LOOKING FOR RATIONAL APPROACHES THROUGH PROS AND CONS

"When these difficult Cases occur, they are difficult chiefly because
while we have them under Consideration all the Reasons pro and con
are not present to the Mind at the same time... To get over this, my
Way is, to divide half a Sheet of Paper by a Line into two Columns,
writing over the one Pro, and over the other Con... And tho' the
Weight of Reasons cannot be taken with the Precision of Algebraic
Quantities, yet when each is thus considered separately and
comparatively, and the whole lies before me, I think I can judge
better, and am less likely to take a rash Step..."

Benjamin Franklin Letter to Joseph Priestley September 19, 1772

http://www.ProCon.org/

Like Benjamin Franklin, many of us make difficult decisions by
penning pros and cons on a divided sheet of paper. Applying this
concept to the 21st Century, a non-profit called ProCon.org
established a website that over the last 20 years has picked "topics
that are complicated and important to many Americans and that fit
[ProCon.org's] mission of 'Promoting education, critical thinking,
and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a
straightforward, nonpartisan primarily pro-con format.'"

ProCon.org carries this simple divided list one step further by
assigning a ranking system to the citations used to substantiate the
pro and con positions. Statistical reports from government sources
secure the highest five star rankings, while experts, the media, and
organizations/VIPs scale respectively downward from four stars to one
star. ProCon.org applies a defined, objective methodology to its
ranking system, citations, and selection of topics for analysis.

While several categories touch on public policies toward illegal
drugs (ACLU, Death Penalty, Felon Voting, and Alternative Energy),
three speak directly to the topic: Sports and Drugs, Prescription
Drugs, and Medical Marijuana.

. Sports and Drugs: http://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/ - Prescription
Drugs: http://prescriptiondrugs.procon.org/ - Medical Marijuana:
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/

Sports and Drugs focuses on athletic competition and performance
enhancing substances, often hitting reform's radar when the target is
marijuana. Displayed in the recently-added Prescription Drugs
category are ads for yesterday's therapeutic agents, many of which
are now today's illicit substances. Cocaine toothache drops,
morphine cough syrup for children, Bayer brand heroin, and Eli Lilly
methamphetamine - side by side with ads for currently marketed
pharmaceuticals - show that legal versus illegal is more a function
of social mores and moral regulation than the drug itself.

The Medical Marijuana category illustrates this well. The "Should
marijuana be a medical option" link scrolls through pages and pages
of pro and con citations, with the "pros" eventually overcoming the
"con" argument to win the debate.

The utility of ProCon.org doesn't end with simply balancing the
debate; the site contains a wealth of information relating to
medicinal cannabis. Check out these links:

Medical Marijuana Historical Timeline. This cited timeline begins in
2737 BC and advances by major cannabis related event into the
present. Did you know that Gautama Buddha is said to have survived
by eating only cannabis seeds? Or that cannabis root applied to skin
eases inflammation? Learn more at:
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID

Peer-Reviewed Studies on Marijuana. The sixty-five studies that
comprise this list dispel the myth that no scientific research exists
concerning herbal cannabis. Labeled "Pro," "Con," or "Not Clearly
Pro or Con," the "Pros" are clearly winning.
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID

Deaths from Marijuana v. 17 FDA-Approved Drugs. This interesting
table found its roots in ProCon.org's Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) request to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the
number of deaths caused by marijuana compared to the number of deaths
caused by 17 FDA-approved drugs, many used in place of
marijuana. "Primary suspect of the death" for marijuana = 0.
"Primary suspect" for the 17 FDA-approved drugs = 10,008.
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID=000145

We live in complex and contentious times, marked by varied and
changing issues that often become mired in confusing messages from
conflicting messengers. ProCon.org's mission and format help sort
through the mountain of supporting and opposing viewpoints. As
Benjamin Franklin astutely observed, by evaluating an issue's pros
and cons, we can "judge better, and [be] less likely to take a rash step."