The latest research shown that after just few years of smoking weed IQ drops on average 8 points in comparison to control non smoking group.
Taking into account that they do start already from bottom low level that is a bit concerning observation.
1. Marijuana is fat soluble so it lodges in your fat cells and stays there, slowly leeching out over several months.
A pot head may say they are not addicted and can go for a month without smoking any but that is just when it starts to leave the body and the cravings start.
2. Marijuana may in fact be the most dangerous drug of all specifically because everyone says it's not. This causes people to abuse it thinking it will do no harm.
And because so many more people smoke grass than any other drug.
3. All that being said it may be time to legalize, They can only pour so much money into this problem with diminishing returns, time to try another tactic.
4. When comparing marijuana to alcohol it is important to understand that this is not an either or argument, just because one does not smoke marijuana does not mean that they will become an alcoholic.
^^^ Could all be fact.
But even if it was a giant evil money driven conspiracy, you can't ignore the later scientific studies, repeated over and again, that show it causes harm.
I think you assume way, way too much Macro. 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_bias
I believe drug addiction is a health problem
Given current legislation drug addiction is at this point in time a legal problem.
Until drugs are, at the very least decriminalised health services cannot assess or provide for the problem adequately and there will always be criminals profiteering from someone else's family hell.
^^^ if is legalised do the health problems go away?
Tobacco and alcohol and fast food cause massive health problems.
Does anybody seriousy believe drugs of any type are going to magically disappear through prohibition?
Prohibition was always destined to fail, It is only a matter of time before this is realised and a new approach is adopted.
legalisation or decriminalisation cannot possibly worsen the issue because the worst case scenario allready exists. Drugs are freely available and relatively cheap.
Why would a teenager go to a party and spend $100+ on alcahol when they can pop a party pill for $30 and enjoy a more stimulating euphoric effect? If they take a toxic "bad" pill manufactured in a filthy drug lab and keel over and die then that is a direct consequence of drug laws. Rarely the MDMA itself.
Evidence exists that humans have been using drugs in various forms for at least 4500 years yet is is difficult to find examples of social problems caused by this before prohibition. Except perhaps the British attempt to enslave the Chinese with opium addiction in the 19th century.
The true irony for me is now the body count from prescription drug abuse exceeds that of illicit drugs world wide.articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/26/prescription-drugs-number-one-cause-preventable-death-in-us.aspx
Its time to group all these substances together and deal with the health issues with a sophisticated strategy. Imagine the recources that could be dedicated to this with the liberation of the recources wasted on prohibition. It really is head in the sand stuff.
I could be delusional but I still believe that the best weapon in the fight with addiction is education.
Get this example with rotten cancer of the cigarette pack.
It works.
Get kindergarten kids or primary sometimes on school trip.
Instead to the Zoo as usual go to local prison to see other wild animals behind the bars then to psychiatric hospital to see where excess of imaginations ends up.
That's why I'm addicted to this forum. It's just retards calling retards retards.
/Yes, I'm a retard too, I know.
