Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-106) and index.

Introduction: background to controversy: marijuana and medicine -- Section one: opposing viewpoints on marijuana -- Viewpoint 1: Marijuana is a dangerous drug / Joseph V. Amodio -- Viewpoint 2: The dangers of marijuana are exaggerated / Maia Szalavitz -- Viewpoint 3: Marijuana should be legal / Steve Maich -- Viewpoint 4: Marijuana should be illegal / John P. Walters -- Viewpoint 5: Marijuana has medicinal value / National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws -- Viewpoint 6: Marijuana is not medicine / Andrea Barthwell -- Section two: Model essays and writing exercises -- Preface A: The five-paragraph essay -- Preface B: The expository essay -- Model essay 1: The effects of marijuana -- Exercise 1: Create an outline from an existing essay -- Model essay two: Marijuana should be legal -- Exercise 2a: Create an outline from an existing essay -- Exercise 2b: Create an outline for an opposing expository essay -- Model essay three: The medical-marijuana debate -- Exercise 3a: Examining introductions and conclusions -- Exercise 3b: Using quotations to enliven your essay -- Final writing challenge: Write your own expository five-paragraph essay -- Section three: Supporting research material -- Appendix A: Facts about marijuana -- Appendix B: Finding and using sources of information -- Appendix C: Using MLA style to create a works cited list -- Appendix D: Sample essay topics -- Organizations to contact for further reading.