Rhetorical Analysis

“Legalize drugs – all of them,” written by Norm Stamper was the article that I chose to analyze. Stamper was a veteran cop on the Seattle police force where he served for thirty-four years, six of which he spent as chief. He has seen the effects of drugs, the harm they do to people and how deleterious they can be and yet he still chooses to legalize them. In the article that he writes he seems to be addressing everyone that will listen but especially those who are against the use of drugs. The articles purpose is to show that drug use isn’t any worse then alcohol and the legalization might actually help the crime rates, related to drugs, drop. Throughout the article he seems to be speaking in a very calm tone but also adds some sarcasm, “We're making more arrests for drug offenses than for murder, manslaughter, forcible rape and aggravated assault combined. Feel safer?”

He uses ethos, pathos and logos to convince people that drugs should be legalized. He writes about he was a cop for so long and he used examples of the things that he has seen in relation to drugs to show that this isn’t a new topic to him and it is something that he has knowledge to and has put thought behind what he is saying. “I've witnessed the devastating effects of open-air drug markets in residential neighborhoods: children recruited as runners, mules and lookouts; drug dealers and innocent citizens shot dead in firefights between rival traffickers bent on protecting or expanding their markets; dedicated narcotics officers tortured and killed in the line of duty; prisons filled with nonviolent drug offenders; and drug-related foreign policies that foster political instability, wreak health and environmental disasters, and make life even tougher for indigenous subsistence farmers in places such as Latin America and Afghanistan. All because we like our drugs — and can't have them without breaking the law.” He uses pathos by showing us that we put more people behind bars for drug use then the violent crimes that end up with people dead, not under their own fault. (Quote used in prior paragraph). Finally he uses logos; he tries to show us that it is only logical to legalize drugs. “Regulated legalization would soon dry up most stockpiles of currently illicit drugs — substances of uneven, often questionable quality (including "bunk," i.e., fakes such as oregano, gypsum, baking powder or even poisons passed off as the genuine article). It would extract from today's drug dealing the obscene profits that attract the needy and the greedy and fuel armed violence. And it would put most of those certifiably frightening crystal meth labs out of business once and for all.” He doesn’t say that they should become completely legal but he believes that they should be regulated as we do with alcohol and cigarettes.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20111112/OPINION/111120316/Two-more-reminders-Rx-abuse

Opitons Blog (my opinion)

Everyone has their own feeling about drugs and the use of them and for my options blog I decided to share mine.

Drugs have always been something that has been frowned upon when they are used for things other the prescription reasons. However, I don’t think that looking down on someone just because they use drugs is right. I think that if people choose to do drugs and when they are under the influence of those drugs they aren't bringing harm to anyone else then they should be able to do what they choose to their own body.

In the current American society, at the age of 21, drinking alcohol is legal as long as you don’t drive while you are under the influence however the use of marijuana, cocaine, acid and others is not legal under any circumstances. It is known that alcohol changes the state of someone; it affects someone’s brain and their ability to control not only their words but their actions as well. It is known that many things happen while people are under the influence of alcohol such as domestic violence, people driving and not being able to control the car resulting in the death of other people. Although the drugs that I mentioned before have some of the potential to have the same effects they are not legal and for the most part not accepted in the American society.

If a person at the age of 21 is able to change themselves with alcohol, to me it only makes since that they should be able to make the same choice to alter themselves with another drug of their choice, no matter what that drug may be.

I do agree the drugs should not be legal for minors, however I feel as though if someone chooses to change their state of mind, they should be able to do in the way the choose with the drug of their choice (alcohol is considered a drug in this case).

Poll Results

In 2001 an estimated 7.1% of people 12 and older use or have used illicit drugs. According to the poll results people believe that people use drugs more often then they usually do. The most selected answer was 28.6% which is four times the actual amount. 30% of teens are offered drugs at some point in either high school or middle school, if you asked around the number would be different according to teens. Are drugs really abused as much as people think they are? If only 30% of teens are offered drugs then that's 70% that aren't offered them and of the 30% who are offered you have to take into account all of the students who say no. A common thought between those who use drugs and those who don’t is that they can be harmful but are they really abused as much as people think they are? People see one story about someone overdosing on drugs and think that they are being abused everywhere, where as in reality the use is much less then assumed.

Works Cited

"Drug Use Statistics." Parenting Teens Help and Advice - Parents of Teenagers Resources for Raising Your Teen. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. .

"Teen Peer Pressure - Peer Pressure Statistics, Facts." Troubled Teen Help Military Boarding Schools. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. .

Today

Today people have many different feelings and beliefs on drugs and if they should be used or not and if they should be legal or not. Some people believe that it is a self esteem issue as to why people use drugs other people believe that it is within a persons values and that their values will determine if they will become addicted or not. There are others, some are users others are not, who believe that drugs should be legal because it will help bring down the crime rate.

“The individual becomes addicted to a substance because it fulfills essential intrapsychic, interpersonal, and environmental needs” (enotes.com). This belief is that people become addicted to drugs because they have personal issues and they feel as though when they take the drugs they become a better person and the drugs enhance their personality. When someone is under the influence of drugs or alcohol they loose some of their realization as to what is going on and what they are doing causing them to do things that they wouldn’t normally do if they were sober. However there are casual drug users who don’t become addicted. These are the people who have a high self confidence and they don’t feel as though they need the drugs to become a better person so they don’t need the drugs they just want them. In both cases people feel as though drugs are bad and that something that alters your personality and changes who you are shouldn’t be used because they can be harmful to others. Under certain drugs some people who are naturally un-violent may become violent under the influence of drugs.

Although many people disagree with the use of drugs they do however think that they should be legal. With drug being illegal you have things like the drug wars. Because drugs are illegal people must be very secretive of the use and selling of them. Drug dealers usually carry some kind of weapon on them to not only help themselves stay out of trouble but from being hurt by the people that they sell to. However if drugs were legal people would be able to go to specific stores to be able to purchase it, there wouldn’t be as much stealing or violence to obtain the drugs.

The common thought through everyone’s mind is that drugs are bad. That they are harmful and enervate the body and potentially dangerous to others if people make poor decisions while under the influence (i.e. driving). Even people who use drugs acknowledge that they are harmful and choose to not care and use them anyway.

Sources:

"Values and Beliefs: Existential Models of Addiction: Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .

"War on Drugs - Pros And Cons." Men's Movement and Men's Rights - Fathers For Justice. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .

History

Drugs are something that people have used for as long as they have been on the Earth. Humans are attracted to anything that makes them feel better and happier. As the government realized that drugs were something they needed to control the use and abuse of them started to become out of control. As time went on different types of drugs started to appear and more serious effects.

At the start of the 19th century is when the United States started to really see drugs like heroin and cocaine and the effects that they have on people. At first the drugs had no regulation and drug like heroin and cocaine were used for medical needs and were given out without and sort of restriction. Coca-cola got it’s name because it originally contained syrup from the coca leaves that people also used to make cocaine.

During the 60’s is when people we introduced to drugs like LSD and other hallucinogenic types of drugs. This was also when people started to use cocaine, marijuana among other drugs at a much higher rate and the DEA attempted to create laws against drugs. There are still drugs that you can get for severe pain (i.e Vicodin

, oxycontin ect.) that with a perscription are still available and some people believe are just as harmful and addicting as other drugs that are completely illegal. Although many people disagree, the DEA considers alcohol a drug. Alcohol is a drug that is most commonly used and abused however it is the one that is completely legal once you are of age.

Drugs today are used for many different reasons. Some people use them to feel high and have highs they alter who they are. People use them to enhance their fun and to make everything better. There are also people who use all sorts of drugs for medical reasons. To rid their pain or to make them feel like they aren’t sick anymore.

Sources:"History of Drug Abuse." Forensic Toxicologist Provides Expert Services on Drugs, Alcohol and Toxic Substances. Web. 08 Oct. 2011. .

"The History Of Drugs." Drug Rehab Alcohol Drug Rehabilitation Addiction Treatment Programs. Web. 08 Oct. 2011. .

"History of the War on Drugs - War on Drugs History and Timeline." Civil Liberties at About.com - Your Guide to Civil Liberties News and Issues. Web. 08 Oct. 2011. .

"Why Are Drugs Illegal?" Opposing Views | Issues, Experts, Answers. Web. 08 Oct. 2011. .

Drugs

Why do people use drugs? Why are drugs illegal? Are drugs as bad for you as people say? These among other questions are what I hope to answer in this blog. Everyone tells you drugs are bad and that you shouldn't do them but I want to explore the reasons why. We know that they are harmful to the body but are they really as harmful as people make them sound? Basically, I want to see if drugs are really what people think they are and if people really use them for the reasons that people think they do.