Thank you for your post. It's always nice to debate these issues.

I am aware that alcohol is a dangerous drug but there are a few aspects of it that you seem to ignore.

1. Alcohol is well researched, which means we know a lot more about how it affects the body. Marijuana and cannabis are wildcards which have been shown to negatively affect the neurosystem and cause permanent damage as well as being highly addictive. I cannot see how anyone sane can legalize a drug we know so extremely little about. Using cannabis is serious risk-taking since we know that it's harmful however how and to what extent is being debated and the potheads who enter the debate with unscientific arguments aren't making things easier.

2. Most people can control their use of alcohol, and to further enforce that Sweden has rather restricting laws regarding the selling of alcoholic beverages. Regular, responsible use of alcohol doesn't cause any of the damage you see in people that smoke pot with the same frequency.

3. Alcohol is an integral part of our culture, unlike marijuana, and banning it is practically impossible. Alcoholic beverages include wine and beer, beverages appreciated for their qualities what flavors are concerned, not just because they are intoxicating. Cannabis has no place in our Western culture whatsoever and in parts of the world where use of drugs, cannabinoids or other, were part of the culture they were subject to religious and ceremonial rituals that limited the potential abuse. None of these control mechanisms exist in our society today and cannabis has no qualities other than its intoxication so it's not something the majority would miss.

Secondly, I very much reject using Wikipedia as a reference for controversial data. It cannot be trusted and since this is a debated topic there's no telling whether the facts you just found are indeed facts or just propagande from the pothead camp.

It's a hard issue and something that divides even the most liberally minded. I am for a socially responsible attitude and policy and I consider it reckless to abuse drugs due to the costs drug addiction is causing society, costs that are not just financial but emotional as well.

While I believe the individual must have the right to make his/her own choices there are limits, especially regarding choices where the outcome is unknown. Just like we cannot forbid people from committing suicide if they so choose, we cannot forbid them from attempting to reach the summit of Mount Everest (which is very dangerous) - after all it is their life and their choice.

As in the case of drugs, the costs are not carried by the individual only but by society as a whole and choice and responsibility go hand in hand. Furthermore, as I have pointed out, making a responsible decision regarding the usage of drugs is almost impossible since we know relatively little about how drugs affect us.

In the end, it stands to reason. A society without any drugs would likely be extremely boring. A society that is flooded with drugs, the kind of drugs that can lead to death and which are highly addictive, would be a nightmare.