Outline

I. Introduction

• Thesis: make a claim on a topic that can be argued

II. Reason 1: Why is your claim true? Give one reason.

• Support (evidence): a premise that helps prove (deductively or inductively) that reason 1 is correct or convincing.

III. Reason 2: Why is your claim true? Give one reason.

IV. Reason 3: Why is your claim true? Give one reason.

V. Counterargument/rebuttal: point to one objection that your opponent has raised AND say why their point is wrong.

VI. Conclusion

Sample outline

I. Thesis: The United States should legalize marijuana because it strengthens the country's economy.

I. Reason 1 (deductive): The government could tax all marijuana sells leading to an increase in revenue for the state.

• Support 1: Colorado collected around 70 million dollars in 2015 for marijuana sells (Time).
• Support 2: According to a Gallup poll, 13% of US men and 6% of US women use marijuana on a regular basis.
• Conclusion:While the percentage of marijuana users appears small, the number of actual users is in the millions given the large population of America. Therefore, legalizing and taxing pot smokers will bring in quite a large tax revenue. Look at Colorado, for example. They are a small state. However, due to the immense popularity of the plant, marijuana has generated quite a large sum for such a small state.

II. Reason 2 (inductive): Weed brings happiness, and happiness creates more productive workers.

• Support 1: JonhaRevesencio from Fastcompany notes, "A recent study by economists at the University of Warwick found that happiness led to a 12% spike in productivity, while unhappy workers proved 10% less productive."
• Support 2: Honestmarijuana.com describes being high as being "overcome with a powerful sense of palpable euphoria."
• Conclusion: Weed brings a great sense of happiness. If this happiness can happen during work, a worker will be more productive. Accordingly, a productive worker will increase the productivity of the entire company, and entire companies that are productive will boost the economy.

III. Counterargument: One might argue that marijuana is a gateway drug, which would outweigh any of the benefits that may come from it.

• Rebuttal: However, that is a common misconception.
  • Support: "Every year, the federal government funds two huge surveys on drug use in the population. Over and over they find that the number of people who try marijuana dwarfs that for cocaine or heroin" (Maia Szalavitz, TIME).

§  Explanation: Because weed users vastly outnumber cocaine and heroin users, using weed does not automatically mean that people will try the more "hardcore" drugs.