In Class: Unit 2 Primary Sources

The three primary sources that I chose all fit together because obviously they are all about the same thing but generally they have the same view in response to the law formed in the city of Denver based on the ruling in favor of marijuana use. The view that they all hold is that it is an effective law because although marijuana is still classified as a drug it is less detrimental to its users and it is much less dangerous to use than other legal drugs (tobacco) and alcohol. They all have the same audience and that is people who view marijuana as a harmful drug and because of this they are trying to persuade their audience that it actually is far less harmful than those people believe. The three primary sources are different because they all have different opinions on the actual law, some believe that since the law is overruled by federal law that it is not even truly legal to possess and use marijuana in the privacy of someone's home.

The unstated assumptions that allow these arugments to succeed is that there is no proof that marijuana is a harmful drug because no one has overdosed by smoking it before. There is also the assumption that the law is unsuccessful because federal law overrules state law so it still makes possession and use a crime. The overall feeling of the law is that it is one that should be adopted by the country as a whole because otherwise people can still be charged unless it is adopted nation wide. People must know the wording and ruling of the law to have an opinion on it.

The state of argument in the U.S. based on these three texts reveal that arguments are very contridictory and that although something may be legitimately argued that it doesn't make the argument absolutely true. These arguments suggest that we live in both a culture of assertion but that we also live in a conflicting society. Why make a law that is just undermined by another more powerful law? What is the point of making such a law? Why doesn't our society do what is most logical and what is best for our citizens? Many people and not just people but our government have conflicting views on policies and laws that must find a common ground because otherwise laws and policies are unsuccessful.

Got Weed?

As some of you may know I am from Denver, CO and I happen to be very proud of the state that I come from just like many of you Texans. When I was trying to think of a topic for our Unit 2 project I really wanted to do something that has interest to me but is also a topic that has surrounded my beloved state and city. A topic I would have easy access to through publications, debates, and cartoons that I receive locally. Now you are probably wondering what in the world a giant marijuana leaf is doing on my blog in association to my topic proposal. Well on November 1st, 2005 Denver was the first city in the U.S. to officially legalize marijuana usage. An adult of age 21 years old and up may legally possess one ounce of marijuana for private use. The vote of legalizing marijuana was justified by many of the voters stating that, "Marijuana is far safer than alcohol and there has never been a report of any single person overdosing on it." There have been many arguments for and against the passed law so I thought that this would be a perfect topic since it fulfilled my want for a local event and that many false statements have been made surrounding the topic which have been asked to be explained and received with hostility ("culture of assertion".) Denver has always been known as the "Mile High City" but some people put an extra emphasis on the HIGH now. I will be researching this epic local event for my Unit 2 project. 

In Class: Concerns of Unit 2

So as I began thinking about the possible topics I could choose for our Unit 2 Project I started to feel really overwhelmed because especially in English classes I am used to being pigeon holed to one specific topic. I'm not exactly sure what constitutes "too broad of a topic" and that's the thing I need most help with. I was wrestling with the idea of doing the legalization of medical marijuana but I have a feeling that it is too broad. I also am kind of confused about the whole primary source thing because when I started thinking of my topic I realized that I didn't really know if there were any primary sources that I could use to analyze my topic. I would like to get a further understanding maybe with some examples of good primary sources for a topic. I just need help deciding whether this would be a worthy topic.