Argumentative Essay: Yes On Proposition 64

People have been arguing that “weed is a gateway drug” and that it turns people into “lazy hippies” since the early 1930s. In fact, prior to this time period hemp, and marijuana, was widely used as well as grown for numerous sectors of the economy along with recreational consumption. The Marijuana Tax Act was passed by Congress in 1937 (Marijuana Timeline); effectively criminalizing all uses of the plant. Since this time, cannabis has been a topic of discussion and of course, argument. Recently, the US has seen a few states legalize cannabis (Colorado, Washington, Alaska, etc) while others continue to charge citizens for possession, use, cultivation, as well as distribution. “It's time to legalize and regulate marijuana in California. Yes on Proposition 64.” is an article by The Times Editorial Board that was written September of 2016.
The article titled
Yes on Proposition 64.” presents the data that a shift in thinking has happened; regarding the “drug policy, as more people question the effect of the decades-long war on drugs on law enforcement expenditures, overcrowded prisons, marginalized communities and violent drug cartels. In the case of marijuana, there is growing support for the argument that the cost of enforcing prohibition is too great and delivers too few benefits.” Data, according to the textbook by Edward Inch and Barbara Warnick, are “facts or conditions that are objectively observable beliefs or premises accepted as true by the audience, or conclusions previously established.” These data points are supported with the warrant,