1138 thorny issues drugs lively discussion topics

Lively Discussion Topics

Thorny Issues: Drugs
Read the
text

Vocabulary
high

Jimmy (20, marijuana smoker): Yeah I smoke pot, so what? It’s legal here in
Holland, so why not. I’m all for legalizing drugs, if you ask me. People have a
right to do what they want. I forget all my troubles when I’m high.
Lisa (17, takes ecstasy): When we go clubbing I take the occasional ecstasy
pill because then I feel great and can dance through the night.
John (30, shoots heroin): What I think about drugs? Hey man, they’re cool. I
mean, look at me; I’m having a great time. Alright, I lost my family and my job,
but that had nothing to do with drugs. I’m physically fit as well and my brain is
in excellent shape. I’m sorry what was the question again?
David (50, father of three): I lost my oldest son last year. Danny was only 19
when he died of a drug overdose. I think all drug dealers deserve a bullet.

legal
legalize
overdose

Soft drugs
marijuana

Discussion
Questions
1.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Using soft drugs is okay, using hard drugs isn’t.
Drug users should all be arrested and go to prison.
Drug dealers deserve the death penalty.
What can be done to fight against drug abuse?
Everyone should have the right to decide to take drugs or not.
The use of marijuana should be legalized.
Drug users don’t deserve subsidized health care.
Junkies will do anything for a ‘fix’. There’s no stopping them.
Going into rehab is only a temporary solution to a life-long problem.
There should be a zero-tolerance on all kinds of drugs worldwide.

Hard drugs
heroin

Brainstorm: For and
against
Why legalizing drugs is a good idea:

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Why legalizing drugs is a bad idea:

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Lively Discussion Topics

Take a stand: Debate, speak or
write
Prepare a short speech or essay in which you outline your point of view or take part in a class debate.
I am for/against legalizing drugs because…
Drug dealers should…
If I had someone close to me in such a situation…

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In some situations…
Using drugs is…
People who use drugs…

I would never…
Possible exceptions…
Finally…

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Lively Discussion Topics

Teacher Notes & Background Info
The idea of this lesson is to have a lively discussion on the worksheet topic. Students should be given a copy of
the first sheet of this file.
•

•
•
•

Allow some time for the Reading part. Let students either use a dictionary, put them in small groups to
discuss unknown vocabulary or act as a dictionary yourself. You could ask them to guess the meaning of
unknown words.
Depending on class size, have a whole-class (or group) discussion/debate using the Discussion Questions.
Brainstorm: Let students brainstorm either alone or in pairs; after that, they can share their idea with
others.
Take a stand: All students should prepare a short speech or essay. This could be done in group. As it might
be impossible to hear (or read) them all, you could ask groups to assign a number to each group member
(they do not need to tell the teacher). The teacher then picks a random number (say 1 – 4 if groups have
four members) and that student will give a short speech or read (part of) their essay aloud. Alternatively,
organize a whole-class debate (just make sure there are enough students in each ‘camp’.

These guidelines are of course flexible. A lesson using this worksheet will probably last 45 to 60 minutes
(depending on how much time you allow for preparing or writing and on how enthusiastic your students are).

Hard and soft drugs

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

A common classification of drugs into Hard drugs and Soft drugs. Some drugs cannot be clearly classified that way,
they are at the intersection of both circles.

Certain kinds of drugs that act on the nervous system are sometimes loosely classified. Usually there are the
following categories:

Hard drugs are drugs that lead to severe physical addiction. Many countries do not allow people to make, sell or use
some of them, other than for medical purposes. Examples of such drugs are Heroin, Methamphetamine (Meth), Alcohol
and Nicotine. If it is legal to sell them, like with alcohol or Nicotine, there are often taxes that need to be paid for
them.
Soft drugs do not cause physical addiction. Examples of soft drugs are cannabis, mescaline, Psilocybin and LSD. While
they do not cause physical addiction, some of them may still lead to psychological dependency. Psychological
dependency is a dependency of the mind. This means that people feel better when they have the drug. When they do
not have the drug, they may be in a bad mood, for example.
Some drugs cannot be classified that way, as they have characteristics of both hard and soft drugs. Examples for
such drugs are MDMA (known as Ecstasy), Ketamine and caffeine.
In the Netherlands, there is a situation where Soft drugs are tolerated.

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