Down the Line

This blog is starting to wind down and there is one final conclusion I can make regarding legalizing marijuana. The only foreseeable way for marijuana to be legalized is for it to only be legal to those who use it for medical purposes. As Americans, we are not ready for the type of change that full legalization will bring. Maybe 10, 20, or even 50 years down the line, America will be accepting and open enough to allow for marijuana to be legalized, but the only way this plateau will ever be reached is by first inducing a sympathetic argument for those who use marijuana medically.

Self Analysis

After delving into the issue of legalizing marijuana, many things have been realized in the process of my work. Since I have been using mainly internet sources, the credibility of my sources has been a focus of mine. When dealing with an issue as marijuana, the perception given is that the topic is not serious. Therefore you find sites that are not backed by credible information, and even if they are well supported academic sites they can still be viewed as not credible. I have realized that the only sites you can use for medical marijuana that have merit are strictly medical sites like the AMA. By using these credible sources, your blog becomes significantly more revered which makes you look more like this rather than this.
When people argue, they want to make the issue into two sides. I’ve realized that there are many shades of gray in argumentation and the only way to use arguments like these are to acknowledge the other sides. One significant point that has shades of gray when talking about legalizing marijuana is the effects of legalization on crime deterrence. Since an argumentative point like crime deterrence has can only be projected since nothing like legalization has ever happened, studies will show that it won’t have a significant impact on legalization while some will argue that legalization will set poor model for the youth of America thus increasing crime. Very few times in argumentation are there clear cut sides, so you have to stay consistent with your argument.
My stance on legalizing marijuana has not changed, but the six-lane highway that I was once on has turned into a two lane road. By that I mean before starting this blog, I was blindly set on legalizing marijuana. After studying more in depth on medical marijuana, I have focused my opinion strictly on legalizing marijuana for those patients recommended medical use. This blog has forced me to become more focused in my arguments and stances and in this case going from a wide stance of total legalization to a regulatory stance for medical marijuana.