Outlining My Public Argument

Introduction:

• Think about your situation or kairos:
• As the legalization of marijuana has been at the forefront of debate in the past half decade, it is a very current issue. Legislation is changing rapidly for different states regarding recreational and medical marijuana, and I feel that this would be great way to introduce my issue. I want to draw on current events and discussions regarding it, and mentions of it in the news.

Body Section:

• Argument 1: Marijuana has positive health benefits
• Criticism: Smoking can cause lung cancer and the long-term health effects of marijuana are not well understood. 
• Topic Sentence: Marijuana's use as a therapeutic drug has been proven countless times for the treatment of glaucoma, the slowing of cancer, reduced seizures, and relief from pain caused by multiple sclerosis.
• Evidence: National Eye Institute: "Studies in the early 1970s showed that marijuana, when smoked, lowered intraocular pressure (IOP) in people with normal pressure and those with glaucoma."

• Argument 2: Marijuana's legalization could bring huge tax benefits to the U.S., helping the economy.
• Criticism: Marijuana would be too hard to regulate and tax efficiently.
• Topic Sentence: Legalizing marijuana in the U.S. could bring much needed tax income and help improve the overall economy.
• Evidence: Average annual trade in marijuana is estimated at $113 billion, which represents nearly $45 billion in taxes slipping through our fingers, according to Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron.

• Argument 3: Marijuana's legalization could decrease violent crime associated with it.
• Criticism: Legalizing marijuana will increase crime and thieves will target dispensaries.
• Topic Sentence: Legalizing marijuana will help bring an end to the violent crimes committed by those who sell and distribute the drug illegally, as consumers will have easier and more convenient methods of acquiring the drug.
• Evidence: But a new report contends that fourteen years later, even after Colorado legalized the sale of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use on Jan. 1 of this year, violent and property crime rates in the city are actually falling.

Conclusion: 

• I plan on using the Positive Consequences strategy to reiterate to my audience the positive consequences that legalizing marijuana could have on the U.S. This will further convince them to take my side of the debate. I will restate my main points and wrap up my argument with a take home line.

Pixabay. Draw, May, 2015, CC0 Public Domain