Legalized Marijuana

[Lemur]

rvg, given the clear, demonstrated, real-world dangers of prohibition, would you at least agree that a nation needs to have a serious think before going down that road?

As it stands, we tolerate caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, largely because they have a long history in our society. We don't tolerate them for public health or safety reasons (all three have strong negatives), we do it because they're so embedded in our society that prohibition is an absurdity, as demonstrated in the 1920s.

Marijuana, much like alcohol, has a large following in all classes of society. Unlike meth, it is not insanely toxic in production and consumption. Unlike cocaine, it falls into the lowest echelon of effective-to-toxic dose. Unlike heroin, it can be produced with minimal agricultural impact, and can easily be grown in all 50 states.

If you can make an argument against ending marijuana prohibition that does not rest on the slippery slope fallacy, I'd like to hear it.