Cannabis should be legalised across the globe.

Thank you for your response, I look forward to a good debate. I don't want to get caught up in a discussion about the physical effects of cannabis on the user, I am weary of arguing the same points over and over. Everybody knows alcohol is far worse, and yet they are at ease with its legalisation. The question about whether cannabis should be banned is about freedom and government power. Are you at ease with the fact that you will be put into a cage by force, and contained against your will, if you choose to grow a plant on your own land that you intend to use? Just for the record, I will set out some facts in attempt to put the effects of marijuana into perspective. I will compare it to another substance that we are totally at ease with. Indeed I would say that we are more than just at ease with, we endorse it. Adverts and media encourage it, and its freely available and advertised all over. It sponsors all our major social events such as sports events, it is alcohol. So lets see. Many people die from alcohol use. Nobody dies from marijuana use. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 37,000 annual U.S. deaths, including more than 1,400 in Colorado, are attributed to alcohol use alone (i.e. this figure does not include accidental deaths). On the other hand, the CDC does not even have a category for deaths caused by the use of marijuana. People die from alcohol overdoses. There has never been a fatal marijuana overdose. The official publication of the Scientific Research Society, American Scientist, reported that alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs and using just 10 times what one would use to get the desired effect could lead to death. Marijuana is one of "" if not the "" least toxic drugs, requiring thousands of times the dose one would use to get the desired effect to lead to death. This "thousands of times" is actually theoretical, since there has never been a case of an individual dying from a marijuana overdose. Meanwhile, according to the CDC, hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur the United States each year. The health-related costs associated with alcohol use far exceed those for marijuana use. Health-related costs for alcohol consumers are eight times greater than those for marijuana consumers, according to an assessment recently published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal. More specifically, the annual cost of alcohol consumption is $165 per user, compared to just $20 per user for marijuana. This should not come as a surprise given the vast amount of research that shows alcohol poses far more "" and more significant "" health problems than marijuana. Alcohol use is linked to cancer. Marijuana use is not. Alcohol use is associated with a wide variety of cancers, including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, lungs, pancreas, liver and prostate. Marijuana use has not been conclusively associated with any form of cancer. In fact, one study recently contradicted the long-time government claim that marijuana use is associated with head and neck cancers. It found that marijuana use actually reduced the likelihood of head and neck cancers. If you are concerned about marijuana being associated with lung cancer, you may be interested in the results of the largest case-controlled study ever conducted to investigate the respiratory effects of marijuana smoking and cigarette smoking. Released in 2006, the study, conducted by Dr. Donald Tashkin at the University of California at Los Angeles, found that marijuana smoking was not associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Surprisingly, the researchers found that people who smoked marijuana actually had lower incidences of cancer compared to non-users of the drug. Alcohol is more addictive than marijuana. Addiction researchers have consistently reported that marijuana is far less addictive than alcohol based on a number of factors. In particular, alcohol use can result in significant and potentially fatal physical withdrawal, whereas marijuana has not been found to produce any symptoms of physical withdrawal. Those who use alcohol are also much more likely to develop dependence and build tolerance. Alcohol use increases the risk of injury to the consumer. Marijuana use does not. Many people who have consumed alcohol or know others who have consumed alcohol would not be surprised to hear that it greatly increases the risk of serious injury. Research published this year demonstrates how cannabis consumption actually makes you less likely to injure yourself whilst alcohol considerably increases it. Now sorry to bore you with the details but my opponent asked for it. This points surely are well known now as America is well on its way to legalisation and the rest of the worlds governments are talking about it. So weed isn't that bad for you. Lets not discus this any further please. I am wanting to argue with someone who believes its the role of the government to step in and tell you to not do something, on the grounds that it is mediocrely detrimental to ones health. Do you actually believe this? And if you do you MUST believe that alcohol, cigarettes and all things like salt sugar, skateboarding e.t.c should all be banned too. Now I understand your logic, but I wholeheartedly disagree. People have the right to choose if they smoke cannabis, drink alcohol e.t.c. I ask you to tell me why you think someone has the right to lock you up, and take your children off you and make you loose your job e.t.c for choosing to smoke weed? I think b.o.p lies with you sir.