English Composition 1010
July 2, 2012
Rhetorical Essay -Sample Paragraph
The Legalization of Marijuana in America
Should America legalize an illegal drug, as way out of the economical downfall we have found ourselves in? A popular article appeared in April of 2009 in Times magazine, catching millions of readers’ attention. The article was titled, “Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense” and was written by Joe Klein. Cannabis, America’s drug of choice for the past eighty-five years has been a plant otherwise known as marijuana or weed. Everyday millions of American dollars are circulated illegally through the drug market. The article shed light on a subject that was beginning to be more popular than America led it on to be. The article argued very truthful and valid points by stating that our government searches for an answer to our national debt and for a way out of an almost economical depression every day, when the answer lies directly in front of us.
Our country has legalized the distribution of marijuana in six states and it has dramatically affected their economy, therefore why not legalize it in all fifty. Legalizing the drug, done daily by over 60% of the population, and adding taxes against it would help America out immensely. Klein states as an example that if a 10% pot tax was put on marijuana, it would yield about $1.4 billion dollars in the most popular state for weed alone, which is California. The drug has been proven to have long term affects on the human body, but not when compared to other illegalized drugs circulating behind the government daily. The drug is being pushed to being legalized more everyday as doctors are using it for medical answers.
Smith 2
The legalization of the drug can be argued on many levels both good and bad, but in the end it weighs down to the realization that this could actually be a good thing and an answer for America’s economy.
The major focus that Klein has in this