Running head: Worse Case Analysis

Worst case Analysis

Tyreik Riggs
Montgomery College

Worst Case Analysis

Tyreik Riggs
Professor Storm
English 102
2/16/2016

Many people like to imagine what America would be like if marijuana was legal. In
Recreational Marijuana: How likely is the Worst-Case Scenario? by D. Mark Anderson and
Daniel I. Rees, the authors argue what they believe are the likely effects of legalization of
recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington. The author Mark Anderson is an Assistant
Professor majoring in applied microeconomics and teaches in the Department of Agricultural
Economics at Montana State University. Daniel I. Rees is a Professor at University of Colorado
Denver. The predictions that the authors discuss involve the impact of cannabis legalization on
spirit use, the value of cannabis, and other cannabis use related issues. The authors effectively
use tools such as thesis and organization, evidence, and stylistic techniques to convey their
predictions on how likely the worst case scenario is.
The authors use of thesis and organization play a large role in the effectiveness of this
article. The authors organization follows refutation order where the authors present the opposing
arguments and go into deeper detail to refute the opposing arguments with much more detailed
explanations of the writers perspective. The authors present the opposing arguments addressing
a drug experts expectation which reads, According to Kleiman, this scenario would involve
three elements: more heavy drinking, carnage on our highways, and a massive increase in the
use of marijuana by minors (Livingston, 2013).(1) The authors use the points presented by

Worst Case Analysis

Kleiman to structure each point of discussion effectively refuting the claims being made by the
opposing side. The authors also include supporting facts such as crime rates and other public
health outcomes, which were not mentioned by the opposing sides argument. Using supporting
facts and citing credible sources, allow the authors to effectively refute and also make a point to
the reader that the authors are the ones who see the bigger picture. The thesis in terms of
rhetorical strategies must be debatable and should state the authors position on the particular
issue. While the thesis of this article is broad enough, the authors fail to make a firm stand as to
what side they are supporting with their thesis statement. Without a thesis statement that clearly
states on position on a certain issues the argument of this article becomes unclear and difficult to
understand.
For an author to effectively convince his or her audience the author must be credible and
follow up with evidence for each of their arguments or claims. Each claim made by the authors
was consistently supported by facts and statistics pertaining to their argument. An example of
the authors supporting their claims is during their discussion on traffic fatalities which reads
Using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the period 1990- 2010,
Anderson, Hansen, & Rees (2013) examined the effect of legalizing medical marijuana on traffic
fatalities. They found that legalizing medical marijuana was associated with a 13 percent
decrease in fatalities involving alcohol.(8). This piece of evidence is very effective in pushing
Anderson and Rees argument because it comes a reliable source and is a statistic which is
something that is hard to refute in an argument. Overall the evidence used by Anderson and Rees
is almost solely facts which make the argument made by this article very effective in pushing
their idea that the worst case scenario for the legalization of marijuana is possible but also very
un likely.

Worst Case Analysis

The Rhetorical strategies used in an argumentative article should make the authors
argument more convincing and more memorable. The authors use an allusion by referencing the
drug expert Kleiman in the conclusion. Essentially the authors use the allusion to diminish the
idea the opposing sides predictions for the future of Colorado and Washington State. This use of
allusion is very effective in convincing the audience because it reassures the reader that the
claims made by the opposing side are very unlikely to become true. Also by using this allusion to
reference to the opposing sides claims, the authors avoid getting into lengthy discourse to make
their point.
The use of a rhetorical question is also very prevalent in the effectiveness of this article.
The title of this article is How likely is the Worst Case Scenario? The title of the article is very
ingenious in that it creates doubt in the readers mind of the opposing sides argument. The
reason that the rhetorical question in the title is so effective is that once the reader reads the
article the title essentially becomes sarcastic. Allusion is another stylistic device used by
Anderson and Rees when wrapping up their final thoughts. The last sentence uses an allusion
effectively keeping the conclusion short and causing the reader to reflect on what Anderson and
Rees were arguing. While the authors do not actively use stylistic techniques as much as they
could have they do enough to make the article efficient and memorable.
The authors use many effective writing strategies to support their argument. Thesis,
organization, allusion, evidence, and other stylistic techniques help to bolster their positions. The
evidence used came before many of the authors claims allowing for little room for refutation of
their arguments. While their initial stance on the issue was a little unclear in the beginning the
authors effectively make it clear what side they stand with in their body and concluding

Worst Case Analysis

paragraphs. Overall the article makes a strong case on how legalization of cannabis would affect
the states Colorado and Washington.

Reference page

Worst Case Analysis

Anderson, D. M., & Rees, D. I. (2014). The Legalization of Recreational Marijuana:

How Likely Is the Worst-Case Scenario?. Journal Of Policy Analysis &
Management, 33(1), 221-232. doi:10.1002/pam.21727