In the United States, there are a substantial amount of arguments that are two-sided. Some of these arguments are tied into political debates. Within these political debates, some popular topics that arise are abortion, the death penalty, gun control, gay marriage, and drug policy. During these past couple of years, one topic in particular has gained a supportive push, and that is the legalization of marijuana. On one side, some say that marijuana is a gateway drug, and that it is harmful to one’s body. On the other side, some see it as nothing but a plant, or in some instances, medicine that can change someone’s life for the good. While looking on the internet for a good article to debate against, I stumbled across an anti-marijuana post.
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He references an article that talks about a study done by Northwestern University. Within this study, they found that “marijuana users have abnormal brain structure and poor memory and that chronic marijuana abuse may lead to brain changes resembling schizophrenia. The study also reported that the younger the person starts using marijuana, the worse the effects become” (Bennett). This point is one point that I can side with Hawkins. After doing thorough research, there have been numerous studies by a handful of universities and organizations that are similar to the findings of this Northwestern University …show more content…
To support his claim, he quotes a study done on 129 students that smoked (marijuana) twenty-seven out of thirty days before being surveyed, that things such as memory, learning, and critical thinking skills were diminished. To counter this claim, for one, a sample of 129 students is a joke. Regardless what side you are on, the fact that the study size is so small, that it would be ignorant to make an assumption based solely on such small “evidence.” Hawkins also uses a source that claims that people who tested for marijuana that worked for the postal service had a higher rate of vehicular accidents and increased in not showing up for work. For this section of his claim, I can agree that there would be an increase in vehicular accidents, as that’s expected knowing the symptoms of marijuana. Though the statement does say that there was an increase of people not showing up to work, I feel that this could be an instance where it was just at the postal service were people would not show up to work. They did not prove that someone smoking pot was the reasoning for them not showing up to work. If there were other statistics from other businesses that support this claim, I would have no issue siding with Hawkins on this as well. Hawkins also shows a quote that states that “In Australia, a study found that cannabis intoxication was responsible for 4.3% of driver fatalities” (Is Marijuana Bad). If this
He references an article that talks about a study done by Northwestern University. Within this study, they found that “marijuana users have abnormal brain structure and poor memory and that chronic marijuana abuse may lead to brain changes resembling schizophrenia. The study also reported that the younger the person starts using marijuana, the worse the effects become” (Bennett). This point is one point that I can side with Hawkins. After doing thorough research, there have been numerous studies by a handful of universities and organizations that are similar to the findings of this Northwestern University …show more content…
To support his claim, he quotes a study done on 129 students that smoked (marijuana) twenty-seven out of thirty days before being surveyed, that things such as memory, learning, and critical thinking skills were diminished. To counter this claim, for one, a sample of 129 students is a joke. Regardless what side you are on, the fact that the study size is so small, that it would be ignorant to make an assumption based solely on such small “evidence.” Hawkins also uses a source that claims that people who tested for marijuana that worked for the postal service had a higher rate of vehicular accidents and increased in not showing up for work. For this section of his claim, I can agree that there would be an increase in vehicular accidents, as that’s expected knowing the symptoms of marijuana. Though the statement does say that there was an increase of people not showing up to work, I feel that this could be an instance where it was just at the postal service were people would not show up to work. They did not prove that someone smoking pot was the reasoning for them not showing up to work. If there were other statistics from other businesses that support this claim, I would have no issue siding with Hawkins on this as well. Hawkins also shows a quote that states that “In Australia, a study found that cannabis intoxication was responsible for 4.3% of driver fatalities” (Is Marijuana Bad). If this