Rhetoric & Writing

Rosenbaum, Marsha. “Legalization of Marijuana: What About the Kids?” Huffingtonpost.com. The Huffington Post, 02 Dec. 2014. Web. 15 July 2015.

Marsha Rosenbaum, a former National Institute on Drug Abuse researcher and founder of the Drug Policy Alliance ‘Safety First’ drug education project sheds light on the hidden concern that such legalization reforms may affect teenagers. Rosenbaum specifically argues that legalization would “send the wrong message” ultimately causing an increase in teenage consumption of marijuana.

Stating that “the end of marijuana prohibition seems inevitable due to a majority of Americans favoring legalization” Rosenbaum enforces her knowledge that although none of the new reforms would allow the sale to minors, parents like her as she states, still hold worry for their children. As a federal funded researcher, Rosenbaum points out her daily work regularly checking survey data that revealed a majority of teens responded that they would not try marijuana even if it were legal. Although this statement may counter her very own argument, that legalization would cause increase use within teenagers, she states that “Even if legalization for adults does not affect teenage use, it does present an opportunity to re-think our approach to drug prevention and education”.

In other words, although Rosenbaum honestly states her tested research proved that the rates of teenage marijuana use are fairly low, she indicates that to keep it this way parents must take the opportunity provided to teach and educate teens on strategies for dealing with marijuana in this new era. As Rosenbaum suggest that a majority of teenagers have used marijuana, for this reason as a parent, drug education is important to emphasize to get them to understand that legalization applies to adults only and the consequences of use under twenty one years of age are taken seriously.

Rosenbaum remarks that as a mother herself, and speaking for many parents whom she believes that also carry the same worry, “are in quandary about how much to reveal to their kids about their past or present use to educate, fearing honest admissions might open the door to their teen’s experimentation.” However, “there is no easy, simple answers”, the approach to teens about the use of marijuana and other drugs is important as she concludes.

I have found this article very useful for my research due to my wonder and personal experience of not being a marijuana user. Pondering questions of teenage consumption, this article provided factual insight on the topic. The author held a very similar viewpoint that I hold, and allowed me to broaden her findings and theory into an understandable prospective. The effect of marijuana legalization on teenagers is not a topic often discussed, but I believe it is one that must not go unnoticed due to its potential to possibly create escalation in teenage use.

“Is marijuana a gateway drug?” Economist.com. The economist, 26 March 2015.

The author of this article argues with Chris Cristie’s, governor of New Jersey, view of marijuana as a gateway drug to other drugs. The author goes on to reason with Cristie’s gateway theory but states his position that marijuana is not a drug in that category.

The Economist writer begins the article talking about how marijuana is so common that it is no wonder if “any abuser of hard drugs is likely to have encountered it along the way.” He also states that “heroin addicts [have] previously tried chocolate” while also explaining that chocolate did not make them heroin abusers. According to the author, establishing a casual link between marijuana users and hard drug abusers is a tricky bit considering marijuana users “in America [have] steadily increased” while cocaine users have decreased in numbers since 2007.

The author continues to reason with the governor’s theory by saying that it was true that heroin use ” has been going up, but the gateway drug there seems to be prescription painkillers.” The only reason the author believes that there might be a link between marijuana and hard drug usage is because of the supplier. He continues by explaining that most marijuana suppliers often give samples of new drugs to their customers. He goes on saying how this practice of buying marijuana off the streets “gets youngsters in with the wrong crowd.”

The journalist agrees that “exposing more people to marijuana could prime more brains to enjoy other substances” and he also suggests that the factors would be the same with people who have been exposed to prescription medication, alcohol, and even tobacco. Alcohol and nicotine, according to the author, have the same “cross-sesitising” effect that marijuana does and therefore marijuana should not be blamed for people’s interest in furthering their drug use. The anonymous author of this article insists that Governor Chistie’s worries, about marijuana being a gateway drug, are misplaced.

I found this article useful because it does make a valid point that drug abusers, although exposed to marijuana once in their life, have also been exposed to other factors that could have contributed to their problem. The information found in this article shows that marijuana is what users make of it. Coming from a town sitting on the Mexican border, I can tell you that the information that the author states, about drug suppliers introducing their customers to harder substances, is valid. That being said, it is quite evident that marijuana may not necessarily be considered a gateway drug.

Ingraham, Christopher. “’How medical marijuana could literally save lives’.” Washingtonpost.com, The Washington Post. 14 Jul. 2015. Web. 15 Jul. 2015.

Christopher Ingraham is a blogger for the Washington Post and former employee of the Pew Research Center. In his article “How Medical Marijuana could literally save lives” published by washingtonpost.com in July 2015, Ingraham argues that by legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, the US could avoid many deaths due to prescription painkiller overdoses.

Ingraham first illustrates the benefits of medicinal marijuana in painkilling by describing a study in which there is a “30% or greater improvement in pain” when the use of medical marijuana is involved. This is important to keep in mind especially due to the large amount of prescription painkiller related deaths in the US. To further support this claim, Ingraham states that “drug overdoses kill more people than suicide, guns or car crashes.” Overall, Ingraham’s own research showed him that prescription painkillers “killed more than 16,000 people in 2013.”

Ingraham then explains that states that allow medicinal marijuana have “a significant decrease in both prescription painkiller abuse, and in overdose deaths from prescription painkillers.” According to the author, “the availability of medical marijuana through licensed dispensaries” is what truly contributes to the use of the drug as beneficial. Meaning that states that allow the drug medicinally see less deaths being caused from prescription painkillers. Ingraham then explains that some of the research found which paints marijuana in a bad light when compared with prescription drugs is not completely accurate due to the accuracy in which studying users of the drugs requires.

Ultimately, Ingraham is arguing for the serious consideration of marijuana being used for medicinal painkilling purposes instead of prescription drugs. Ingraham believes that because of the high death rate attributed to prescription painkiller abuse, “it’s worth taking a serious look at the use of medical marijuana for chronic pain patients.”

This summary and source is valuable for anyone looking to argue the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The article uses plenty of links and credible research as well as statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and researchers from universities such as Stanford. With this information, author Christopher Ingraham effectively conveys his viewpoint that medicinal marijuana should be legalized for the sake of avoiding death from prescription painkiller overdoses and addictions.

Longmire, Sylvia. “OPIUM NOW BIGGER CASH CROP THAN MARIJUANA IN MEXICO.” Breitbart.com. Breitbart. 30 Jun. 2015. Web. 15 Jul. 2015.

Sylvia Longmire is a border security expert and author of the book Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences, and Drones Aren’t Making Us Safer. Longmire writes in the article that Mexican states have seen an increase in the grow of poppy fields and a decrease in marijuana fields. Furthermore, she touches on how the drug trends in the United States change what Mexican growers do.

Longmire cites Mexican newspaper as her source that the number of poppy fields has now begun to outnumber the number of marijuana. The author remarks that the Mexican cartels usually change in respond to the shift in supply and demand in America. What Longmire is conveying is that drugs such as heroin are becoming more common something that is likely attributed to the legalization of marijuana in some states. Longmire is hinting that since the use of illegal marijuana is decreasing it has force cartels to pump more into heroin. Longmire goes on to state that the reason for increase can be attributed the heroin’s ability to be grown in home. What she means is that it is more profitable for the cartels to grow and refine heroin than it would another drug such a cocaine which can come from South American countries.

Longmire also mentions some stats that show that marijuana fields have dropped by 56% and most have been replaced by poppy fields. The highest increase notes Longmire is in the state of Chihuahua which it the neighboring state to Texas. Longmire also indicates that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration statistics release by the DEA show that the number of heroin addicts has increase from 161000 to 289000. Longmire noted this to hint that legalization of marijuana is affecting the United States. As Longmire points out government stats point that marijuana is not the only problem. She  is saying that the increase in places such a Chihuahua, Durango, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Sinaloa and Guerrero, which are leaders in Mexico’s marijuana production, are slowing down with the production but are pumping in another drug.

I found this post useful because it shows that the legalization of marijuana isn’t just black and white. It was also helpful because I am interested in doing research on how marijuana reaches the streets of America from inside and outside the country. I feel that this article would helpful to my peers that are seeking to write about the importation of marijuana from other countries.

Shapiro, Susan. “Cannabis crazy: It doesn’t just describe the move to legalize weed. It could happen to you.” latimes.com. LA Times. 03 January 15. Web. 15 July 2015.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-shapiro-marijuana-danger-20150104-story.html

Susan Shapiro, an award-winning journalism professor and the coauthor of the bestseller “Unhooked: How to Quit Anything” and the author of the memoir “Lighting Up,” sheds light on the controversy of marijuana legalization by arguing drug how addicting the drug can be. Shapiro claims she is ambivalent about the legalization of marijuana because she was addicted to it for twenty seven years and knows first-hand the destructive effects it can have. She argues that smoking pot is not worth it by asking her intended audience, “Is the high worth the low?” Shapiro goes on to explain her experience with the drug.

According to Shapiro, the country brought the number of states that decriminalized marijuana to eighteen. Shapiro argues that states such as Colorado and her hometown of New York are proudly showcasing their newly found laws. Shapiro claims that she is afraid that these newly found laws and recent screen glorification as “High Maintenance” and “Kid Cannabis” “send young people a message that getting stoned is cool and hilarious.” As Shapiro points out, she is very skeptical about the way marijuana is portrayed because she knows its ruinous effects. To illustrate the impact marijuana can have, she reminisces on the times she bought weed in bad neighborhoods at 3 a.m., confronted a dealer for selling her a dime bag of oregano, and let pushers she barely knew to deliver weed, like pizza, to her home. Shapiro goes on to describe her experience to be similar to that of Walter White’s self-destruction from meth on TV’s “Breaking Bad” and the delusional nightmares in the film “Requiem for a Dream.”

Shapiro remarks about the multiple times she has warned her students that getting stoned greatly increases the likelihood of something bad happening by reminding them that weed blurs reality, reduces inhibitions, and can regularly lead to tragedy. Shapiro refers to two incidents in Colorado that led to a 47-year-old fatally shooting his and a 19-year-old student jumping to his death that were both linked to pot. Shapiro argues that “the weed of today is far stronger than in the past.” As Shapiro points out, the strength of pot varies nowadays and it’s impossible to predict its effect. She admits that one hit from a pipe or bong would leave her reeling.

Shapiro admits that “being a stoner was easy. Quitting was hard but gave me more to live for.” In other words, getting high was easy for Shapiro because it was her way of “escaping”, but giving up her addiction paved the way for good health, marriage, and a thriving career. Shapiro believes that pot smokers shouldn’t be sent to prison, but that they also don’t belong on pop-culture pedestals either.

I found this article useful because it gives a perspective about marijuana usage from a person who actually went through the battle of addiction. It gave me insight to a viewpoint that differed from mine. Other people in the class might find this useful if they are thinking about the addictive aspect of marijuana and what it can do to those over a period of time.

Carise, Deni. “Legalizing Marijuana – The Real Costs.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 July 2013. Web 15 July 2015.

Deni Carise, a Clinical Psychologist known for studying substance abuse and mental health has authored several publications in professional journals. In her work “Legalizing Marijuana – The Real  Costs.”, Carise reveals the consequences of legalizing marijuana. She debunks the idea that marijuana legalization will increase revenue in our society by emphasizing the costs of the repercussions caused by increased smoking of the drug. She precisely points out that marijuana legalization will result in more medical problems and a strain on our public systems.

Carise uses her knowledge of behavioral health to contend that marijuana affects the brain’s ability to function. According to her, “marijuana has been proven to impair motor coordination and reaction time”. She doesn’t believe that people can function properly while high, and expects there to be a significant rise in accidents due to mental impairment if the drug was no longer illicit. However her argument doesn’t end there with a claim to more vehicle crashes, she stresses how emergency room visits will also sky-rocket because of the substance’s power to deteriorate the brain.

According to Carise marijuana is an addicting drug, and persistent use of it can affect the cognitive processes to a devastating state which is impossible to recover from. She writes that this mental decline is, “associated with the onset of major mental illnesses, including psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety.” The cost to treat mental conditions such as these over a long period of time are astounding. She insists that the more an individual smokes marijuana; the greater the neuropsychological decline.

Due to marijuana’s ability to destroy coordination and cause mental illnesses, Carise declares that public systems, such as ERs will accumulate patients. She notes that, “in 2011, marijuana was involved in 455,668 emergency room visits nationwide”. An increase in traffic accidents and mental problems will cause hospitals to have an upsurge of patients, and the tax revenue from selling marijuana legally would be spent on tending to marijuana victims in overcrowded hospitals.

This source is significant because it highlights certain costs of legalizing marijuana in our society that are often overlooked. Though I recognized marijuana’s ability to impair the brain, I never thought that it could cause severe mental illnesses such as psychosis and schizophrenia. Others may find this interesting too, and consider how money from marijuana taxes would ultimately be spent on treating and rehabilitating the individuals that are harmed by smoking the drug.