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Due to the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington last night, I thought it best to finally get some thoughts off of my chest about whether or not marijuana should be legal.

Do I think the use of recreational marijuana should be legal? Yes. But there are a few notable catches, which I’ll go into detail about below.

The main reason why I think marijuana should be legal is because the current system bends the all-or-nothing principle, which is what’s fair. Alcohol and cigarettes are legal, but marijuana is illegal. That’s ridiculous. Alcohol and cigarettes are just as harmful if not worse. The attitude with alcohol and cigarettes has always seemed to be “We’re going to let you know of the risks, but since it’s your body, you can choose whether or not to take those risks.” Marijuana should also be treated as such.

Plus the fact that marijuana is illegal makes it even more dangerous for the people who do smoke it because there’s no authorized way to sell it. The people getting their pot nowadays get it from shady dealers who may or may not know if the pot has been laced with anything. If actual companies sold marijuana, this would not be a concern.

That said, I’ve seen time and time again the cult of pot smokers in this country, primarily between the ages of 18 and 25 years old, try to convince me and the world that there’s absolutely no harmful effects from marijuana. The government just bans it for no reason. That’s the argument. Let me be very clear: if you are making that argument, you’re an idiot.

If you spend maybe 5 or 10 minutes at most on Google, you will very easily find that marijuana is not good for the body. Is it better than cigarettes? Yup. Is it harm-free? Not at all. In fact, smoking one joint causes more damage to your lungs than smoking one cigarette does. Look it up. The difference is people tend to smoke far more cigarettes in a single day than they do marijuana so the scale tips.

A lot of recent studies also seem to suggest that long-term effects of marijuana use are more apparent when youth use it rather than when adults use it. Again, just reporting what I’ve read. I actually think we as a society have a lot more to learn about marijuana and its effects on the human body and brain. It’ll be interesting to see if the legalization in two states enables scientists to gain more insight on the drug.

That said, marijuana does have plenty of good side effects as well. It’s been known to cure nausea, increase appetite when necessary, and even contribute to reducing the risk of diabetes. For these reasons, medical marijuana should be a no-brainer since doctors presumably should know when and when not to prescribe it to their patients based on their needs.

Now that we’ve weighed out some of the goods and bads of marijuana, you may be wondering why I still want it legalized. Quite frankly, it’s just because you should be able to choose what you do to your own body. Just like alcohol and cigarettes, you should be clearly warned of the risks, but after that the choice to take the risk should be entirely yours.

I do think, however, that there should be laws in place to prevent your own risks from harming others such as a ban on driving while high in states where marijuana is legal. Just like if you were to get drunk, people should be smart enough to get high in a controlled environment and perhaps have someone there who is sober for moral guidance. Under those circumstances, you can kiss the sky for all I care. Medicinal purposes aside, is it better overall for you to avoid marijuana altogether? Duh. Same with cigarettes and alcohol. But again, it’s your life. Live it as you wish, as long as you don’t drag others along with you.