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Raequan Pressley
January 26, 2016
ENG 112-58
Rhetorical Analysis
Medical Marijuana Treatment for PTSD
The article Medical Marijuana Should Be Considered as a Treatment for Post-Traumatic
Disorder was written in 2014 and was written with the viewpoints of Steve Fox. The intention
of the article is to inform the reader about the benefits of medical marijuana and the effects it has
on veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The intended audience is
anyone who has a viewpoint on medical marijuana use. The audience is not limited but focuses
on veterans. Fox believes that medical marijuana has a positive effect on veterans who suffer
from PTSD and should be approved by the FDA for legal use. The article Some Experts
Disagree That Medical Marijuana Should Be Considered as a Treatment for Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder was written in 2014 by Joey Peters. His intention is to inform and persuade the
reader about the negative effects of medical marijuana. The intended audience is veterans and
anyone else who may have an opinion about medical marijuana. Joey Peters believes that
marijuana is addictive and is not a long term treatment for PTSD.
Foxs article is about the benefits of medical marijuana. Fox discusses a man named Tod
Mikuriya who is one of the pioneers of medical marijuana and published a paper in cannabis
research journal. He compared marijuana to FDA mandated drugs and stated that, Based on
both safety and efficacy, cannabis should be considered first in the treatment of post-traumatic
stress disorder. Fox provides evidence from others proving that medical marijuana is more

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beneficial to veterans with PTSD. In 1988 a hearing took place and the DEAs chief
administrative law judge, Francis Young stated, Marijuana in its natural form, is one of the
safest therapeutically active substances known to man FDA mandated drugs have been
shown to not be a long term treatment according to veterans, and usually requires the use of
multiple drugs at one time. Fox uses an informative technique, rather than giving his opinion,
and gives valid reason to support his position. The writer uses smooth transitions and is
extremely easy to read and understand. Even though many people agree that medical marijuana
is beneficial, the reader will become even more convinced that marijuana was helpful to
veterans. The organization of the article is immaculate. The writer never lost focus on the topic
and continued to give examples and proof of what he was stating. There arent many weaknesses
in the writing and content of the article, although the article should have included more about
what kind of benefits medical marijuana provided. The writer should have explained how
medical marijuana affected the veterans and how it made them feel as opposed to
pharmaceuticals from the FDA. The strengths of the article include a background introduction
on anti-psychotic drugs, information from studies and veterans who have used medical
marijuana, an easy to read style of writing and the ability to comprehend the writing. The author
does address opposition by comparing the effects of prescribed drugs with the use of medical
marijuana. He supports his position by giving information on his standpoint and uses the
statements of others such as, veterans and other pro-medical marijuana advocates.
The article Some People Disagree That Medical Marijuana Should Be Considered as a
Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is the article that was least effective. The content
suggests that marijuana is addictive and should not be used as treatment for PTSD. Patients are
being exposed to a harmful substance and the drug is not a long-term treatment, but may cause

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dependence. The article is written to inform and persuade and does not do so effectively. The
article is easy to read and understand and the writer displayed great organization but the article
does not give many supporting facts from anyone multiple people who have actually used
medical marijuana for PTSD. Joey Peters expresses his opinion in most of the article and even
though he references clinical studies, nothing supports his standpoint other than his opinion. The
weakness is lack of evidence regarding his standpoint. The strength is that the writer does have a
strong opinion about the topic and isnt afraid to voice that opinion. The article does address
opposition and he references one veteran who has used medical marijuana. He speaks of medical
marijuana making him feel good and that he has gone from 27 drugs to only using six. But
Peters says that medical marijuana is doing more harm than good because it is not mandated by
the FDA and has not been tested.
Fox was more effective in fulfilling his intention and does that by documenting
statements from prominent people who share his same viewpoints. He states that medical
marijuana in its natural form is more beneficial to veterans than any other pharmaceutical. He
appeals to his audience more by providing a more stable argument that includes references to
specific studies. Marijuana use in America is becoming more widespread for recreational use
and medical use. It helps those who are in pain, cancer patients and others and this debate will
continue as long as more people begin to use it. It is a Schedule 1 drug but is being used
medically and should be removed from the Schedule 1 drug list.

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Raequan Pressley
English 112-58
February 2, 2016
Essay
Works Cited
Fox, Steve. "Medical Marijuana Should Be Considered as a Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder." Behavioral Disorders. Ed. Roman Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press,
2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Marijuana May Help PTSD. Why Won't the Government
Find Out for Sure?" Washington Post 14 Oct. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 3 Feb.
2016.
Peters, Joey. "Some Experts Disagree That Medical Marijuana Should Be Considered as a
Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Behavioral Disorders. Ed. Roman Espejo.
Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Pot Shots."
Santa Fe Reporter 9 Oct. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.