A reader writes:
Thanks for posting the full spectrum of effects that marijuana has on users. What's interesting is that even the addiction stories defuse the devil weed myth, because it turns out that marijuana is just another substance that affects different people differently. Just like alcohol, sugar, caffeine, tobacco or painkillers, marijuana can be used in moderation by people who are able to use it that way, and can be used in excess to cover up troubling emotional issues or perceived inadequacies by people who are prone to addiction. The idea that eradicating the drugs will solve the drug problem is the lie at the root of the War on Drugs. Drug addiction is never about the drug, it's about people coming to grips with the pain of existence. Legalizing marijuana will help to bring this into the light and enable addicts to seek and receive help without the fear of arrest or criminal record.