Comment:
ALSO SEE INSTRUCTIONS ON WORD DOC:
For this Critical Thinking Assignment, you are to add three credible sources to your original bibliography, for a total of at least five credible sources.
Annotate all sources, using college-level writing skills and proper APA Style for quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing sources. Begin your annotated bibliography by describing your research plan at the top of the page.
Requirements
Your annotated bibliography should be 2-3 pages in length, NOT counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
Your paper must be formatted per APA.
IMPORTANT See attached Original Bibliography.
For this Critical Thinking Assignment, you are to add three credible sources to your original bibliography, for a total of at least five credible sources.
Annotate all sources, using college-level writing skills and proper APA Style for quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing sources. Begin your annotated bibliography by describing your research plan at the top of the page.
Requirements
Your annotated bibliography should be 2-3 pages in length, NOT counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
Your paper must be formatted per APA.
IMPORTANT See following Original Bibliography.
Legalization of Marijuana Working Thesis
NAME
Composition II ENG102
University
November, 2016
Legalization of Marijuana Working Thesis
Social issue Marijuana legalization in Colorado
Research question
What measures will the government of Colorado need to take to curb marijuana consumption among its citizens
Thesis
After marijuana legalization in Colorado, there has been a significant increase in the number of individuals using the drug, which is attributed to the fact of the law granting every citizen their due freedom and their self-determination right (Caulkins, Lee, & Kasunic, 2012). A solution which will focus on addressing the social issue has been proposed by the government and entails passing laws preventing the sale of the drug to individuals, while clearly outlining the consequences for those found engaging in the activity.
Research problem
My exploration of various studies, with the inclusion of debates regarding the spread of marijuana within different states and countries, has led to the discovery that the drug has great negative side effects, which contrasts with citizens perception of the drug as a recreational substance. Additionally, public safety reports released considering the social issue argues that, marijuana use has led to the acceleration of social problems over recent years (Hickenlooper, 2014). Moreover, the legalization of the drug has resulted in severe impacts on the state, manifesting a trend of social issues associated with the use of the drug. For instance, there has been an alarming increase in the rate of criminal cases being reported. Also, health related issues as well as environmental hazards have risen due to the impact of drug use.
Furthermore, the side effects are not limited to the adult population, but further affecting teenagers and young children. My study on students habits in a majority of Colorado schools lead to the realization that a marijuana culture has invaded a high number of learning institutions. As a result, many teenagers are in need of help, thus the need to explore the social issue in detail.
Causes
Through in-depth focus on the social issue, I have identified the influences of rampant cases of drug use. However, the primary cause is mainly associated with the laws legalizing the drug use (Hickenlooper, 2014). The freedom of will permits the citizens self-determination regarding their actions. The citizens perception on recreational use as well as its medical function has influenced their voting for its legalization in 2012 (Caulkins, Lee, & Kasunic, 2012). In this regard, a drugs moral value is dependent on the individual who uses the drug, rather than the drug itself. As such I believe that the causal agents for the prevalent state of marijuana use are the permissive laws. The free will aspect of the legal application is harmful to a nation, which is what Colorado is experiencing state-wide, regardless of those whose argument aims at its legalization
Solution
My examination of the states present problems has led to my observation that there exists a relationship between marijuana use in Colorado, with cases of accidents and school referrals (Hickenlooper, 2014). The state should, thus, focus on promoting out amendments to the laws, an essential step to avoid worse situations in the future. Additionally, awareness creation should be conducted for the citizens, which would be primarily through the provision of education to enlighten them on the negative side effects of marijuana. These measures will, therefore, be significant towards handling these social problems in Colorado.
References
Caulkins, J., Lee, M., & Kasunic, A. (2012). Marijuana legalization: Lessons from the 2012
state proposals. WHM, 4(3-4), 4-34.
Hickenlooper, G. (2014). Experimenting with pot: The state of Colorado’s legalization of
marijuana. Milbank Quarterly, 92(2), 243-249.