Syd Lexia wrote:

You know, people who argue for the legalization of marijuana always say something like "I smoke weed all the time, and it hasn't hurt me at all." Let's ignore for the moment the fact that no individual can impartially evaluate themselves, and consider this: how many people has marijuana helped? Where are all the marijuana success stories? How many girls have found boyfriends because of marijuana? How many marriages have been saved because of marijuana? How many people have, because of their marijuana use, gotten full scholarships at top universities and gone on to become doctors, lawyers, and scientists? If it happens, I'd love to hear those stories; it would alter my view of the drug considerably. Because the only story I ever hear is "Marijuana is the only thing that makes me forget how awful my life is and prevents me from killing myself." Honestly, if getting high every 12 hours is the only reason you don't kill yourself, you probably *should* kill yourself. You are wallowing in mediocrity and you are doing nothing about it. Either pull yourself out of the gutter or throw yourself into an open grave. I stronly suggest pulling yourself up, but you've taken the easy path thus far, and suicide is way easier.

Marijuana has been linked to positive medical benefits, one of the most beneficial regarding that as a tool to fight nausea in AIDS and cancer patients, which helps increase their appetites (and therefore aiding any recovery or medication), as well as helping glaucoma patients by easing muscles in their eyes. Hell, even Richard Brookhiser of the National Review lauded its benefits for his cancer treatment (even though he admitted to hating the drug itself).

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4451

There are many other benefits such as a relatively less-addictive form of pain treatment (versus many pharmaceutical painkillers such as Vicodin or Oxycontin), a muscle relaxant (useful for easing some of the more severe symptoms of MLS or epilepsy), and has been seen to improve sperm counts in those experiencing troubles in producing children. This site is the best pro/con source of medical legalization I've come across so far:

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/

Personally, it's been pretty good for me. I used to smoke cigarettes constantly (with no real benefit other than it helped me with the fact I naturally don't produce much dopamine), and drink with friends to have a good time. With marijuana though, I can burn a pipe with friends after work a few times a week, watch a movie, and just generally relax, as opposed to alcohol, where I could drink and either end up depressed as hell or in a fight at the end of the night. It's also helped relax my OCD to an extent where I don't have panic attacks over banal crap like my records being out of alphabetical order or if I closed out at work just right the night before. I'm still at a risk for emphysema, or other diseases caused by smoke inhalation, but it's a fair trade-off for tobacco and alcohol, which are more dangerous with less benefits.

As a gateway drug, it seems to be more of a personal thing influenced by one's own experiences. It hasn't done anything to me because I've seen the dark side to everything from cocaine to heroin to terrible prescription medicine, and have NO desire whatsoever to move up that ladder, but I can see how someone could graduate to the more powerful narcotics as either an experience or form of rebellion.

I don't mindlessly praise the stuff or scream at people that they have to smoke it. I don't form conspiracy theories about why the government wants it illegalized. I'm just saying that there's worse stuff being pushed on people legally, and it's a less intense alternative that also has some benefits to it.