Albert Einstein famously said, “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” I think that this quote perfectly sums up the marijuana debate so far in the U.S., in that to continue doing what we have been in terms of criminalization would be insane, but so would our ignoring the possible dangers of mass marketing that would be brought on by legalization. As Kevin Sabet, head of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the nation’s leading anti-legalization group, explained:
“If we were a country with a history of being able to promote moderation in our consumer use of products, or promote responsible corporate advertising or no advertising, or if we had a history of being able to take taxes gained from a vice and redirect them into some positive areas, I might be less concerned about what I see happening in this country. But I think we have a horrible history of dealing with these kinds of things” (Lopez.) What he is talking about here is what happens when advertising gets involved in selling drugs to the public. We have a track record, with cigarettes, beer, and even prescription drugs, of overselling these products to make money without considering the social harm. The question might be, can we avoid both kinds of insanity?
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Introduction:
Use a quote to address a particular aspect of the legalization debate, such as “health” (or
moderation, or fear.) The one we did in class is “moderation.”
Tell the reader what you are going to talk about by briefly listing why this aspect is important. For example: the wellbeing of children, patients, and the healthcare system for “health.”
State what you are going to prove in the paper (That this theme, for example, moderation, is the most important aspect of addressing it, whether or not we are for legalization.)
Body 1: Give a personal narrative to demonstrate the importance of moderation. Explain
how your personal narrative teaches a lesson about moderation
Body 2:
Explain how the lesson of your personal narrative connects to the legalization debate.
Body 3/4:
Take a quote from one of the articles you are using and explain how it relates to moderation,
as well as how it could help prove how moderation is the *key* issue here.
Conclusion: What did you prove? What larger lesson did you learn from exploring this issue in this way?