MPP #1

Part 1:

The issue of medical marijuana is complex. The debate that is going on surrounding it currently is mostly fueled by the federal government, as more as more states are passing laws allowing it, and more and more doctors are prescribing it for a variety of ailments. There’s little an average person can say to further this debate or enter into it, mostly because the question of whether it’s good medicine or not should be left up to doctors and people who know about the human body better than I. However, the issue of marijuana legalization for personal use has been thrust into the forefront recently, with the state of California having a bill being purposed that will do just that. This issue I believe I can speak from with a little bit more authority.

This issue has clouded a lot of people’s judgment. On one hand you have marijuana fanatics, who are creating websites and groups and clubs in an attempt to make the substance legal, and distorting the facts in their favor. These people usually also smoke too much of the substance themselves. The other side is anti-drug fanatics who will use any tactic including fear and manipulation to stop people from doing any kind of drug at all. I believe that I can show good sense through my position in the middle of this issue. I’m familiar with the effects of marijuana, understand how it affects the body and mind, but also know of the dangers of using any substance too much. It’s clearly not a miracle drug, but getting high some isn’t going to turn a person into a worthless couch potato. I can also show good character through this as well. I might be for legalization, but I haven’t let my emotions cloud my judgment. I can see where both sides are coming from, and I’m not going to bash on my opposition or belittle them just to demonstrate my point.

I can show good will through appeals to the safety of people and to the health of the economy. Nonviolent pot offenders are thrown in prisons where they coexist with people who have multiple assaults on their record, and can easily get in way over their head. Legalization or at least decriminalization would put a stop to this and protect mostly peaceful, docile people from a very scary place. In addition, taxation of marijuana could bring in millions of dollars to the government. We pretty much need all we can get right now in the budget department, so these both would be good ways to show that I’m looking out for the good of everyone.

Part 2:

Taking a look at the NORML website (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), there are multiple persuasive pieces on the legalization of marijuana, both for personal use and for medical use. I looked at one post in particular, called “Marijuana Legalization Talking Points.” It is an effective piece of persuasion, giving four concrete reasons why marijuana legalization should become a reality.

Each point has a large amount of information backing it up. They are very logos heavy, citing lots of hard facts. The point that “Decriminalizing marijuana frees up police resources to deal with more serious crimes” cites facts like “Taxpayers annually spend between $7.5 billion and $10 billion arresting and prosecuting individuals for marijuana violations. Almost 90 percent of these arrests are for marijuana possession only,” and “The state of California saved nearly $1 billion dollars from 1976 to 1985 by decriminalizing the personal possession of one ounce of marijuana, according to a study of the state justice department budget.” All of these facts have sources cited that you can easily click and check out for yourself.

There’s also some pathos mixed in. They back up the point that “Far more harm is caused by the criminal prohibition of marijuana than by the use of marijuana itself.” This is backed up by an appeal to pathos and logos: “Convicted marijuana offenders are denied federal financial student aid, welfare and food stamps, and may be removed from public housing. Other non-drug violations do not carry such penalties,” this is effective because it is raw facts mixed in with an appeal to emotion. Why should these people be denied things like food stamps? How is marijuana use related to those things at all?

Overall, this page is very effective in defending its positions on marijuana legalization. They cite surveys, research, and laws to prove their point that keeping marijuana illegal is unproductive for our country and its progress. I have seen multiple references to this page on various internet discussion boards such as reddit.com and dig.com, where people refer to it to back up points about marijuana legalization. People know that facts work, and this page is full of hard, concrete facts that don’t leave much room for interpretation.