kudos to FatVin.
I think the biggest thing that everyone here arguing about weed keeps failing to mention, is that there are those of us that can do it in moderation, and do it in a purely recreational way.
Yes, it does have the potential to screw up people's lives. I've known "potheads" that blow money on it that they should have been spending elsewhere. I know ones that will do it no matter what they are doing, be it working at a job or whatever, and they will do it no matter what time of day it is. And they'll spend a lot of time and resources in the pursuit of it. These kind of people disgust me, sorry, and are why most "straight" people have such a low opinion of anyone who uses marijuana. It's abusing it.
I view it and use it the same way I do alcohol. When the day is done, all responsibilities are taken care of, and I want to unwind and maybe relax a little, I might take a few puffs, just as a responsible beer drinker would crack open a cold one under the same circumstances. Or I myself might just have a beer or two. Or maybe I'd just go to bed without doing either. Or when the weekend comes, and it's night time and time to party, and I don't have to drive anywhere, I'll do a lot. And yeah, I can get "all fucked up" from it if I do enough, or if I mix it with beer. But you also have to keep in mind how it can affect different people in different ways. But you can't OD from it.
There's lots of people like this, that can do it and not have it interfere in anyway whatsoever with their normal day-to-day life. Unfortunately, there are also lot of people that are the opposite, and give the rest of us a bad name.
If you're going to condemn people like me that can "handle it", then you had better condemn Mr. Joe Sixpack, who is lounging back in his easy chair at night, watching TV, slamming down a few cold ones, not driving anywhere, not hurting anyone, not even himself, really. Oh, that's right, beer isn't illegal, how dare I put myself in the same league as Joe Sixpack; I am a criminal.
