So I have done a quick google search for the article on the long term side eefects of marijuana use and there are plenty. Here are 2 links though:
www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/...ana-effects/1751011/
www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/08/22/1206820109.abstract

It seems the greatest risk is when you start using the drug from a young age although the effects are no less damaging if started in adulthood. I use the term drug as it is still a highly addictive substance if used regularly.

I know that this is a subject, like many others, that will always have supporters on either side of the fence. However as with these other subjects the supporters are more than likely people that will gain some sort of benefit from the legalization, in this case either the smoker or the seller. Out of curiosity, and lets try and be honest here as no-one is judging, how many of the guys on here that are all for the legalization are actual smokers?

I agree with Creator in that it is way too hard to control and therefore will probably never be legalized anyway, there are too many different forms of it around and in some extreme cases it is laced with even more harmful substances.

sk27 wrote: Out of curiosity, and lets try and be honest here as no-one is judging, how many of the guys on here that are all for the legalization are actual smokers?

I tried it twice, about twenty years ago, and both times had plenty to drink as well. Both times ended with a migraine from hell which took at least two days to recover from. So for me, based on just those two experiences, I won't touch the stuff again. Most probably if there was no alcohol involved, I might not have had the serious migraines.

However, I am ALL for the legalisation of it for medical purposes. I know for a fact that it assists cluster headache sufferers with almost immediate relief of the killing pain. Same for the magic mushrooms - instant relief for cluster headaches. And in fact, years ago there was a doctor in Jhb that prescribed cocaine to one of his cluster headache sufferers. I don't have the details of that case though.

Furthermore, I am in favour of the legalisation being allowed to keep a minimum of say 5 grams of dagga for personal and recreational use.

This is such a controversial topic and you're always going to have your extremists. Personally I'm against drugs (alcohol too but that is fairly recently) because my mother has had a drug addiction since I was 10 years old and I've had to grow up knowing that she will never change. I promised myself I would never do that to my future children.

I get that it has medicinal uses but if they are genuine then by all means. What I don't get is that perfectly healthy people feel the urge to alter their state of mind which is unsafe. I learnt in psychology that people who have a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia develop schizophrenia with the use of weed.

This is only my opinion to those who do smoke weed, I'm not judging you I have just chosen the way I want to live my life.