>>112285>by that logic weed and alcohol are the sameYes, imo in spite of some clear differences in danger related to use, weed and alcohol should both be treated the same way, since the two are addictive substances that sabotage cognitive performance, and both have use in the production of consumer goods and even medicine.
Tobacco and caffeine are a little different, they are a kind of dirty and addictive nu-tropic, they temporarily increase cognitive performance at the cost of health(especially for tobacco), not to mention if exagerated the benefits become null since they are normalized by the body and therefore lead to dependency.
>>112368>legalizing is the lesser evilAgree, if you compare weed to alcohol, historic similarities will appear, think Dry Law, the more they went after alcohol, the worst the problem became, with rising criminality and a larger death ratio due to trafficking, gang violence, prossecution, contamination, cross-overs and a general lack of product quality… Sounds really similar to the current war on drugs huh?
>>112849This, we already established criminalization will only make things worse. And legalization won't solve the problem, it just won't make it worse. Social influences in curbing addiction are vital, yet without a proper social structure in place it's futile, and here is where part of the problem arises. Consider Vietnam veterans,
http://www.rkp.wustl.edu/VESlit/RobinsAddiction1993.pdf , for the soldiers who drugged themselfs during war, those who returned to a stable family mostly never used again.
>>112276And finally, to answer op question, I don't care if someone(over 25?) uses it to get high, as long as it's only their problem, the moment responsibility falls on another person, they can kiss their blunt goodbye. Also, I say 25 as a possibility, because several studies indicate impaired mental functions for those exposed to weed during brain developmen(it only ends at around age 25), although more research is (still) required.