Final Essay Topic

The controversy I've chosen to examine in my final essay is whether medical marijuana should be legal in the USA. 16 states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, but since marijuana in general is illegal at the federal level people using/selling medical marijuana are committing a federal crime. 


Arguments for legalization: It relieves pain, good for the economy, doesn't have the side effects of other legal prescription drugs


Counter-arguments: legalization would promote "drug culture" and lead to the legalization of harder drugs like cocaine or heroin, there is no real proof that marijuana relieves pain due to illness


Position: My position is in support of medical marijuana. I will examine arguments on both sides to support my overall argument that medical marijuana does more good than harm. 






Sources: 
Dubner, Stephen, and . "What Would Happen if Marijuana Were Decriminalized? A Freakonomics Quorum." Freakanomics. Freakonomics Media, LLC., 05 May 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.freakonomics.com/2009/05/22/pot-quorum/>.


. "Medical Marijuana." ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 13 Nov 2011. Web. 14 Nov 2011. <http://www.procon.org/about-us.php>.