# Resolved: The United States should significantly reduce the number and severity of laws against recreational drugs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-united-states-should-significantly-reduce-the-number-and-severity-of-laws-against-recreational-drugs/920360>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 11, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-united-states-should-significantly-reduce-the-number-and-severity-of-laws-against-recreational-drugs/920360 "2020-09-11T17:42:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 46

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**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-united-states-should-significantly-reduce-the-number-and-severity-of-laws-against-recreational-drugs/920360/46 "2020-09-25T10:43:33Z")

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See this helpful explanation by LSLGuy:

> [@Looking for a word or phrase for this posting style](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-word-or-phrase-for-this-posting-style/920592/28):
>
> In formal debate, the topic to be debated is always introduced as “RESOLVED: \<whatever we’re going to debate\>”. It’s meant as a clear statement of what one side is required to prove and the other is required to disprove. But for the rest of us who’ve never been on a formal debate team it reads as you thought: an arrogant statement that the controversy is already settled before it even begins. That’s the exact opposite of the technical meaning. We’ve had more than one thread debating the wisdo…

I too was confused by this until I saw the above.

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_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-the-united-states-should-significantly-reduce-the-number-and-severity-of-laws-against-recreational-drugs/920360)._