Writing an Expository Essay About Marijuana
Table of contents:
When you pick marijuana to write about as the subject of an expository essay, it’s very important to remember that these kinds of essays are all about facts and showing both (or more) sides of the picture, rather than attempting to persuade the reader of a particular opinion.
Introduction
The first paragraph of your essay should begin with a hook which invites your readers in and gets them interested. You should also set expectations for who your audience should be, whether that’s fellow students, patients who might want access to medical marijuana, doctors who might have to decide whether to prescribe it or not, or lawmakers who will need to decide how marijuana might be classified as a drug.
The other thing your introductory paragraph needs to contain is a thesis, a statement of purpose. This is the most important sentence in your essay and sets out the topic you are going to be discussing.
This is a good point at which to think about what kind of expository essay you’re going to be writing. There are five kinds: problem/solution, comparison, descriptive, how-to, and cause/effect. An essay about marijuana could fall into any one of these categories.
For instance, you could discuss the issue of medical marijuana, presenting it as a solution to the search for a painkiller that does not have unpleasant side effects like many other painkillers. Or you could describe the process of accessing medical marijuana from a doctor in Australia or address the question of how to approach writing a letter to a lawmaker about the subject of marijuana’s drug classification. Alternatively, you could discuss the effects of the recent change in law to allow Australian medical cannabis to be exported.
Whatever you eventually settle on, before you start writing, make an outline of your points, writing your thesis up at the top of the page. All the points, of course, have to be in line with the thesis, backing it up. For example, if you are discussing the controversy between people who feel that marijuana should be legal versus people who feel marijuana should not be legal, your thesis might state: “Although marijuana’s use for medical purposes has recently been made allowable by legislation, controversy still rages between those in favour of the law and those against it.”
Body paragraphs
Once you’ve determined your thesis and made an outline of the points you will be discussing, writing the body of your paper should be relatively straightforward, as all you need to do is flesh out those points, citing evidence where appropriate. Remember to keep your reasons factual, leaving opinion out of it. You should have at least three paragraphs’ worth of discussion in the body of your paper.
Conclusion
Having completed your introduction and body, all that remains is your conclusion. To finish off, sample your points and cover them briefly again, and also restate your thesis in different words, reflecting the knowledge that the reader now has. Conclude with a final attention-grabbing point or question. That should leave you with a stellar expository essay about marijuana!
