I don't know where you got those facts but they definitely aren't true. Sure, it can be argued that alcohol and tobacco are gateway drugs as well. But the fact is weed develops unhealthy habits and you can't be blind enough to not admit that much.

Oh? Would you care to share these unhealthy habits that a mere flower imparts? As for my data, you, yourself, can do the same research I did. You can start at www.norml.org, and follow up with the AMA, the Journal of Neural Medicine, or any number of other resources. Another good one is visiting a youth correctional facility. Go ahead and ask everyone there what they started with. The majority will tell you they stole their parents cigarettes and alcohol, or snuck more cough medicine, or benadryl, than indicated in the instructions, due to the way it made them feel. From there, they continue on to any number of substances, though many of them [i]skip[/i] cannabis entirely, because, "compared to anything else, it doesn't do much." I spent a year with those kids. I could tell you some serious horror stories. Pot is, by and large, harmless.

I agree with you. All of those things can lead to harder substances. I never said they don't; in fact, I already said that they could be considered a gateway drug. With that said, it is fact that marijuana increases the probability of one moving on to harder, more dangerous substances (https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana/marijuana-gateway-drug). Also, specifically, the bad habits of which I was referring is mainly the daily recreational use of marijuana. Which, without a doubt, causes one to lose focus on the job or at the wheel. Obviously I'm not saying that everyone that uses marijuana uses it every day or that marijuana will make everyone a reckless driver or a worse employee. Hopefully you can see the point I'm making and realize that in no way am I attacking marijuana users. I simply hope you understand the point I am making in that marijuana can be a gateway drug, and in many cases, develops unhealthy habits.

I do understand, and I appreciate your objectivity. I see that, under a specific set of circumstances, it can become a problem. The problem with blaming cannabis, however, lies in the fact that it has no physically addictive properties. It can make certain aspects of an individual's personality more pronounced. Some people do tend to become lazy good-for-nothings, however, I have met an equal number who are inspired by it, who create phenomenal art, who are absorbed into their work, who are infinitely more productive. Therefore, I'm led to believe that the problem lies with the individual, not the substance, in this case.

I agree with you 100%. Everything comes down to the individual.