<p>Marijuana wasn’t made illegal because it was harmful, but for political reasons. Tobacco, alcohol, and scads of other less common substances that are legal are more harmful than marijuana by far. So maybe a few studies have found a small amount of damage done by marijuana-- that’s not the majority, and not anywhere near close to enough to justify its illegality.</p>
<p>And as a teenager-- I have to say-- it’s very often the children of parents who say their child would <em>never</em> do drugs, that have kids who do drugs, and that 90% of the attraction to pot is the thrill rush of breaking the law/thwarting the parents. It’s reverse psychology-- I don’t want it until you withhold it. I honestly think marijuana use would decrease if it were just made legal. That would take away so much of the mystique and the culture supporting it.</p>