CNN did a report while i was in Mexico, in San Francisco the usage of weed was 80% among the population. In Amsterdam, where the drug is legal, it is only 40%. (Source CNN World Report, while flying from Houston to Newark).
This is interesting, as this means that less people in Amsterdam have experienced pot in some way, rather than what you would expect, that less people would have had experience with the drug in a city where it is illegal.
I think it has good medical uses, and that it should be used for that, but weed is just like alcohol. I heard this qoute on the the TV show Third Watch:
"The white man can have his three martini's a day, but the black man can't get some relaxation [from weed]".
This was in response to a white cop who arrested a black guy, but if you look around the racial context it is put in you will see that it makes sense. Alcohol is a major part of society, we accept it's side effects, and will always. Why can't be do the same for weed? What effect does it have on the body which is not worse than that caused by alcohol?
I found this great site which in a nutshell explains the similarities and differences between alcohol and weed:
http://www.dpft.org/alcohol.htm
I feel that the fears associated with weed are false, and are baseless accusations which do not make sense. If people would look at it more closely they would notice that as well, but politicians want support, so they spout nonsense, they get a few votes, get re-elected and do what they do best.
(Here in the US, it costs almost 3 billion a year, which is paid for by the US tax payers, most of it is the time and money it costs to lock people up in jail for a night, and feed em. Cause of a few grams of something to smoke. Say no, and you'd better be footing a good part of that war on drugs).