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1. Jintu
   Member

   Hello Everyone,

   I have an take-home assignment to submit on Monday, this is for a first year university course on critical thinking, I have written several arguments based on the topic that was given: Should Marijuana be made legal? Defend your position on the matter. I am student from Canada.

   The problem is: the professor keeps on saying that my argument is vague and lacks sufficient evidence.
   The outline of the assignment is as follows:

   Write a cogent argument. The argument is to be written in standard form - write complete statements, number the premises and conclusion properly, add indicator words, especially when using sub-arguments. You may use any type of premises - linking or convergent or combinations of both. Your arguement should satisfy the ARG conditions.

   1. Your premises must be acceptable
   2. Your premises must be relavant
   3. Your premises must provide sufficient grounds.
   4. Your argument must avoid fallacies.

   Please help, I am struggling with this assignment.
   Thanks in advance.

   Tony

   My Argument:
   1. Because marijuana use has positive attributes, such as its medical value and use as a recreational drug with relatively mild side effects
   2. Because it helps to stimulate apetite and relieve nausea in cancer and AIDS patients.
   Thus,
   3. Marijuana can be used as medicine
   4. Since marijuana is too expensive for our justice system and should instead be taxed to support beneficial government programs
   5. Since it is an established scientific fact that marijuana is not toxic to humans; marijuana overdoses are nearly impossible and
   6. Because marijuana is not nearly as addictive as alcohol or tobacco
   Thus,
   7. It is unfair and unjust to treat marijuana users more harshly under the law than the users of alcohol or tobacco.
   8. Because the illegality of marijuana makes it more valuable than if it were legal, providing opportunities for teenagers to make easy money selling it to their friends
   Thus,
   9. A regulated, legal market in marijuana would reduce marijuana sales and use among teenagers, as well as reduce their exposure to other drugs in the illegal market
   Therefore,
   10. Marijuana should be legalized

   Thank you

   Tony

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. David
   Member

   I think these reasons are pretty good, but the argument would be stronger if it considered and responded to counter-arguments, such as:

   1. If marijuana were legalised, is it not likely that consumption would increase?

   2. Just because marijuana is non-addictive and non-toxic, it does not follow that marijuana is harmless. There is, for example, evidence to suggest that it is associated with mental illness.

   3. Your argument seems to rely a great deal on comparing marijuana with alcohol and tobacco. There are, of course, historical reasons why alcohol and tobacco are legal drugs. If alcohol or tobacco were discovered today, they would surely be prohibited. Furthermore, many people would like to see greater legal restrictions on alcohol and tobacco, so there is some evidence of tu quoque reasoning (arguing that two wrongs make a right).

   4. I think there is also something of a false dichotomy here because there isn't a simple choice between consuming marijuana or consuming alcohol/tobacco. Many people consume marijuana and tobacco and alcohol.

   Posted 1 year ago #

3. Vivienne
   Member

   I also think there are several claims made without evidence, and the instructions clearly day you must provide 'sufficient grounds'. The claims made (eg marijuana is not as addictive as tobacco, a legal market would reduce sales ....) are fine - but they need supporting evidence.

   Sentence 4 I don't understand. How can a drug be 'too expensive for our justice system'? I believe you mean that if the drug were legalised, it could be taxed as is alcohol and so the government would gain money from taxation rather than spending money on prosecution. As it stands, this doesn't say that.

   good luck

   Posted 1 year ago #

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