Ulices Gomez

English 1102
Professor Hughes
7 March 2016
Should a Plant be a Drug?
Theres been a debate going on for years now and its been causing controversy. Should
marijuana be considered a Schedule I substance even though it can be used as medicine for
people in need. Marijuana can benefit people with severe diseases which range from cancer to
epilepsy and schizophrenia. (NY Times) It is believed that marijuana is used as a gateway drug
but recent studies have shown otherwise. (Rolling Stones) The reason a lot of people believe
marijuana should remain illegal is because it has been classified as a Schedule I substance for
years and they believe people can abuse it just like other drugs.
Since marijuana has become legal in certain states, many people with diseases have been
using it as medicine. One of the diseases marijuana helps with is cancer. After a patient
undergoes chemotherapy they usually experience nausea and vomiting. These patients dont want
to take more pharmaceutical medicines so they use medical marijuana. Ever since this started to
happen, there has been a significant decrease in deaths from painkillers in states that have
allowed marijuana to be used medically.
By making marijuana illegal they also fail to realize that they made hemp illegal. Hemp is
very close associated with marijuana but without or very little THC, which is what makes people
go into an altered state of mind. There are many things a person can make using hemp, one of
them includes clothes. (Huffington Post) Hemp has been used as a fabric for ages now. Besides
clothing, hemp can also be made into bio-fuel. (Huffington Post) 97 percent of the hemp oil was

converted to biodiesel could even be used at lower temperatures than other biodiesels
(Huffington Post) A lot of farmers support hemp because they use less land and water to allow
hemp to grow.
Besides the medical use of marijuana and creating everyday products, there is more good
coming from it. Since it is legal I certain states, that means that they will be able to tax it which
allows the government to make money from it. An example given in the Times Magazine is
Colorado collected almost $70 million in marijuana taxes during that time, nearly double the
$42 million collected from alcohol taxes. (Time) This will allow the states to invest that extra
money theyre getting to make their cities better by building better roads, more parks for kids
and other nice things. What we have to keep in mind is that were barely in the first couple of
years of the legalization of marijuana. In a couple of years, the amount of money the states make
from marijuana is expected to go up.
For years it has been widely spread that marijuana is used a gateway drug. They start of
using marijuana and then end up into harder drugs. According to the New York Times, this is not
the case. Based on surveys of more than one million adolescents in 48 states. The research says
nothing about the effect of legalizing recreational use. Although that survey came up negative
on marijuana being a gateway drug, there is a concern. That concern is, since marijuana is going
to be easier to access and also be more widely accepted it will attract teenagers to it. Even the
DARE program, which is supposed to stop kids from doing drugs, has recently removed
marijuana from their list regarding gateway drugs.
Schedule I substances are considered to have a high potential for abuse, have a potential
for addiction and have no accepted medical use. Marijuana has been classified a Schedule I
substance by the DEA for years now. The reason for this is because marijuana has side effects

which consist of dizziness, nausea, fatigue and drowsiness. With some of the research they have
done lately they have found some medical benefits from marijuana.

Ulices
While theres much to say on this topic and youve already identified some strong evidence, this
is not an evaluative essay and therefore does not meet the assignment guidelines. Please review
the PowerPoint on Blackboard and talk to me if you have any questions.
Heres my feedback for your final draft:
An evaluative essay focuses on breaking down and invalidating the opposing argument. So,
you want to break down the argument that opponents of legalization make. To do this, youre
going to need to understand exactly what they argue by researching it and then quoting them
directly. Are they arguing against all legalization or just recreational legalization? What do
they say about medical legalization? Do not strawman their argument by assuming you know
what it is.
In each paragraph that you present that claim (again, quoted) from the opposing argument,
you will respond to it with thorough, researched evidence of your own. So, if opponents
argue that theres been a lack of medical testing so far, you need to criticize that reasoning
and explain why its misguided (citing evidence to support your claims).
Rewrite the introduction so it tells a vivid narrative, showing why the opposing sides
perspective is so dangerous.
If you have any questions as you revise, please dont hesitate to contact me. I look forward to
reading your final draft!

Citation
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/upshot/is-there-anything-actually-medical-about-medicalmarijuana.html?_r=0

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/12/colorados-legal-weed-market-700million-in-sales-last-year-1-billion-by-2016/

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/us/medical-use-of-marijuana-doesnt-increase-youths-usestudy-finds.html?_r=0

http://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml

http://time.com/4037604/colorado-marijuana-tax-revenue/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/03/hemp-sustainable-crop_n_5243351.html

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/20/health/marijuana-versus-alcohol/