Mini-Debates

Legalizing
Marijuana
In this lesson you will read about the legalization
of marijuana. You will consider the health effects of
marijuana in comparison to alcohol and other drugs,
and debate with your classmates about whether or
not recreational marijuana should be legal.

Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. Why do you think marijuana is illegal in most countries?

“Doesn’t the idea
2. W
 hat similarities and differences do marijuana, tobacco, coffee, of making nature
and alcohol have? Which do you think is most harmful to humans?
against the law
3. Is it necessary for a government to regulate the consumption seem a bit...
of natural products? Who benefits from these regulations?
unnatural?”
—Bill Hicks, comedian
B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

1. turn a blind eye a)  buying and selling illegally

2. banned b)  the act of owning or having control of something
3. possession c)  a rule or restriction
4. regulation d)  to pretend not to notice something that is against the rules, to ignore
5. registry e)  not allowed, prohibited
6. trafficking f)  to make something less of a crime (i.e., you may be fined but not jailed)
7. gateway drug g)  a drug that leads to the use of a more harmful drug
8. recreational h)  a record of information
9. prohibition i)  a ban of a substance by law (e.g., alcohol)
10. decriminalize j)  for the purpose of fun or entertainment

Copyright 2017, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T – A DV / V E R S I O N 2 . 0) 1
 Legalizing Marijuana
Mini-Debates

Reading
LEGALIZING MARIJUANA
Planting the Seed

1. M
 any people think marijuana should be a legal substance. Unlike
tobacco and alcohol, which are both legal in most countries, marijuana
rarely leads to death or serious health problems. In many parts of
the world, marijuana is legally used for medicinal purposes. In some
countries, it is illegal to buy and sell marijuana, though authorities
turn a blind eye to its usage. In much of the world, marijuana is a Pronunciation Tip:
banned substance, and possession results in fines or jail time. While
“Illegal” and “legal” are
some people think marijuana is harmless, others fear that legalizing antonyms, so be sure to
it will send a bad message to young people about drug use in general. pronounce “illegal” with three
distinct syllables so that
2. In 2013, Uruguay became the first country to legalize the growing, listeners can clearly hear which
selling, and smoking of marijuana. The government put a few word you mean. Most people
regulations in place. First, tourists are not allowed to buy marijuana pronounce the first syllable
in Uruguay. Second, legal marijuana is sold by the government. Next, in “illegal” with a short i ( /ɪ/ )
buyers have to join a special registry. Lastly, Uruguayans are legally sound or a schwa, while some
use a long e sound ( /i:/ ).
allowed to grow six personal marijuana plants each year.

3. S
 tatisticians are watching Uruguay to see what will happen. Will
drug trafficking become less of a problem? Will people switch from
smoking tobacco to smoking marijuana? If they do, will the population
become healthier? And lastly, will marijuana prove to be a gateway
drug as many fear, or not?

4. O
 n April 13, 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a plan to
legalize marijuana for Canadians 18 and over. One of the Canadian
government's goals is to change the fact that teens are the heaviest
marijuana users. Can this goal be accomplished by legalizing the drug
for personal use for adults and putting harsher penalties into place for
selling drugs to minors?

5. In the US, the War on Drugs is a government effort to prevent

recreational drug use. As history has shown, however, prohibition
does not prevent drug use. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are
charged every year for possession of illegal marijuana, and many face
jail time. This is extremely costly for the taxpayer. A high percentage
of the American public and some politicians are shifting in favor of
decriminalizing marijuana. In 2012, Washington State and Colorado
decided to legalize recreational marijuana use. A number of other US
states are expected to follow in their footsteps. Time will tell whether
consumers are willing to pay high taxes on legal marijuana, or whether
they will continue to use illegal sources for their recreational drugs.

Copyright 2017, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T – A DV / V E R S I O N 2 . 0) 2
 Legalizing Marijuana
Mini-Debates

Comprehension
Discuss these questions in pairs,
and write the answers in your notebook.

1. D
 iscuss the subtitle. What is the literal 4. Why does the reading mention Washington State?
meaning? What is the idiomatic meaning?
5. W
 hat can be inferred from
2. Why does the reading mention tobacco? the last line of the reading?

3. W
 hat are Uruguayans allowed to do if
they don’t want to join a marijuana registry?

Vocabulary Review
A. Complete the Sentences

Complete the sentences using a vocabulary word from page 1.

1.  of alcohol typically results in underground businesses and trafficking.

2. The current government don’t allow tourists to legally buy marijuana.

3. Some who oppose the law think marijuana is a to cocaine.

4. If authorities recreational marijuana, fewer Americans would face jail time.

5. Pocket knives are one of many items in airplane cabins.

6. How much marijuana did she have in her ?

B. Synonyms

Circle the synonyms in each group of words.

1. a
 ) prohibit 3. a
 ) trafficking 5. a
 ) prohibited 7. a
 ) illegal
b) legalize b) selling b) banned b) lawful
c) allow c) smoking c) permitted c) against the law

2. a
 ) possession 4. a
 ) ignore 6. a
 ) regulation 8. a
 ) buyers
b) gateway b) turn a blind eye b) recreational b) registry
c) ownership c) discover c) rule c) records

Copyright 2017, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T – A DV / V E R S I O N 2 . 0) 3
 Legalizing Marijuana
Mini-Debates

Cannabis
SLANG AND VOCABULARY

Did you know that material from the cannabis plant is known as
“hemp”? When used as a medicinal drug, it is called “medical marijuana”.
As a recreational drug it may be called “pot”, “weed”, “bud”, or other
names. The word “pothead” is used to describe someone who smokes
marijuana often and seems to always be in a relaxed state. A “joint” is
the term for marijuana rolled up in a piece of paper.

Discuss Debate
Work with a partner or in small groups. Below are two topics to debate in small groups or
Discuss the following questions. pairs. Your teacher will tell you if you will be debating
for or against the idea. You will have ten minutes to
1. I f legalized, should marijuana become prepare your arguments.
available in convenience stores and grocery stores?
TOPIC #1
2. H
 ow are taxpayers affected by
the legalization of marijuana?
Marijuana should be legalized around the
3. In your opinion, what, if anything, is an world and regulated by the government.
appropriate  punishment for the illegal
possession of marijuana? TOPIC #2

4. If marijuana is legalized, will other drugs be next?

Legalizing marijuana will send the wrong
5. S
 hould people be allowed to grow marijuana message to kids that drug use is acceptable.
plants for their own personal use? Why or why not?

6. Do you think that harsher penalties, such as

increased jail time, will stop people from selling
drugs to minors?

Research & Critical Thinking Write

Many people say that they are against the legalization Choose one of the questions from the Discuss
of marijuana, but for the decriminalization of it. section above. Then write a paragraph in
Explain this position and comment on it. You could your notebook stating your own opinion.
do a little research about marijuana use in the
Netherlands or Canada. Share your findings with
your classmates.

Copyright 2017, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T – A DV / V E R S I O N 2 . 0) 4
 Legalizing Marijuana
Mini-Debates

Useful Expressions and Transitions for Debating

Agreeing and Disagreeing Expressing an Opinion

• That doesn’t take away from the fact that... • In my honest opinion...
• That’s beside the point. • It is my belief that...
• With all due respect... • From my experience...
• I agree with you there. • From where I look at it...
• I agree with ---- (name). • From my point of view...
• I see your point, but...
• That may be true, but...
Clarifying / Rephrasing
• We’re going to have to agree to disagree.
• I get/see where you’re coming from, but... • Let’s be clear here...
• I’m afraid I disagree entirely. • I think you misunderstood what I said.
• I’m afraid I’d have to disagree. • What I said was... (repeat a point
• I agree to some extent, but... that was misunderstood or confused)
• I disagree with you there. • What I meant to say was...
• Pardon me for disagreeing, but... (rephrase something in a way that is clearer)
• In other words...
• What I was trying to say
Interrupting / Asking to Contribute
before I was interrupted is that...
• I hate to interrupt, but...
• If I may come in here...
Summarizing / Concluding
• I’d like to add something.
• Would you like to contribute something? • So let me get this straight. You think...
• I’d like to raise a point. • To conclude...
• If I could speak for a moment... • I’d just like to summarize by saying...
• I’d like to cut in here. • Finally, I’d like to reiterate that...
• You haven’t answered my question. • It’s time to take stock of what we’ve heard today.
• Both sides have some valid points.
• The stronger argument/team today is...
Persuading

• Can you see where I’m coming from?

• I challenge you to give this a try/chance.
• I want you to see it my way.
• Put yourself in my shoes.
• Am I getting through to you?

Copyright 2017, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( I N T – A DV / V E R S I O N 2 . 0) 5