That's simply not true. I was speaking to a friend yesterday who was literally explaining how dependent he is on the drug... how he has smoked too much and has a really hard time without it.

People become dependent on it, end of story. And yes you're right that psychological dependence shouldn't be the reason for banning a substance. Let's not over-simplify the issue.

But there are studies that back me up, like the New Zealand studty showing heavy smokers in teens led to an average loss of 8 IQ points by 38. Was it the drug or the type of people attracted to the drug? It has also been shown to lead to paranoia, and schizophrenia. It's a gateway drug. Is that the drug or the people attracted to the drug? Would that go away with legalization?

"Marijuana use can lead to the development of a substance use disorder, a medical illness in which the person is unable to stop using even though it's causing health and social problems in their life. Severe substance use disorders are also known as addiction. Research suggests that between 9 and 30 percent of those who use marijuana may develop some degree of marijuana use disorder.25 People who begin using marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder."

Hasin DS, Saha TD, Kerridge BT, et al. Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72(12):1235-1242. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1858. Winters KC, Lee C-YS. Likelihood of developing an alcohol and cannabis use disorder during youth: association with recent use and age. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008;92(1-3):239-247. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.08.005.

These are all appropriate discussions to have. I can't stress enough how much I'm against incarceration for minor offenses like marijuana possession. That does more harm than the drug itself. I'm just not a fan of legalization either, at least right now i'm not...

That's simply not true. I was speaking to a friend yesterday who was literally explaining how depend he is on the drug... how he has smoked too much and has a really hard time without it.

People become dependent on it, end of story. And yes you're right that psychological dependence shouldn't be the reason for banning a substance. Let's not over-simplify the issue.

But there are studies that back me up, like the New Zealand studty showing heavy smokers in teens led to an average loss of 8 IQ points by 38. Was it the drug or the type of people attracted to the drug? It has also been shown to lead to paranoia, and schizophrenia. It's a gateway drug. Is that the drug or the people attracted to the drug? Would that go away with legalization?

"Marijuana use can lead to the development of a substance use disorder, a medical illness in which the person is unable to stop using even though it's causing health and social problems in their life. Severe substance use disorders are also known as addiction. Research suggests that between 9 and 30 percent of those who use marijuana may develop some degree of marijuana use disorder.25 People who begin using marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder."

Hasin DS, Saha TD, Kerridge BT, et al. Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72(12):1235-1242. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1858. Winters KC, Lee C-YS. Likelihood of developing an alcohol and cannabis use disorder during youth: association with recent use and age. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008;92(1-3):239-247. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.08.005.

These are all appropriate discussions to have. I can't stress enough how much I'm against incarceration for minor offenses like marijuana possession. That does more harm than the drug itself. I'm just not a fan of legalization either, at least right now i'm not...

That's simply not true. I was speaking to a friend yesterday who was literally explaining how depend he is on the drug... how he has smoked too much and has a really hard time without it.

People become dependent on it, end of story. And yes you're right that psychological dependence shouldn't be the reason for banning a substance. Let's not over-simplify the issue.

But there are studies that back me up, like the New Zealand studty showing heavy smokers in teens led to an average loss of 8 IQ points by 38. Was it the drug or the type of people attracted to the drug? It has also been shown to lead to paranoia, and schizophrenia. It's a gateway drug. Is that the drug or the people attracted to the drug? Would that go away with legalization?

"Marijuana use can lead to the development of a substance use disorder, a medical illness in which the person is unable to stop using even though it's causing health and social problems in their life. Severe substance use disorders are also known as addiction. Research suggests that between 9 and 30 percent of those who use marijuana may develop some degree of marijuana use disorder.25 People who begin using marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder."

Hasin DS, Saha TD, Kerridge BT, et al. Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72(12):1235-1242. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1858. Winters KC, Lee C-YS. Likelihood of developing an alcohol and cannabis use disorder during youth: association with recent use and age. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008;92(1-3):239-247. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.08.005.

These are all appropriate discussions to have. I can't stress enough how much I'm against incarceration for minor offenses like marijuana possession. That does more harm than the drug itself. I'm just not a fan of legalization either.

That's simply not true. I was speaking to a friend yesterday who was literally explaining how depend he is on the drug... how he has smoked too much and has a really hard time without it.

People become dependent on it, end of story. And yes you're right that psychological dependence shouldn't be the reason for banning a substance. Let's not over-simplify the issue.

But there are studies that back me up, like the New Zealand studty showing heavy smokers in teens led to an average loss of 8 IQ points by 38. Was it the drug or the type of people attracted to the drug? It has also been shown to lead to paranoia, and schizophrenia. It's a gateway drug. Is that the drug or the people attracted to the drug? Would that go away with legalization?

"Marijuana use can lead to the development of a substance use disorder, a medical illness in which the person is unable to stop using even though it's causing health and social problems in their life. Severe substance use disorders are also known as addiction. Research suggests that between 9 and 30 percent of those who use marijuana may develop some degree of marijuana use disorder.25 People who begin using marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder."

Hasin DS, Saha TD, Kerridge BT, et al. Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72(12):1235-1242. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1858. Winters KC, Lee C-YS. Likelihood of developing an alcohol and cannabis use disorder during youth: association with recent use and age. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008;92(1-3):239-247. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.08.005.

These are all appropriate discussions to have.