Evaluate the following claim and provide pro- and counter arguments. Find supporting data, evidence, authority, check validity of your supporting source and of the opposing claims. Are there special interests that support or oppose the case? How authoritative are they?
Make sure you don’t only take one side but weigh up the support and evidence for each side. Ask yourself which arguments are more valid than others and why.
In the end you should come to a conclusion that is based not on your initial feeling about the claim but on the strengths of the claims, evidence and the support they get.
Organize the pro- and counter arguments according to their weakness and strength and state why the claims or counter claims are weak or strong.

Marijuana should be legalized
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Pro-

1. Prohibition must be weighed against the loss of personal freedom. Countries have a responsibility to respect individual free will and the right of self-determination.
2. The immorality of marijuana use can only be based on one set of moral beliefs. By taking a “moral” stand against recreational drugs, or fighting the evils caused by the illegal drug trade they increase their popularity amongst constituents.
3. The War on Drugs serves the immediate interests of politicians. By taking a “moral” stand against recreational drugs, or fighting the evils caused by the illegal drug trade they increase their popularity amongst constituents.
4. Legal prohibition does not stop consumers from consuming drugs, it does not stop traffickers from producing and selling it. The price of the final product increases to abnormally high values because of the black market status, which together with the powerful effects of ADDICTION causes users to commit crimes in order to fund their addiction.
5. Critics of the War on Drugs advocate the partial or complete decriminalization of illegal drugs, combined with a system of regulation, as happens with alcohol and prescription drugs. By providing LEGAL SUPPLIES of currently illegal drugs the price will fall, leading to a collapse in the illegal drug industry, and a reduction in crimes committed by both drug suppliers and users. They also argue that the reduction in the price will lead to little, if any, growth in drug addiction, due to the inelasticity of demand. Some even state that in a strictly regulated market, drug use may fall overall, by removing the marketing activities of the illegal drug industry.
6. It is not worthwhile for a law to forbid people from willingly exposing their own bodies to harm by using drugs, any more than by overeating or bungee-jumping. Obesity is a national epidemic, killing millions every year, but the government has no right to regulate how much citizens eat.
7. Drug users exercise free will when they chose to use drugs; a person has the right to give up his or her own freedom. A Government does not have the right to dictate them. No drug eliminates free will. It is possible to quit using any drug. Many banned drugs are significantly less deleterious to free will than legal alcohol or tobacco. Severe physiological addiction has been demonstrated for tobacco (stronger than cocaine), but no strong physiological addiction has been shown for marijuana.
8. Illegal Drug dealers will sell to anyone, including children. Merchants who