[2Stonedbirds]

Some studies have shown that marijuana use in youth can be detrimental to brain development. Outside that and slight irritation to the lungs for those who inhale the smoke there are no known health hazards. When it comes to youth I don't think that legalization or decriminalization will allow for those under 18 to smoke anyways, so those effects should be minimal.

Dion, I see where you are coming from and understand why you are coming from there. I do have one point to make though.

I'm sure you or someone you know has known someone that has overdosed on drugs or had alcohol poisoning. Unfortunately I know people who have passed from both.

When it comes to marijuana consider this. If you need to smoke one whole joint of marijuana to get high, you would need to smoke 500 times that amount at once to overdose. This is actually physically impossible. For one, you would be too high to even light up that many dubies, and way before that time ever came you would become sidetracked with PBS and dorito chips. It just can't happen.

The point about it raising you heart rate is correct. It increases bloodflow. This is why people who are stoned have red bloodshot eyes.

I'm not trying to change you opinion, you are more than welcome to the one you have. Personally I just see marijuana as a harmless drug (more harmless than tobacco or alcohol) and the only reason those are socially acceptable is because they are legal. It's not hard to get, it's not something that is hidden from the public eye or viewed as destructive by the general population. There is a chance for this country to generate some serious revenue here without having any effect on society one way or another. In these uncertain economic times I think it's a good move. IMO.