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argued that legalization will lead to better regulation, but I am not convinced about this because legalization and taxation also causes prices to rise which in turn fuels the black market. I do believe that there has been an intentional effort to taint the marijuana in our country by the drug cartels.

I would be interested in some 3rd party data on whether your claims on the benefits of marijuana is actually true - may be so, but sounds like a bit of a panacea as presented here (for instance you don't mention down sides like more DUI's, etc)..

Also, even if assuming that it is true (I don't know and have no big horse in this race), it is also true that if you drug your kids with diphenhydramine at bedtime, they sleep better, don't violate any of the household rules, and never fight anymore. See where I am going here?

Marijuana is a vice just like alcohol. It is meant to alter your interaction with the realities of your existence. Do not debate it on the terms of all of it's benefits. The same could be done for drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes, but we know that there are problems associated with it. Debate it in terms of it being no worse than other vices that are allowed.

I look at pot personally as smoking unfiltered cigarettes - if you are consuming it, doing it that way is just stupid, and very, very bad for your health - just as I say about cigarettes even but moreso in general because of the lack of a filter tip.