Stop Treating Drug Users as Criminals

Write a reading response paper (two-three pages) based on the following topic: Gabor Maté in his essay titled “Stop Treating Drug Users as Criminals” (2013) argued that “emotional stress is the most consistent trigger for addictive behaviours” (para. 6). What is the connection between emotional stress and addictive behaviours? What are the limitations of his views? How do you explain the drug use among First Nations communities and/or the Attawapiskat suicide crisis in 2016?

Note:

You must quote Maté at least twice and paraphrase a sentence or a section of his essay at least once in your response.
Submit your assignment through the Dropbox in D2L.
Your assignment must be formatted in correct APA style throughout.
The assignment is worth 15% of your final grade. Information about the assignment due date is available in your course syllabus.
Ensure your paper has a clear thesis statement in the introduction.
Maté’s “Stop Treating Drug Users as Criminals” (2013) and “How do we heal trauma suffered by native communities?” (2016) should be the only two sources for this assignment. That is, extra research is not required. Do not use any other sources such as Wikipedia or online news websites.
Your essay should be at least two pages long, plus a cover page and a references page. If your essay is less than two pages, you will fail the assignment.
Your task in this paper is to respond to Maté’s argument with in-depth analysis or discussion on his two essays. Do NOT summarize the text at length or include a long quotation without any analysis.

Reading Response Paper Evaluation Rubric

Note: Your paper must be at least two pages long. You will fail the assignment if it is shorter than two pages.

Recommended structure:

Introduction

Your goal in this paragraph is to introduce your argument about the topic. There is no set way of going about this, but a good introduction should contain at least five sentences that set up the focus of the paper clearly:

Begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the theme or main argument of the primary text. Don’t start the introduction with a universal statement about the topic, human suffering, or our society. This is a waste of space in an essay.
Following the topic sentence, use three or more sentences to elaborate on the theme or argument of the text. Consider the following questions when you write this part of the introduction:
What is the author’s position in the primary text? (What is the main problem discussed by the author? What message is the author trying to convince you through the text? What lesson can be learned from the text?)
Why is the topic important? (Why should we care about the topic? Why is the topic/problem worth our attention?)
How do you respond to the author’s argument? (Do you agree or disagree with the author’s argument? What part of the text is valid, meaningful, or problematic to you? Why?)
Provide a thesis statement which clearly indicates your view on the topic. This is perhaps the most important sentence because it sets up the scope of your paper. Consider your thesis statement as an argument you want to prove; therefore, it cannot be a fact. For instance, “drug addiction is a problem in our society” is a weak thesis statement as it is a fact that you do not need to prove. The thesis statement will be better if you write, “The possible causes of drug addiction can include psychological trauma during childhood and depression developed in adulthood.” This is a working thesis statement because it contains an argument that needs to be proved: the causes of drug addiction are related to trauma and depression. There are many ways to write a thesis statement, but generally it includes:

Your view on the topic/subject + link + two to four main points

The possible causes of drug addiction can include psychological trauma during childhood and depression developed in adulthood.

It is discovered that people are likely to turn to drugs because of their psychological trauma during childhood and depression developed in adulthood.

Body

The goal in the body paragraphs is to prove or support your thesis statement. The number of body paragraphs should be equal to the number of your main points in the thesis statement. In the example above, two body paragraphs must be included in the essay. The information below, of course, is only a rough guideline as you may have fewer or more body paragraphs depending on the length of your assignment.

Body Paragraph 1

Begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that contains information about your thesis point 1. A body paragraph should ideally be eight to ten sentences long that include:

Discussion on the primary text

Remind your reader why you agree or disagree with the author and/or what part of the text is valid, interesting, or problematic to you. The intention is not to repeat the same information but to reinforce your argument. Adjust the wording of your sentences accordingly (i.e. use different words) and provide more details this time as you have more space in a body paragraph.

Textual evidence

Quote and/or paraphrase a meaningful passage from the primary text. The goal of including a quotation or a paraphrase is to (a) provide textual evidence to support your argument, (b) demonstrate your critical understanding of the text, and (c) unpack the underlying messages of the passage. After each quotation or paraphrase, a discussion on the quotation or paraphrase must be included.

Secondary source

Skip this guideline if secondary sources (i.e. peer-reviewed articles or Internet websites) are NOT allowed in the assignment.

Points to consider:

What is the argument or main point of the source? What is the research about?
How does the research illuminate or contradict the argument in the primary source? Why?
How would the author of the primary text respond to the argument of your research?
What is the connection of the source to the topic or your argument?
Concluding sentence

At the end of the body paragraph, use a sentence or two to summarize the points. The intention is to reinforce your argument in the current paragraph and/or make a smooth transition to the next body paragraph.

Body Paragraph 2

The structure of body paragraph 2 should be similar to body paragraph 1. The paragraph must contain a topic sentence, a few sentences that discuss and analyze the text, and a concluding sentence. In this paragraph, indicate the connection of your thesis point 1 and thesis point 2. You can show the connection of the two thesis points in the topic sentence or anywhere in the body paragraph. The purpose is to build a clear connection between the two body paragraphs.

Conclusion

The goal in the concluding paragraph is to reinforce your argument. Below are some strategies you can use to write an effective conclusion:

Answer questions that have not been answered in your essay.
End the essay with a speculation or an opinion when a clear decision/solution is not possible.
Revisit the primary text again and restate your opinion or thesis regarding the problem.

Please note that this is a recommended structure for the reading response paper and the research paper in English 1201. You must follow the assignment guidelines carefully. Consult with your instructor if you have any questions about the assignment or the recommended structure.

Below are some writing resources for you:

A sample five-paragraph essay: http://www.bareb7e.nelson.com/student/supp_readings.html

How to integrate a quotation into a sentence: https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_quoting.html

How to paraphrase (a YouTube presentation): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRaZXopR1d4

APA formatting and citation guide: http://bowvalleycollege.libguides.com/apa-style

E-tutor online writing support: http://etutoralberta.ca/

Bow Valley College’s writing tutor, Nadia Khan: https://nadia.youcanbook.me/

Nadia’s contact info: 403-355-4627 or nkhan@bowvalleycollege.ca

Bow Valley College’s Reboot learning coaches: http://www.bowvalleycollege.ca/campus-services/learner-success-services/tools-for-learning/reboot.html

……………………Answer Preview for Gabor Maté in his essay titled “Stop Treating Drug Users as Criminals”…………………….

Drug use is a problem the society faces in the modern day world and, so far, conventional methods to deal with the same appear futile. Governments across the world enact policies that seek out drug users and try, at times forcing them, to get into rehabilitation programs. In some cases, law enforcers arrest the addicts and take them to rehabilitation centers as the sentences for their crime. Drug abuse is, thence criminalized. Addiction specialist, Gabor Maté,questions the ability of the government “to rehabilitate large numbers of substance-dependent” (2013) individuals. The expert insists that the government is wrong in addressing the addiction problem as it does and should focus more on the causes of……

APA

724 words