Agree. As with pretty much everything in life, the key is moderation/control. My whole angle on this subject comes from the perspective of intoxication (not medical benefits, that's a different discussion entirely). Human beings like to get intoxicated at times; always have, always will. And as long as you don't allow whatever your personal poison is to have a negative impact on your life, then I think getting buzzed is a good thing. There's a rational basis for the old quote "take the edge off".
The problem is, many people can't control it or moderate - regardless of what the substance is. And certain substances (heroin and cocaine being two at the top) are simply more chemically addictive than others. That's just a fact. So if you elect, say, cocaine as your intoxicant, your odds of becoming an addict and losing control of it are much much higher.
But then there is alcohol. I was a drinker for 20+ years. I was a full blown alcoholic for almost 10. Alcohol is extraordinarily addictive, especially for those prone to alcoholism. Yet, alcohol is not only accepted by society, it's downright championed! Literally EVERYWHERE you go in society alcohol is thrust into your face. And that's ok, I'm not anti-alcohol myself, I just made the decision to quit drinking because it was starting to fvck my life up. But how can one justify society being not only ok with alcohol but absolutely plastering it everywhere throughout our culture and encouraging binge drinking, while at the same time vilifying people who elect marijuana as their intoxicant instead? It's logically inconsistent. I would argue alcohol is MUCH more damaging to society than marijuana. At the very least, I don't see any cognizant argument to be made as to how it is MORE damaging.
Then why the double standard? If you happen to be someone who thinks getting intoxicated period (on anything) is not a good thing, I can absolutely respect that position. There aren't too many good arguments against sobriety. But you'll find that the vast majority of anti-marijuana people are not anti-alcohol or anti-intoxication in general. Rather, they simply vilify THC users to an entirely different level than they do drinkers. People who smoke marijuana are pot heads, drug users, the unproductive scum of our society. That camp puts them in basically the same category as heroin or meth addicts. Yet the lawyer father who hasn't taken a day off drinking in over a year, DUI's on a regular basis, consumes alcohol at his children's events, and drinks to the point of blacking out several times a month, somehow comes out without the same level of scrutiny and disdain. Again, it's logically inconsistent. And if you think think that type of drinker I just described above is an exaggerated anomaly, you're living with your head in the sand. Go walk outside right now and you'll see them all around you. You just don't realize it.
I've smoked marijuana for most of my life at well. At times more than others; at times not at all. I can promise you from first hand experience with both that none of the dumbest sh-t I ever did was a result of being stoned. Most dumb decisions I made were a result of being drunk. Generally when I get blazed I like to veg on my couch, eat stuff, read my phone and watch sports. Basically the antithesis of what one generally does when they're hammered. And yes, I've absolutely seen people who were legitimately addicted to weed. Not only mentally addicted, but physically addicted. However, I've seen WAYYYYYYYYYYY more people addicted to alcohol. And I've also seen that cause WAY more damage. Alcohol ruins a lot of lives, man.
Anyways, didn't mean to write a dissertation on CIS. But I just don't understand the passion from the anti-marijuana camp.... unless you're someone who simply thinks people shouldn't alter their state of mind. While I'd respectfully disagree with you on that, at least it's an argument that holds water. The Reefer Madness shtick does not.