Medical Marijuana Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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Rhetorical Analysis With marijuana is becoming legal in some states for medical reasons, other states are still questioning how marijuana can be beneficial and even a problem. In “The Truth about Medical Marijuana” by Carrie Shortsleeve, published in 2013 on the website Men’s Health, Shortsleeve describes how tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, found in marijuana, can be used for medical benefits. In the passage, she explains how the immune system and brain are affected by THC especially if the substance is high in dosage. When Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly, Ph.D., “the director of the University of Mississippi’s Marijuana Project,” injured his back, he begins to research what benefits marijuana has when using the drug as medicine, and Shortsleeve shares this with people who maybe considering medical marijuana. Shortsleeve uses statistics, in depth research, and real- life situations to show how some people trust marijuana as medicine; even though, some of these people were once against medical marijuana. Shortsleeve gains out trust by …show more content…

The statistics include those of how much THC content has increased over the years, and only a certain percent of Advil is absorbed. She uses these statistics to obtain trust from her readers. By using dates, she establishes credibility. For example she states, “In 1970, it classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug.” She also uses a most recent study of 2012 from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that shows a decrease in IQ scores when people smoke before the age of eighteen. Shortsleeve uses in depth research from the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State which found that “enforcing pot laws has cost tax payers more than $211 million in the states of Washington alone.” The use of statistics, dates, and research from experts has allowed Shortsleeve to back up her information for an appeal in

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