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timalkin, all you're doing is repeating phrases and talking points from people who are morally apposed to drug use - most of which, by the way, have never tried the substances they campaign against so passionately. You're completely ignoring the points and arguments given to you by actual people who partake in recreational drug use. Have you noticed how a lot of these accounts are similar? There's no group feeding these people phrases and talking points, these are all true accounts. After enough trials, anecdotal evidence can be regarded as factual evidence.
I know people who smoke and are "unproductive" - though they have a job, they spend their free time in the clouds, not really doing much. Who are you to say that this is wrong? So they don't live their lives to their full potentials. That's none of your concern, or anyone else's really. I know people who do the same with alcohol, with video games, with web browsing, with TV. It's no one's business but their own what they do in their free time to relax, so long as it doesn't harm anyone.
I also know people who are very intelligent, going to school full time and busting their asses. Some use drugs, some don't - some for fun, some for relaxation. I know people who are stressed by things that I can't even begin to comprehend - MJ helps them cope, and damn it, if there's anything out there that will help a person when they're down without extreme adverse health effects, then fuck it, why not? What's the harm?
Then there are other people who are incapable of connecting with others and opening up. You can call this social anxiety, depression, or just plain awkwardness. These are the kinds of things that can be treated with real powerful psychotropic drugs that can kill the user if the dosage is wrong; for some people (e.g., yours truly), these things can be treated with MJ, which is a relatively mild effect and impossible to die from.
You've asked for ways that recreational drug use can be beneficial to society. You've been given answers time and time again, but you've skimmed passed them all.
As for the impaired driving argument, it really is laughable. DUI is illegal, period. This doesn't stop people from DUI. Truth is, it never will, because there will always be irresponsible people around. That being said, I'd drive with someone who's high over someone who's drunk any day of the week. Though both are irresponsible beyond words, people who equate the two are simply ignorant of the effects. That's the real crime, if you ask me.
And the gateway argument? Ridiculous. People who want to try, or are very curious about the powerful narcotics (e.g., cocaine, meth, heroin, etc.) are going to try them, regardless of their previous experiences. Additionally, there is enough information out there for anyone with half a brain to understand that the powerful narcotics are the only drugs that can really ruin someone's life from the inside out. Generalities are worthless when describing human actions. I know people who enjoy hallucinogens, but won't touch MJ or narcotics. How does the gateway argument account for this?
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I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights; and you have yours. But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all times and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality. ~H.A. Overstreet
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