Cartels vs the Republic

It is clear that my opponent is making an all out attack on users of marijuana. Therefore, I will do that same for my case. My opponent has made the statement that "this debate is geared toward demographics, not the ideology, of marijuana use". However, my opponent uses words such as "bigot", womanizers, drug addicts, lazy spouses and depressed people, which in turn I will pose the question : how is your argument not geared towards the ideology of marijuana usage when you use the above terms to describe it's users? My opponent has also made the statement that "medical marijuana does not conclusively cure any afflictions". I completely agree with this statement. However, many drugs are in use today that do not cure afflictions, especially afflictions of the mind. Some examples of drugs that do not cure but "mask" the problem (and I will use my own experience with mental illness as example) are antipsychotics, anti-depressants, and nerve medication. Also, my opponent has not provided any scientific arguments but insists that his argument is scientific in nature, when in fact, it is completely ideological. I will provide scientific arguments for my position. In an article by npr.org, the author does state that marijuana does cause psychotic symptoms, however, it does not cause a complete psychosis, much like that found in disorders of the mind such as schizophrenia. The author makes the following statement: "Drugs like marijuana or methamphetamine can make someone experience symptoms like paranoia, hostility and disorganized thinking. But that's very different from a chronic, persistent psychotic disorder like schizophrenia." Notice that the author says it "can" cause some psychotic thinking, but not a total psychosis of the mind ( I am schizophrenic and have never used marijuana in my life, so I have experience with this issue). The amount of THC content in a strain of marijuana also contributes to the factor of psychotic thinking. A THC content of 15 percent or more would definitely cause a psychotic break, albeit temporarily. However, I am not advocating for high potency marijuana. I am arguing for a low potency, moreover a medically acceptable form of cannabis. My opponent also makes the statement that job creation is not real. In turn I will ask this question: where are the facts to back this up? An article from the reputable economic website forbes.com states that by 2020, the cannabis industry will create more than 250,000 jobs in the LEGAL cannabis market, talking about the legal cannabis market for medical purposes. The author of the article also makes this statement : "The legal cannabis market was worth an estimated $7.2 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 17%. Medical marijuana sales are projected to grow from $4.7 billion in 2016 to $13.3 billion in 2020. Adult recreational sales are estimated to jump from $2.6 billion in 2016 to $11.2 billion by 2020." The numbers posed by the author in terms of economic growth are astronomical. Why deprive the American economy of such a thriving industry that has the potential to create the amount of jobs described. The manufacturing job market is expected to decline with operations moving overseas, so why not replenish the job market with jobs in the cannabis industry? In conclusion, my opponent has made harsh statement that essentially cannot be backed with scientific and economic research. It seems as if my opponent is making an ad hominem attack on the cannabis industry in general, a common fallacy used in making a weak argument. I am simply stating the facts and research. I do not have a personal agenda concerning the cannabis industry. I am only providing what experts say. I feel that the cannabis industry is an answer to many problems we as Americans face on a daily basis. Sources http://www.npr.org... https://www.forbes.com...