Well here it is...all done! once again, sorry about formatting issues and i hope its still read-able.
Please let me know what you think! I can't really add anything because its probably a minute too long already, but fuck it. i don't think my prof. will mind, i think he stones it or did. He made several unprompted remarks/jokes about it in class on several occasions.
By the way, dont rip my speech off. use shit if you want to but just leave a note here and re word it.
Persuasive Speech: The Legalization, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana
Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience that marijuana should be legalized in order to benefit our economy, the medical field, as well as ending a significant war on drugs.
Central Idea: If our nation would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in a similar way as alcohol, we could save money and make advancements in the medical field.
Introduction
I. Among the hot topics of todays media, there are a few that seem to never go away.
A. Among these topics are the death penalty, abortion, and gay marriage.
B. One of these topics is the idea of the legalization of marijuana; in fact just a few months ago California had a landmark vote on this issue.
C. Although it did not pass, it brought national attention the legalization of marijuana issue.
D. Although some would say that the failing of the legalization of marijuana was a good thing, I would argue the opposite opinion.
E. Not only would marijuana greatly improve our economy, it would end a violent and costly war on drugs as well as unlock huge advancements in the medical field.
F. If marijuana was legalized, regulated, and taxed in a similar manner to both alcohol and cigarettes, it could benefit our society.
Transition: Lets start at the beginning and see where the cannabis plant gets its origins as we know it.
Body
I. The Cannabis plant has been utilized as a medicinal herb far longer than most people realize.
A. According to the Scientific Electronic Library (SEL), cannabis is one of the earliest cultivated plants by man.
1. The first evidence of the use of cannabis was found in China, where archeological and historical findings indicate that that plant was cultivated for fibers since 4.000 B.C.
2. With these fibers, the Chinese could fabricate very sturdy rope, textiles, and even paper.
B. The SEL also states that the use of cannabis as a medicine by ancient Chinese was reported in the world's oldest pharmacopoeia, which can be dated back to 2700 B.C.
1.The ancient Chinese used it for rheumatic pain, intestinal constipation, disorders of the female reproductive system, and even malaria.
2. The Chinese rarely mention the cannabis plant as a hallucinogen or intoxicant, thus showing that it started as a purely medicinal and utilitarian plant.
C. Our nations history differs a little bit from the Chineses first experiences though.
1. People often support the idea of marijuana prosecution without knowing where the ban on it even originated.
2. According to Charles Whitebread, a former professor of law at USC and adviser to the federal government on marijuana laws, the first group of states to have marijuana laws were the Rocky Mountain and southwestern states (such as Texas, New Mexico, Montana, and Colorado).
3. Professor Whitebread also goes onto discuss on what grounds the states banned the plant.
4. Probably the best single statement, according to Whitebread, was the statement of a proponent of Texas first marijuana law. He said on the floor of the Texas Senate, and I quote, "All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff (referring to marijuana) is what makes them crazy."
5. Or, as the proponent of Montana's first marijuana law said, (and imagine this on the floor of the state legislature) and I quote, "Give one of these Mexican beet field workers a couple of puffs on a marijuana cigarette and he thinks he is in the bullring at Barcelona."
6. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, these were the grounds for the first anti-marijuana laws in the United States
D. In 1937, the US passed the Marijuana tax Act of 1937, which required people to obtain a special government issued stamp in order to poses marijuana.
A. However, the federal government failed to issue any, thus essentially outlawing the substance without make a formal law banning the growing or harvesting of a plant.
B. Perhaps the single most interesting piece of information comes from the American Medical Association.
1. The American Medical Association directly opposed the Marijuana Tax Act on July 10, 1937, on the grounds that it would make it much too difficult to obatain for medical purposed.
2. Less then seven months after the Marijuana Tax Act was passed, the medical community was already officially opposing it.
Transition: Now lets take a look at what the US does to enforce the ban on marijuana.
II. Ever since that point, copious amounts of time and money have been spent to stop the sale, possession, and growing of the cannabis plant.
A. This very idea, that a government could ban the growing and possession of a plant, has cost the US over $1 trillion.
B. Infact, according to the the drug sense clock, which is a running clock of how much federal and state money is spent on the war on drugs, our government spends over $1100 dollars A SECOND.
1. Now, this money is spent to control a variety of illicit drugs, so not all of this money would be saved if we regulate marijuana and end its prhibiotion.
2. However, marijuana accounts for about 45% of the DEAs war on drugs, so even though all of this money wont be save, a very significant amount would be.
C. According to Cal State University at Northridge, 1/6 of our prison population is locked up for marijuana related offenses.
1. If we were to legalize marijuana, we could avoid paying $11.3 BILLION a year in the housing of non-violent pot smokers/growers.
D. Another interesting fact comes from a paper endorsed by 500+ economists called The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition.
1. The report shows that marijuana legalization -- replacing prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation -- would save $7.7 billion per year in state and federal expenditures on prohibition enforcement.
2. It could produce tax revenues of at least $2.4 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like most consumer goods.
3. If, however, marijuana were taxed similarly to alcohol or tobacco, it might generate as much as $6.2 billion annually.
E. So after we do some math, the legalization of marijuana would free up somewhere in the neighborhood of $25 BILLION dollars.
F. Imagine what $25 billion a year could do for schools, job creation, roads and highways, etc.
Transition: Despite the illegality of the cannabis plant, it is alarmingly safe and has a huge medicinal value just waiting to be unlocked.
III. Cannabis has been the center of many medical related studies, as doctors have wanted to see how it can positively affect cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, and a myriad of other diseases.
A. Most importantly, marijuana has been proven to not be physically addictive, unlike most other drugs, both legal and illegal.
1. When a user stops using marijuana, they often experience no withdrawal symptoms.
2. A small number of people may experience slight symptoms, such as irritability, problems getting to sleep, and appetite changes, but most of these symptoms are gone after two weeks if they even present themselves.
B. More states continually are looking at medical marijuana as a viable treatment.
1. Currently, 16 states honor some type of medicinal marijuana ordinance.
2. As of May 13 2011, ten more states had legislation on medicinal marijuana in the works.
3. Keep in mind, according to the DEA and federal government, marijuana as no accepted medical value.
C.Harvard has even conducted studies on the effect THC (the psychoactive compound) has on lung cancer.
1. According to Harvard medical, the active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread.
2. For three weeks, researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice that had been implanted with human lung cancer cells, and found that tumors were reduced in size and weight by about 50 percent in treated animals compared to a control group. There was also about a 60 percent reduction in cancer lesions on the lungs in these mice as well as a significant reduction in protein markers associated with cancer progression
D. Obviously, smoking any substance is not the ideal way to injest medicine, however, without the legalization of marijuana, it is very difficult to study, question, and truly understand the complex organism.
Conclusion
Transition: To conclude this, lets review some things.
A. There are 0 reported deaths caused from marijuana in the history of mankind.
B. Recent studies show that in can significantly help to cure some cancers.
C. Legalizing, taxing and regulating cannabis could net the citizens of the United States $25 billion dollars annually, with that number only increasing.
