Legalizing Marijuana in the State of Maryland

Legalizing Marijuana in the State of Maryland

What is an Op-Ed?
Op-ed stands for opposite editorial. Instead of a typical article written by a newspaper employee, it
is a strong opinion held by a community member unaffiliated with the newspaper. These are typically
argumentative essays in support for your side of the issue. Therefore, in this paper you will choose
any topic related to health/health care in the US that you are strongly passionate about and argue for
your personal opinion. You must use evidence from doing research to support your arguments.
Before you start:
 Read these instructions fully and then click the hyperlinks found in this document and review
the content for advice and guidance on writing a great opinion editorial.
 The idea for this assignment is to serve as a contrast to the midterm regarding writing style,
tone, jargon, etc.—formal research paper versus informal opinion piece.
 Choose a topic you are truly passionate about. Seriously, I cannot stress this enough. Almost
any topic can be related to healthcare so please do not hesitate to email me with ideas for my
feedback.
 Use Grammarly! It’s free to create an account if you don’t have one. Just remember that it’s a
software and occasionally suggests fixes that are incorrect.
 Read some editorials from the opinion section of your local newspaper’s website, the
NY Times and Washington Post (the two most prestigious op-ed sections) to get a good
understanding of the tone and style of good op-eds.
Overview
Choose an ongoing issue that you find important which is currently in the news and relevant to this
course. This topic should have a direct impact on CT (or your home state or country’s) citizens. Write
an Op-Ed arguing for one side of the issue. Write the op-ed like you plan on sending it to the Hartford
Courant or the New Haven Register (or your local newspaper) for publication in their Opinion

HLTH 2200-01W Summer 2022 MT1
section. The US Healthcare System is large and encompasses numerous topics, so I intentionally left
the essay topic parameters broad so that each of you can find a topic you are truly passionate about.
For example, the most creative paper I have read was about the picture painted of the social, health,
and health care inequity in a student’s favorite hip-hop album. The student defended the
violent/drug-related lyrics by convincingly explaining that the hip-hop artist is only rapping about
his life—w hat he sees and experiences on a daily basis, arguing that those who come from a
‘privileged background’ should view hip-hop as a glimpse into the lives of a particular
disenfranchised population rather than criticize it for its vulgarity.
Examples of common topics include, but are not limited to: health equity & justice, discrimination in
healthcare, ACA public option expansion, universal healthcare, the opioid epidemic, cutting edge
technologies and innovations, health education, legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana (at the state
or federal level, respectively), pharmaceutical industry, lobbyists, politics, a component of your
current or prospective career field and its relation to healthcare, etc. Whatever you choose for a topic,
make sure that there is a clear and explicit link to the US healthcare system or the healthcare system
of your home country if you are an international student and would like to focus on that.
Audience
Your op-ed must be 1,500-2,500 words long. You may (and are encouraged to) use a first-person
perspective. In contrast to the midterm essay, you may use “informal” language like contractions (e.g.,
I’m rather than I am). Keep your paragraphs short and engaging, 3-5 sentences. Some ‘paragraphs’
can be a single sentence or even a single word if it is impactful!
The tone should not be passive; this is an issue you are passionate about, so make sure the
essay reads like it by using an active voice!
An op-ed should not read like a formal research paper (e.g., the midterm essay)—your goal is for
‘everyday people’ to read your opinion in the newspaper or online news outlet and gain their support
on the issue. The majority of your audience are not experts in the health field, and many are clueless
about the healthcare system in general, so make sure to avoid using excessive jargon. The trick is to
write it so that your family member who knows nothing about your topic will ‘get it’ by the time they
finish reading your essay. All citations should be in the form of a hyperlink to the primary source; the
op-ed should not contain a references section/bibliography at the bottom of the paper.
Assignment Requirements

HLTH 2200-01W Summer 2022 MT1
ï‚· A strong argumentative paper that avoids passive language!
ï‚· Title of your paper should be at the top of the first page in large, bolded font (like at the top
of this document)
o Do not create a title page or write an abstract.
ï‚· Any professional font at size 11 or 12
ï‚· Double or 1.5 space with standard margins (which is the default in Word)
ï‚· A space in between paragraphs
 Your name as the running header at the top of each page (where it says ‘HLTH 2200-01W’ on
this document)
ï‚· Page numbers at the bottom of each page (center or right)
ï‚· Hyperlinked citations
o Like I have done on this document; again, click the hyperlinks I have created
instructions for guides and tips on writing a strong paper and hyperlinking in Word.
o Do not include a bibliography at the end of the paper.
 An original subtitle related to your topic for each ‘significant’ section of the paper, except for
the introduction. Please be creative with what you title each section! Just try to keep it five
words or less.
Sample Outline Template (‘Significant’ sections in italics)
 Introduction: Introduction to your paper and identifying the central issue of your
argument/opinion)
o Subtitle is unnecessary here because it should be right under the main title of the
paper
 Background: Background information detailing the central issue you’re writing about
o What is the issue/problem?
o When did it happen and what led to it?
o Why is it important for the general public to be aware of it? And why is it important
for society that it is addressed and/or solved? (Basically, why should the reader
care?)
o How should the problem be addressed? (This should be your thesis statement)
 Thesis statement: One sentence at the end of your ‘Background’ section that
succinctly describes your idea on how to address the issue

HLTH 2200-01W Summer 2022 MT1
 Supporting statements: Evidence that supports your plan on addressing the issue
o This should be the ‘meat’ of your essay and well researched.
 Opposing viewpoints: Identifying and addressing opposing viewpoints
o What are the biggest and strongest arguments from “the other side”? (Often political)
o Your rebuttals (How would you defend your stance/proposal to those critics and
what is your evidence?)
 Conclusion: Short recap reminding why the reader should care about the issue, your plan on
how to address it, and your thoughts on the first steps the get the ball rolling (E.g., Politicians
need to draft a bill, etc.)
Want to get your work published in the paper?
Submitting your assignment to a newspaper or other news outlet for publication is not mandatory,
however, I encourage you to give it a shot if you are proud of your work and want the public to know.
Please notify me if you wish to submit it for publication and I will work with you to edit your paper,
so it fits the submission requirements. Typically, this means cutting it down to 750 or less words. I
have had students successfully publish this assignment in the past, including this very W section last
summer so don’t sell yourself short if you are proud of your work!

My title is what I pick as my essay, Maryland currently has decriminalized marijuana so why don’t they just legalize it overall.