Reflection

In my medical marijuana research and inquiry project I chose the

United States Congress as my target audience. I choose them because they

have the most say in what happens to marijuana in the future. Some would

think that the constituents would hold the fate of marijuana in its hand, but I

would kindly disagree. The majority of the U.S. is in favor of legalizing

marijuana medically, so why hasnt it happened? My theory is that there are

too many government officials in office who have been in office too long and

have forgotten about the people they represent. I believe that the best way

to change the perception of marijuana is to start where it was abolished.

My research question is Is medical marijuana the drug that will save

lives or take them? Is medical marijuana worth legalizing on a national

level? My simple opinion is that medical marijuana is worth taking a chance

on because of the benefits it possesses and that it will only save lives and

not take them. Marijuana has always been viewed as this seductive, mind

controlling drug when it is actually far from it. No one has overdosed on

marijuana, but that doesnt mean it shouldnt be abused either.

Marijuana has also been shown to help people with cancer, HIV/AIDS,

seizures, Alzheimers and pain relief (Dharshini). The DEA scheduling of this

drug is bogus when compared to alcohol and cigarettes (Rogan). The Shaffer

Commission Report looked at this same issue forty years ago, but was

trashed because it didnt give the government the answer it wanted.

(Sterling) However, marijuana still can be bad for your health. Smoking
anything is bad for your lungs, which could lead to lung problems. Also,

smoking marijuana can lead to fatal car accidents if enough marijuana is

consumed. In fact, in Washington 12.7 fatal accident drivers tested positive

for marijuana (Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana). Lastly, why should

the government be telling us citizens what we can and cannot use to solve

our health issues. (Rubin)

For my two genres, I chose a letter and a debate of the pros and cons

of medical marijuana. I first chose a letter because it was the easiest way for

me to talk about how the benefits outweigh the consequences of medical

marijuana. I used many sources and facts from my research and I believe

that is my best genre piece. Secondly, I chose a debate between a medical

marijuana activist, Dave Rubin and a CNBC columnist, who is against

marijuana. I liked the idea of a debate because I could show that the pros

outweigh the cons. However, I didnt try to deprive the CNBC columnist of

the facts he did find. I made the argument fair, but in my opinion I think

Rubin had the better argument of why medical marijuana is more helpful

than harmful.

For my first genre, which is a letter, I would mail to house

representatives in my area to try to get the ball rolling for medicinal

marijuana legalization bill. The debate I set up would be on CNN with

Anderson Cooper between Dave Rubin and the CNBC columnist. I am sure

many politicians would watch this debate of the pros and cons of medical
marijuana. I believe it would be best if I sent out the letter first then had the

debate showed on CNN.

The modes I relied on most heavily were linguistic. My letter is mostly

linguistic, while my debate is linguistic too. They were all linguistic because

of they only used words.

To begin with, I used ethos in the way I choose my sources. I did not

use random bloggers I know nothing about, but credible websites and

YouTubers I have watched before. Secondly, I used pathos when explaining

how marijuana could help save lives and be a better alternate than the drugs

being used already. Lastly, I used logos in both genre pieces with all my facts

and common knowledge of medical marijuana on why it should be

medicinally legal.

I choose politicians at the federal level because they have the most

say when it comes to legalizing medical marijuana. Marijuana is a hot topic

right now because in the past election five states voted on marijuana

recreationally, that were already medica, and if I can keep the ball rolling it

will only help the ones that need it most.

In conclusion, I am pretty happy with my genre pieces. I believe they

convey the message I was trying to get across. I originally thought about

doing a comic strip for my second genre piece, but backed out because I

didnt know how to do one and it wouldnt convey my argument as well as a

debate. If I did this project again I would do it the same way because I have

had a great time learning more about marijuana.

 Works Cited

Dave Rubin. All About Weed: different strains, medical marijuana, and the

War on Drugs. YouTube, uploaded by The Rubin Report, 15 Apr. 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrT4HxFoCMM.

Dharshini, Mary. Medical Cannabis 2016: New benefits of Medicinal

Marijuana. Medical Daily, http://www.medicaldaily.com/medical-cannabis-

2016-new-benefits-medicinal-marijuana-398935. Accessed 13 Nov. 2017

Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana. CNBC, 20 Apr 2010.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/36267223. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017

Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan on DEA Decision on Marijuana Rescheduling. YouTube, uploaded by

PowerfulJRE, 14 Aug 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbPY2aRmnXU

Ahead of its Time The Huffington Post, 21 May 2013.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-e-sterling/shafer-commission-report-

_b_2925777.html Accessed 2 March, 2017.