Hemp, a renewable crop, could eliminate the destruction of trees and save our tax dollars. Government is not responsible for our health and happiness, but our Constitution guarantees our right to pursue happiness without hurting others. I have spoken to many soldiers, who served in Vietnam as teenagers, and they were grateful that there was a momentary escape through a joint. Some people have learned to function well on some drugs, but the greater the use and abuse, the less capable the person becomes. Usually everyone else recognizes the drugs toll before the user.
Drugs are a horrible dehumanization of society.
I have watched lives be destroyed by drugs. When people use drugs, it is their entire family which pays a price, even without legal prosecution. When people are prosecuted and jailed for using drugs, it is the family which again pays a price emotionally and economically. I have a cousin who has had much of his life destroyed by drugs. I also have a cousin who has had her life destroyed by food.