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Marijuana

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Marijuana
Jovanny Quesada
6/13/2011
Spc 1024

General Purpose: To persuade my audience to support that marijuana should be legalized.
Specific Purpose: At the end of my presentation, my audience will be encouraged to support that marijuana should be legalized.
Central Idea: Marijuana in its natural form should become legalized. Its illegalization began with false claims from the government, made taxpayers foolishly waste billions on the war on drugs, and prevented a drug that would have been otherwise praised for its medical value become despised.
Introduction
I. Marijuana, the devil’s weed, kills brain cells, makes you lazy, and makes every individual who decides to smoke it into an unproductive member of society. Well isn’t that about the exact opposite of the truth? II. Ignoring the members of society with fatal illnesses should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. Diseases like Alzheimer’s show up later in life and all of you could have that chance to contract it; every person in this room should have the opportunity to choose their own, safer medicine. III. Renewed interest in this topic has brought extensive research and shined light on all the potential benefits of marijuana. I have reviewed the research from institutes such as the Center for Medical Cannabis Research and others. IV. Marijuana has been a controversial topic long before even 1937 when the Marijuana Tax Act was implemented. Marijuana in its natural form should become legalized. Its illegalization began with false claims from the government, made taxpayers foolishly waste billions on the war on drugs, and prevented a drug that would have been otherwise praised for its medical value become despised.

Sign-Post: I will now discuss how the government used false claims and scare tactics in order to illegalize cannabis.

Body

I. The government’s false claims. A. Anslinger, the director of the Bureau of Narcotics, led the campaign of terror. i. “There are



Cited: Bello, Joan. The benefits of marijuana: physical, psychological, and spiritual. Rev. ed. Boca Raton, Fla.: Lifeservices Press, 2000. Print. Gray, James P.. Why our drug laws have failed and what we can do about it: a judicial indictment of the War on Drugs. Philadelphia, [Pa.: Temple University Press, 2001. Print. Guither, Pete. "Why is Marijuana Illegal?." Drug WarRant. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/>. "Marijuana Myth “ Marijuana Kills Brain Cells." Loopy Lettuce. N.p., 19 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://loopylettuce.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/marijuana-myth-marijuana-kills-brain-cells/>. "Dependence Liability: Dependency Compared to Other Drugs." Marijuana Research: Science, Law, Medical Marijuana, Rescheduling Petition. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.drugscience.org/dl/dl_comparison.html>. "Safety for use: Cannabis as a Gateway Drug ." Marijuana Research: Science, Law, Medical Marijuana, Rescheduling Petition. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.drugscience.org/sfu/sfu_gateway.html>. Mathre, Mary Lynn. Cannabis in medical practice: a legal, historical, and pharmacological overview of the therapeutic use of marijuana. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 1997. Print.

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