Sample Argumentative Essay Introductions

- Animal testing
- Legalization of marijuana for recreational use
- Mandatory vaccinating

The intros. are color coded.

1) Attention getting statement

2) Background information

3) Personalized statement (Why did you choose this topic?)

4) Counter-argument statement

5) Refute statement (OPTIONAL IN YOUR INTROS.)

6) Expression of recognition of the other side (which leads into. the thesis statement)

7) Argumentative/Thesis Statement

Necessary or unnecessary? Productive or unproductive? These are the questions! The role and
treatment of animals in society is a highly debated issue around the world. One particular focus of this
debate is the issue of animal testing. According to dictionary.com, animal testing refers to the use of
non-human animals in research and development projects especially for purposes of determining safety
of substances such as drugs/medicines, food, and household products, etc. I chose this topic because it
is something that is contentious, and I wanted to learn about and become more aware of both sides of
the issue. Animal rights activists – or in other words, people who fight for the rights of animals, believe
that animal testing should be banned because it is cruel and there are other, better alternatives.
However, many scientists and medical researchers disagree and argue that modern medicine and life all
together would fall apart without animal testing. While it may be true that animal testing is cruel to
animals, the evidence suggests that animals make better research subjects and researchers follow
guidelines to protect the animals as best as they can with the goal of confirming the safety of products
including medicine, food, and other daily products people use.
 “It is not a war on drugs, but a defense of our minds, of our brains.” (Madras, 2016, para. 3)
Marijuana is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried flowers of Cannabis Sativa. Based upon a study done
by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), marijuana is the most abused drug in the United States.
It has been legalized for medical or recreational use in only a small number of states in the US
(Drugs.com, 2015), but remains illegal in most places around the globe. Personally, I chose this topic
because I know that marijuana is a drug that a lot of people use, but as a future doctor, I am aware that if
people don’t use it properly, it can cause negative effects and have repercussions on people’s health.
There are those who defend the legalization of marijuana for recreational use and believe that marijuana
is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, which are already legal, and to use it should be a matter of
freedom and personal choice. While it may be true that the use of marijuana in small or controlled
amounts is not so harmful like alcohol or tobacco, the evidence suggests that legalization of marijuana for
recreational use must not be approved because marijuana is addictive, and dependence on the drug will
increase with its legalization; furthermore, marijuana use harms the user physically and mentally
leading to more medical issues due to its effects.

According to the World Health Organization, intensified vaccination campaigns have helped
eradicate smallpox, polio cases have decreased by over 99%, and global measles mortality has declined
by 74%. (10 Facts on Immunization, n.d .) Vaccines are a preparation of modified or attenuated samples
of microorganisms, which lead to the artificial increase of immunity to that specific pathogen and the
illness it causes. The term “infectious” refers to diseases caused by a microorganism such as bacteria,
viruses, parasites, and fungi; also, infectious illnesses can be transmitted from one animal or person to
another by direct or indirect contact. (Infectious Diseases, n.d.) As a medical student, controversial
topics referring to public health are relevant; therefore, vaccines are interesting for me because they
have been one of the most groundbreaking discoveries in medicine. Mostly in the United States, certain
groups consider that vaccines have serious risks, that the risks outweigh the benefits, and that there is a
direct relationship between the development of autism and vaccination; thus, they are against
immunization. Even though this treatment has risks that come with it, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention state that vaccines are safe and significantly reduce mortality rate of diseases that used
to be fatal for human beings (Vaccine Safety, 2020), prevent infections caused by microorganisms, and
protect future generations from acquiring those infectious illnesses, and hence, mandatory vaccination
(starting at a young age) should be implemented.