Without discrediting their facts he explains and defends why he feels they are wrong. The article is formal and although religion is not talked about, morals and society standards are questioned. Throughout the argument, Linker proves that effects of marijuana are detrimental to our society and