marijuana should not be considered an illicit drug.

I would like to commence by pointing out that the terms of the resolution have not yet been declared. Therefore, before starting my arguments, I feel it necessary to define them. Here they are: Marijuana: the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, used for its euphoric effects, esp in the form of cigarettes [1] Should: Used to express probability or expectation [2] Not: In no way; to no degree. Used to express negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition [3] Considered: Highly regarded; esteemed [4] Illicit: Illegal [5] Drug: A chemical substance, such as a narcotic or hallucinogen, that affects the central nervous system, causing changes in behavior and often addiction [6] I would like to now rephrase the resolution to "Marijuana probably or expectedly should not be esteemed as an illegal chemical", which has the exact same meaning. I would now like to argue my opponent's arguments: 1. People are led to believe that marijuana is more potent then it used to be. Whether or not this is true, this does not tell me why marijuana should be esteemed as an illegal drug. It doesn't say why it is highly regarded as an illegal substance. This point is void. 2. Marijuana contains over 400 chemicals, thus proving that marijuana is dangerous. Exactly. Dangerous things aren't esteemed by most people. Therefore it is not probable to be esteemed by a person. Leaving that aside, though, if rat poison has 30 chemicals and marijuana has over 400, that instills me with a lot of fear. Anyways, marijuana has an active ingredient of THC, which is very dangerous and harms the brain tissue [6] It has also been proven to increase the risk of cancer, due to the high amounts of cancerinogens. [7] So, the chemicals in marijuana are clearly very harmful. 3. Many people are also led to believe that Marijuana is a gateway drug. This again does not show why marijuana should not be esteemed as an illegal drug. Just because it doesn't necessarily lead to harder drugs doesn't mean that it shouldn't be illegal. Robbing stores doesn't necessarily lead to murder, but just because it doesn't necessarily do that doesn't mean its not bad. That makes no sense! I'm running out of time, so I'm gonna go straight to my arguments. I'll keep them short for now and expand on them later. 1. Marijuana is very dangerous. It contains THC and carcinogens. Based on that alone, it should be illegalized, because it is a danger to the public. 2. Marijuana is, by most people's standards, not esteemed as an illegal drug at all. If it is esteemed, it's not esteemed because it's illegal. 3. Marijuana is actually addictive for many. [8] An addictive substance is very dangerous to the person who is addicted, and a dependency due to addiction, which is common with marijuana addiction, can lead to violent acts and self-harm i order to obtain some of the substance. That includes theft. [1] . http://www.thefreedictionary.com... [2]. http://www.thefreedictionary.com... [3]. http://www.thefreedictionary.com... [4]. http://www.thefreedictionary.com... [5]. http://www.thefreedictionary.com... [6]. http://www.homedrugtestingkit.com... [7]. http://en.wikipedia.org... [8]. http://addiction-dirkh.blogspot.com... And by the way, your source is blocked due to Conficker and Spyware threats ;). Just wanted to let you know.