Originally Posted by ktj4l

True. The problem is also that there would need to be new laws specifically for marijuana smoking if it were legalized. I.e. how long do you have to wait until you're allowed to drive again after you've gotten high? The fact that you don't get 'flashbacks' from alcohol is a determining factor in making it legal. When you smoke marijuana regularly, cannibis by-products can come back a few days after you've had your last joint, bong, etc. and intoxicate you to a certain degree. That slows down your reaction time significantly, which means you shouldn't be driving then. This doesn't happen with alcohol, at least I've seen no documented proof of this.

A lot of people don't realize that legalizing marijuana is not as simple as saying, "Okay, it's legal. Go smoke pot all you want now." Laws concerning alcoholic beverages and the intoxication that results from consuming them are pretty strict in most countries, so it isn't as much of a legal issue as marijuana. Of course, smoking pot once in a while shouldn't be a big deal... but until the effects of it have been researched to the extent that the effects of alcohol have been researched, I don't believe you'll see it legalized in a lot of countries.

That's just my opinion. I could very well be wrong.