Legalization of Marijuana
Mark Ramsbottom
Professor Holliday
ENGL 1550
30 October 2010
Up In a Puff Of Smoke: Legalism and Marijuana
People have been smoking marijuana for thousands of years while also using hemp for everything from fabric to make clothes and other items. Unfortunately, Harry J. Anslinger with a bit of power and enough determination decided pot was evil and addictive. The struggle continues to this day to overcome the lies about marijuana (“Marijuana (Weed) History and Facts”). There are many benefits to legalizing marijuana and the government should take advantage of it.
Marijuana is even more popular now then it was in the sixties or seventies. Someone knows someone who smokes it. It is almost as easy to get as a pack of cigarettes now, maybe even easier. People always give it a bad reputation because it is an illegal drug and kills countless amounts of people.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2007, 14.4 million Americans aged 12 or older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed, which is similar to the 2006 rate. About 6,000 people a day in 2007-used marijuana for the first time—2.1 million Americans. Of these, 62.2 percent were under age 18. (“Marijuana - InfoFacts – NIDA”)
These statistics are truly astounding. The fact that kids under the age of twelve are already exposed to something like that shows that it is becoming widely spread and known. This just shows that it is reaching so many people in the United States and thinks the government should take advantage of that.
The biggest pro for marijuana becoming legal would be for medicinal purposes. There are people out there now who use medicinal marijuana but technically they are breaking the law but it helps with their illness. Some of the biggest users of it are people who are on cancer chemotherapy, AIDS-related wasting, pain and muscle spasms, and Glaucoma ("Pro 's of Marijuana Legalization).
It must be noted that there are two major differences
Professor Holliday
ENGL 1550
30 October 2010
Up In a Puff Of Smoke: Legalism and Marijuana
People have been smoking marijuana for thousands of years while also using hemp for everything from fabric to make clothes and other items. Unfortunately, Harry J. Anslinger with a bit of power and enough determination decided pot was evil and addictive. The struggle continues to this day to overcome the lies about marijuana (“Marijuana (Weed) History and Facts”). There are many benefits to legalizing marijuana and the government should take advantage of it.
Marijuana is even more popular now then it was in the sixties or seventies. Someone knows someone who smokes it. It is almost as easy to get as a pack of cigarettes now, maybe even easier. People always give it a bad reputation because it is an illegal drug and kills countless amounts of people.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2007, 14.4 million Americans aged 12 or older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed, which is similar to the 2006 rate. About 6,000 people a day in 2007-used marijuana for the first time—2.1 million Americans. Of these, 62.2 percent were under age 18. (“Marijuana - InfoFacts – NIDA”)
These statistics are truly astounding. The fact that kids under the age of twelve are already exposed to something like that shows that it is becoming widely spread and known. This just shows that it is reaching so many people in the United States and thinks the government should take advantage of that.
The biggest pro for marijuana becoming legal would be for medicinal purposes. There are people out there now who use medicinal marijuana but technically they are breaking the law but it helps with their illness. Some of the biggest users of it are people who are on cancer chemotherapy, AIDS-related wasting, pain and muscle spasms, and Glaucoma ("Pro 's of Marijuana Legalization).
It must be noted that there are two major differences
Cited: entries and/or in-text citations. Smooth and effective embedding of in-text citations; signal phrases, punctuation etc. are present and utilized appropriately. | | Thesis Development | Writing demonstrates little or no understanding of the topic, thesis lacking or inappropriate in relation to the prompt | Writing demonstrates an adequate understanding of the topic but is general or superficial; the ideas do not go beyond the basics; thesis is weak or unclear | Writing demonstrates a strong, above average understanding of the topic; the ideas go beyond the surface of the issue; clear thesis | Writing demonstrates unusual insight and understanding of the issue; ideas are interesting; strong original thesis | | Organization of Ideas | No attempt at organization; essay lacks a clear beg/middle/ end; | An attempt at organizing beg/middle/end has been made but all areas of the paper are not clearly organized | Ideas are organized; clear beg/middle/end; some transitions may be weak but overall the paper is logical | Ideas are strongly organized; clear beg/middle/end; logical transitions between all paragraphs | | Lexicon / Word Choice / Author’s “voice” | Simple/vague vocabulary; non-academic lexicon. Numerous (5 or more) trite words or cliché phrases are present. Prose lacks a "voice," excessive use of 1st and 2nd person & "to be" verbs | Appropriate but not specific or vivid vocabulary; little attempt has been made to utilize college level, several (3-4) trite words or cliché phrases are present. Prose has a weak "voice," weak attempt to limit use of 1st and 2nd person & "to be" verbs | Vivid/interesting vocabulary; above average lexicon, few (2 or less) trite words or cliché phrases are present. Prose demonstrates that an attempt to establish "voice" has been made, limited use of 1st and 2nd person narrative voice | Fresh/vigorous vocabulary; exemplary lexicon, only one (if any) trite words or cliché phrases are present. Prose contributes to a unique "voice," 1st and 2nd person narrative voice was not utilized; author’s unique personality is present | | Grammar/ Spelling / Sentence Structure | Numerous (5 or more) grammatical errors are present; appears not to have been proofread. Numerous (5 or more) places exist where sentence structure is incorrect | Several (3-4) grammatical errors are present; lack of proofreading is evident.Sentence structure is sometimes incorrect and/or lacks variety in several (3-4) places | Few (2 or less) grammatical errors; generally well proofreadSentence structure is correct but lacks variety, there are a few (2 or less) places where sentence structure is weak and/or incorrect. | Zero grammatical errors; exceptionally well proofread. Correct and varied sentence structure, zero places where sentence structure is weak and/or incorrect. | | Response to Instructor Feedback During Revision | Revision was clearly needed and indicated as such in instructor feedback on the rough draft yet no revision was made on the work. The author has ignored feedback that was given and essentially turned in the same work twice. | The author has fixed basic errors (formatting, spelling, grammar) that were pointed out on the rough draft. Little or no effort has been made to revise the work beyond the basics. Instructor feedback was adequately considered during revision. | The author has fixed basic errors (formatting, spelling, grammar) that were pointed out on the rough draft and made an above average effort to consider instructor feedback during the revision process. Any new information added to the final draft is appropriate in response to feedback. | The author has fixed basic errors (formatting, spelling, grammar) that were pointed out on the rough draft and made an exemplary effort to consider instructor feedback during the revision process. New information added to the final draft is appropriate in response to feedback but also goes beyond the basics in terms of explanation. | | | Total points earned out of 15 possible points | |