Should marijuana be legalized.

Marijuana is not justifiable because of the hypocrisy involved with alcohol and tobacco, the ethics of their legalisation is an entirely separate topic and should not have been raised for debate. Just as you say they justify lagalisation of marijuana I can say they display why it's so wrong what with liver and lung cancer being predominantly caused by overuse of alcohol and tobacco respectively.As for marujiana not making one dependent on it; the following are scientifically proven effects of having mraijuana regularly[1]: Tolerance to the effects of marijuana, meaning that more marijuana is needed to get the same effect; Withdrawal from the effects of marijuana, such as irritability, trouble sleeping and depressive symptoms; Using more marijuana than was intended; Persistent desire to stop taking marijuana or to cut down and being unsuccessful at this; Spending lots of time obtaining, using or recovering from the use of marijuana; Giving up important activities in favour of using marijuana; and/or Using marijuana even when it is known that it causes problems So perhaps there are no 'withdrawal' symptoms when you stop for a while but there is a non-physical depdnency shown in a variety of ways.I would like to quote a person on how pot/weed/marijuana destroyed their life[2]:"I am 26 years old and have been smoking weed for about 10 years now. I took almost 2 years off, but I basically smoke everyday if I have some. I have been married for almost 5 years and I have 2 children – a 4 month old boy and a 4 year old daughter. I have a very beautiful family and I want to stay with them forever. I have a good entry-level career (Microsoft Marketing) and we have a nice little house and nice cars, and lots of nice stuff. I guess you could say, on the surface, my life is as close to “perfect” as it gets. My wife does not smoke pot (she never has) and she does not want me to smoke either. I smoked when we met, but after I quit (for 2 years) she admitted that it bothered her. I now smoke about 1 or 2 bowls per day from the pipe, at least 6 days a week, all without her knowledge. Actually, I’m sure she knows I smoke occassionally, but I don’t come forward and say “yeah, I smoke everyday at lunch and on my way home” or whatever. I can definitely say that smoking has affected me (and others close to me) in a negative way. I have been bouncing from job to job over the last 4 years, very unsure of what I really want to do with my life. They have been good jobs that challenge me and pay well, but I haven’t really found my passion yet. I get headaches daily and have to take at least 3 to 4 Excedrin every day. My sinus passages are all screwed up and I have to use a nasal spray every day just to breathe normally (which I dilute with saline solution, to prevent any hardcore damage). I have trouble focusing and usually (unintentionally) tune out whoever is talking to me (wife, boss, daughter, friends, etc), and I usually forget the little details that make ALL the difference. I wake up late almost every morning and have to speed my bum off to get to work, and I get really stressed and can feel my heart racing. I usually show up at least 5 to 10 minutes late every day, which has caused my boss to pull me into a room and rip me apart. I have lost any muscle mass that I used to have and now I’m a 6’2” skinny, weak guy with a nice spare tire. I have chicken legs and puny arms, but my waistline is steadily growing from all the midnight munchies. I was hooked on energy drinks for a period of time (to combat the drowsiness that pot causes), but stopped drinking them after my heart began to “flutter” as I was trying to go to sleep each night. I used to be an honors student (even more advanced than honors for some subjects) before I started smoking. I did make the Dean’s List in college during the time I wasn’t smoking. I used to be a hardcore skateboarder, and my only addiction was skating. I gradually stopped skating when I started smoking pot."Such agony in daily life I'm sure we agree should not be felt by anyone in particular. This shows why legalising it would only make people think it is more okay to use it and regret just as this man does.I shall now quote another individual named 'John Nelton' (his username on the forum)[3]:"I smoked marijuana from 15 - 19. I am now 23. At 15 and 16 I could probably count the number of times on my hands that I smoked. I wasn't even inhaling the stuff properly. I began to smoke more frequently at 17, and by 18 and 19 I smoked what I consider to be quite a bit of weed. It was nothing in comparison to my friends, but to me it was a lot. 2-3 days a week, multiple blunts a day for a good year long stretch at 18 and 19. Prior to that it would still probably be almost every weekend just not as much. Again out of my group of friends I probably did it the least. I also was affected the worst. I would see people that smoke and could play sports, or do something active after. I could barely even function. I would be passing out all the time, usually could not get my thoughts out in words coherently..something would happen and 5 seconds later I would forget what everyone was just talking about. Before weed I had a photographic memory that I was known for. Weed completely destroyed that.The main problem is how I feel on a day to day basis. At like 17 I remember I could feel a difference in myself, like I was getting lazier and started lacking desire to do things I would normally get off my bum and do no problem. This is when I was just starting to smoke more frequently, but not even that much, and not nearly as much as I did quantity wise at 18 and 19. In last couple years of my marijuana tenure I noticed this more. I never had energy. I was always extremely lazy, I always just needed to sit down and relax. I never had motivation anymore. I lacked desire to do anything at all. Whenever I did do something I would get tired out fast. When I was 14 and 15 I was always alert and active, I always wanted to do something and I was never tired all the time. Probably most importantly, I felt considerably slower and noticeably less intelligent and articulate. When forming sentences whether writing or speaking, words would always get mixed around in order. A lot of things felt like they were on the tip of my tongue and I couldn't think clearly and smoothly. I felt like I had a much harder time processing information and learning about things. My ability to take in whatever it was I was trying to read or learn had diminished. I wasn't able to soak up knowledge the same way I was in the past. It's sad because when I was younger like from 13-15 I always felt pretty intelligent and advanced for my age. And it's like when I began to smoke more all intellectual progress I was making stopped, and if anything I went backwards. I also felt like my motor skills had diminished as well.I quit at 19 years old hoping that my brain and body would reset. Well I'm 23 now and it hasn't. I still feel the negative affects from marijuana and don't feel like I have returned to my normal self pre marijuana use. I feel like my life is ruined. My abilities to complete tasks are just so inferior to the average persons. I have no work capacity and never have physical or mental energy. I really regret smoking marijuana, and I want to know if there's anything...anything I can possibly do to restore myself near how I used to be." What does this have in common with the first source? Almost everything. There is a clear link between a person's use of marijuana and their laziness. clearly a government's reponsibility is to prevent a lazy nation. Thus we should not legalise marijuana.Sources:[1] http://adai.washington.edu... [2] http://www.steadyhealth.com...[3] http://www.drugs-forum.com...;