Introduction
Fighting drug abuse especially marijuana in the United States is an uphill task due to the widespread use of the drug. The government stands to be a great loser in the war against the use of this illegal drug since it cannot collect the taxes it is supposed to collect from the trade in illegal drugs. As a result of this enormous loss of government revenue due to the trade, economists have started calculating the amount of government revenue lost through illegal marijuana trade (Dyden-Edwards 5). Marijuana should be legalized in the United States to avoid the negative implications that are associated with the illegal trade in the drug.
Preliminary studies conducted on this topic indicate that there is a big disparity between the price of marijuana in the streets and its production cost. For instance, the average price of half a gram of the drug goes at a price of nearly $9 while its cost of production is only $2. When the market is devoid of constraints and restrictions, such a huge profit from marijuana is not likely to thrive in the market (US Marijuana Laws 4).
After entrepreneurs realize the huge profits associated with trading in the drug, they will flood the market causing the price of the drug to fall in the market. However, this is not the case because the drug has not been legalized. The fear of serving jail terms keeps entrepreneurs and users of the drug at bay hence the supply remains relatively low in the market.
Economists have argued that if marijuana was legalized, then these huge profits will be transferred to the government. They also point out that since the use of marijuana is illegal, both the sellers and the buyers are always at a risk of landing themselves in trouble. Legalizing the drug will have the impact of increasing sales since the users are not afraid of any consequences. Even though the high consumption of the drug will lead to ill health among its users, the government is in a good position of regulating the consumption of marijuana if legalized by either increasing or decreasing taxes imposed on the drug.
Supportive Reasons for Legalizing Marijuana
I strongly feel that marijuana should be legalized due to the following reasons.
- The first reason why it should be legalized is that the effects caused by marijuana are not more harmful as compared to the ones caused by alcohol and tobacco which are legal and are regulated by the government.
- The second reason for legalizing marijuana is that it is one of the agricultural products that attract a lot of sales in the United States. The taxes earned from the legalized trade in marijuana could be used to revive the economy of the United States that has been in recession for many years.
- Finally, there is a legal concern that marijuana should be legalized since a big number of people are arrested for having the drug not necessarily trading in it. This raises concerns that the resources being used in the criminal justice system in bundling the suspects in prisons and other correctional facilities could be used in other productive sectors of the economy.
Different Points of View
Despite my point of view that marijuana should be legalized in the United States, there have been quite a several differing points of view regarding the matter. The first contrary point of view is that some Americans consider the use of marijuana as immoral and argue that morality should be upheld by all Americans. Another group with a different point of view argues that constant use of marijuana compels the user to start using a cocktail of other harder substances such as cocaine exposing themselves to health problems (Mehling and Triggle 34).
The other different point of view is that those involved in abusing marijuana have high chances of involving themselves in other crimes hence the best way to guarantee public peace is to isolate them and keep them in prison. Finally, some law bodies argue that by supporting the debate of legalizing marijuana they will be deemed as supporting drug abuse.
Importance of the Topic
- This topic is timely because drug abuse is a worldwide concern that is ravaging countries including the United States.
- Legalizing Marijuana is an important political debate in the U.S that has attracted differing points of view.
- The use of marijuana has a financial impact on government revenue hence it is an important topic to explore.
Thoughts on the Topic
I believe that the use of marijuana is an extremely important topic in the United States. Quite a several debates have ensued regarding the use of marijuana and its legality. In my view, marijuana should be legalized in the United States because of the advantages of legalizing the drug surpass the disadvantages. Through this research-based argument, I intend to shed some light on the importance of legalizing marijuana because some people are opposed to the idea without adequate knowledge of why they are opposed to it. There is a need to give them concrete reasons and allay some of their fears concerning legalizing marijuana.
Rhetorical Strategies to be Used
During my research, I will use the evidence-based strategies of pathos, ethos, and logos. I will use ethos in my research to handle my point of view and convince the audience that my proposition is right. Pathos is related to the emotions of the audience. For the audience to buy my point of view, I will try to appeal to their emotions and aspirations for them to eventually see sense in my stand.
Approach Use Strategies
The first strategy that I will use when employing an argument from the consequence approach is to show how continued trade in illegal marijuana will negatively affect different aspects of the United States including the economy. This strategy will cause those concerned to pay attention to the consequences of not legalizing marijuana (Metcalfe 1). My strategy in argument from the analogy approach will be to show the opposers how legalized trade in alcohol and cigarettes earns the country revenues and averts scuffles caused by the trade in illegal drugs.
This analogy will compel them to shift their focus towards legalizing marijuana. In the argument from the principle approach, I will base my claims on certain principles such as the fact that marijuana is one of the most profitable agricultural products in most parts of the United States (Lunsford 511).
Addressing Opposing Views
One of the opposing views presented is that most of the people who use marijuana are likely to be involved in other crimes. One of the strategies I will apply to rebut this position is by informing them that their position is outdated and invalid because new statistics have provided different information. I will rebut the argument that the use of marijuana always poses health risks by informing them that this assertion is only applicable in a few cases (Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 156).
Research Questions to be Answered
- What is the implication of legalizing marijuana on government revenue?
- Why does the trade-in marijuana continue being undertaken secretly even though the drug is illegal?
- How can educating various groups opposed to the legalizing of marijuana on the benefits of the move change their attitudes?
- To what extend should the government be involved in regulating the use of marijuana if it is legalized?
Comments to Instructor
I must comment that the guidelines you have provided on how to perform this assignment are quite elaborate and clear to follow. This will make the process of writing the proposal manageable. The question that I would like you to answer is whether it is possible to have more than one audience for the topic?
Audience Analysis
The group that is highly targeted by this topic is religious bodies because they strongly believe that legalizing marijuana is immoral and harmful. Their attitude towards the use of marijuana is that it is morally wrong to use marijuana since it leads to many other evils alongside causing health deterioration. In the backgrounds of these religious inclinations, they believe that users of marijuana are criminals and their rightful position is the jail hence they strongly oppose it’s being legalized.
These groups are uninformed of any positive financial implications that might arise from legalizing marijuana. They also do not have information that the illegal use of marijuana may be costly than its legal use. Their stance is that marijuana should remain illegal and according to them, the problem can only be solved by arresting and putting the culprits behind bars.
Works Cited
Dyden-Edwards, Roxanne. Drug Abuse and Addiction. 2011. Web.
Lusford, Andrea. The Everyday Writer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. Print.
Mehling, Randi and David Triggle. The Health Effects of Marijuana. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2003. Print.
Metcalfe, Mike. Revisiting Argumentative Research Methodology. Web. n.d.
Ramage, John, John Bean and June Johnson. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing. New York: Pearson, 2010. Print.
US Marijuana Laws.Facts About Marijuana Laws. Web. 2011.