second assignment, philosophy paper

This assignment takes care of four paragraphs. The first two are the most important in your paper. This is the program you will follow in your paper. You tell the reader what you are going todo. Each thesis and counter paragraph has two points. Each each point is explained.
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in green you have the thesis and counter thesis entries.
in red you have the thesis and counter thesis points.
in yellow you have the explanation of the points 
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 In this paper I argue in favor the legalization of marijuana. First, the prohibition of marijuana attempts against personal freedoms we take for granted. Our laws should respect individual free will and the right of self-determination. Secondly, there is a majority of the public in favor of marijuana legalization. If Congress is supposed to represent the will of the people, they should change the laws prohibiting the use of marijuana.

Prohibitionists disagree. First, they believe that marijuana is addictive and may help create new consumers rather than rescuing current ones. Studies reported by The National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that 30 percent of those who use marijuana may have some degree of "marijuana use disorder." In addition, marijuana can be a gateway to  more addictive drugs, such as meth and heroin. Studies have consistenly shown that individuals who have had experiences with marijuana are more likely to try these other drugs.

Paragraph 1 is the thesis paragraph. Paragraph 2 is the Counterthesis paragraph. See that each paragraph above has about 5 sentences. Keep your explanatory sentences (in yellow) short and to the point. Avoid unnecessary wording. Use my pluggings in green. Separate each point with "First" and "Secondly" or "In addition."
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Below comes the discussion of these points. In Paragraph 3 you go back to your thesis, but now you're going to take your first point, only now you flesh it out. Bring outside sources (experts, known magazines, studies, following MLA conventions). Paragraph 4 is the counter thesis turn to do the same. And so on...
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Marijuana legalization advocates argue that tax payers should be able to choose what they want with their bodies, including the recreational use of drugs, as long as they do not harm others. Such arguments often cite John Stuart Mill's harm principle, which urged that "the state had no right to intervene to prevent individuals from doing something that harmed them, if no harm was thereby done to the rest of society." (Mill, Liberty, 75). 

Marijuana legalization critics reject this idea. They believe marijuana is addictive and people who use marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop this use disorder than adults. Peter Maswell, a fellow researcher at St. Paul Hospital in Fresno cites a recent study where out of four million people with marijuana addiction only 140,000 voluntarily sought treatment. This shows that the disorder can morph into an addiction when the person can't stop using the drug even when it interferes with their daily activities. ( Maswell & Tipper, Fresno Journal).