A Similar One

My argument paper is supporting the legalization of marijuana on the federal level. To that extent, it would probably be posted on NORML’s website. NORML is a group whose goal is to end marijuana prohibition. It is the largest and most well-known group in support of the position. They have been in the news recently for having the most voted-upon petition at the White House’s petition site, We The People. The petition was in support of marijuana legalization.

The article I chose is called “Real World Ramifications of Cannabis Legalization and Decriminalization.” The article is about what would happen if marijuana were decriminalized and the insufficiencies of marijuana prohibition. The author first makes the statement that marijuana prohibition is an absolute failure. He claims that regulation gives the government control over marijuana. With prohibition, they are removing any regulation from marijuana, making it more dangerous. These dangers include gang violence, and an easy gateway to harder drugs. After that, the author uses several examples of marijuana being legal in other countries. For example, in India, one UN statement claimed that the legalization of marijuana deterred crime. Lastly, the author makes the point that the legalization of marijuana will not increase its use.

The author is clearly in support of the legalization of marijuana. He takes this stance very carefully, suggesting more practical proposals than full-on legalization. This is a very clever way to support a radical position. The article is organized into sections by issue. This is very convenient and easy to read. On top of that, the main points are highlighted in bold. This makes the piece very good for both reading and skimming. I agree with the writer on some points and not on others. The evidence that he used to make his points is sometimes very shady and warrants investigation. Otherwise, the author does use a lot of ethos in his article, giving him a lot of authority on the subject. I like what the writer did in his piece. He uses some very interesting references, organized his article in a very convenient matter, and makes an intriguing point. One thing I would have liked to see the author do differently is remove a little of the bias. Sometimes he hides it well, but other times when he uses a quote from a discussion as ethos to prove that an entire movement was successful, it makes me question his legitimacy. This is a very minor factor in the article, and it is otherwise well written.

This piece has many techniques I can incorporate into my own writing. For one, it does a great job at organization. It separates the questions that it answers into sections. On top of that, it separates its references into sections as well, making the read very simple. The main points are highlighted, which made it even easier to read. Lastly, the author uses many studies, facts, and quotes, some of which I can incorporate into my paper. The article was very well written, and gave me many ideas for my paper.

http://norml.org/marijuana/personal/item/real-world-ramifications-of-cannabis-legalization-and-decriminalization-2?category_id=729