[Jintu]

Originally Posted by devonin

Premise 1: Contempt for law is worse than everyone smoking pot
(This is a completely tenuous statement for which I doubt you could ever find sufficient proof, because it's an abstract statement. Contempt for which laws? In which form? How widespread of usage are you talking about? As much as is now, as could be if it were legal?)

Premise 2: Harsh laws against marijuana don't stop people using it
(Harsh laws against -murder- don't stop people doing it, and in some states, that can get you killed in turn. If people wouldn't do it, there wouldn't need to be a law saying you can't, with punishments for so doing. )

Sub-Premise 2: Having harsh laws makes people have contempt for it
(If the punishments were harsh enough, this would be false. If you could be summarily executed with no trial for smoking pot, it would stop most people from doing it, or at least doing it as often or as openly. Thus, I would say
that this statements shows instead that the punishments are not actually harsh)

Pre-conclusion: These laws are therefore worse than marijuana use
This is a very vague statement. In which ways would you say this was true? If you'd previously established in your argument the incredibly high cost of engaging these laws, you could suggest that the money spent to enforce the laws was unjustified compared to the costs associated with marijuana use [in regards to the fact that very little money would need to be spent each year to sort of 'make up' for the predations of pot users])

Hi,

How about this argument that I created using patshu's recommendation:

1. Because marijuana is not physically addictive
2. Since marijuana does not cause cancer with the same frequency as cigarettes
3. Because marijuana cannot kill you with an overdose
4. Given that marijuana is mild altering but doesn’t lead to violent behaviour like alcohol which is legal and supervised
5. Because marijuana has medical benefits as hemp is a useful material
6. Since the ‘war on drugs’ is moralistic crusade that has no reason to exist
7. Because the ‘war on drugs’ fuels black market activity and drug cartels
Thus,
8. The ‘war on drugs’ does prevent drugs from getting around, it’s just done covertly
Therefore,
9. Marijuana should be legalized

Thanks,

Tony