l l Introduction:
Attention Getter: “Two parents were arrested and put in jail for possession of marijuana. Their son was sent to child protective services and then put into a foster home. The police called this a successful mission. ” Bill Maher”.
Thesis Statement: Legalizing marijuana would greatly help bring the U.S out of the recession.
Credible Statement: On November 2, 2010 an act known as Proposition 19 lost in a vote of 54% to 46%. This act would have allowed for the legalization of marijuana in California. …show more content…
America is wasting money and space by jailing those who are caught with marijuana. According to Jeffery Miron, who is an expert on the effect of legalizing drugs at Harvard University, America would save 8-9 billion dollars if marijuana was legalized. 2. According to Ford Wirt, chairman of the New River Valley Regional, Jail Authority said their jails are running out of space. Now inmates would either have to be sent to another jail or new jails may have to be built.
Transition Statement
A few decades ago, alcohol itself was illegal. 1. You will find that alcohol in many ways is far more dangerous than marijuana. According to Joycelyn Elders, the former surgeon general of the United States, alcohol has a greater amount of long term physical affects than marijuana. These include damage to brain cells and the liver. 2. Alcohol also causes many deaths per year. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, about 5,000 kids under 21 die every year as a result of underage drinking. Though marijuana has its own dangers such as impaired vision and lack of proper decision making, it is far less dangerous than alcohol or cigarettes. Transition Statement to