The nation's drug policy and how government drug legislation affects American's rights and liberty is a controversial issue. On one hand, the government must pass legislation to control America's drug problem, and on the other the government must be careful not to infringe on American's cherished rights. The Common Sense for Drug Policy Foundation, or CSDP, believes the U.S. government has gone too far in restricting Americans' freedom through strict laws on drugs. This opinion is clearly stated in a CSDP advertisement in the May 1999 issue of "Reason" magazine.
             In the first stage of the "informed citizen" analysis, it is important to examine whether the rhetoric is making a major claim on attitudes, values, or beliefs. In the CSDP advertisement, the answer is most definitely yes. Most Americans believe that the drug war is an important issue and that strict laws are necessary to prevent drug use. A study in the American Family Physician shows that there has been in increase in drug use in U.S. adolescents aged 12 to 21, and that parents believe stricter laws are needed to curb the growing problem (Kirchner, 1266). Furthermore, the advertisement deals with Constitutional rights, which all Americans value greatly. The Journal of Crimial Law and Criminology states the Constitutional rights of Americans "gives a concrete expression to a right of the people which is 'a basic free society'." The article states most Americans feel "very strongly" about protecting their rights (Shutler, 1298).
             The second issue to examine in the "informed citizen" system is whether the rhetor is presenting the material in a strategic fashion. The rhetor certainly does this in the CSDP article by presenting Americans' Constitutional rights in one column, and then presenting laws that have been passed that violate these rights in another column. This is done to per...