Cannabis causes harm. Anybody who says otherwise is lying. However, in 2006, alcohol related deaths hit over 8,000. That's just deaths. Not injuries or social problems, just the number of people killed last year due to alcohol drinking. I can't even find any information on cannabis related deaths. The one thing I'm sure about is that if there are any, they have a higher rate of self-infliction than alcohol and tobacco. Most of this is likely skunk-related, rather than the weaker stuff that is more commonly used.

There are 2 million regular cannabis smokers in the UK, so its not as if the smaller number is entirely caused by lower participation. All I would like is a bit of consistency. You want to ban all harmful drugs, then do it. I have never used illegal drugs, I've never smoked, I'm not interested in alcohol, so I wouldn't care. But surely a better solution is to allow individuals to make their own choices about what they do and help ensure they understand the long-term risks. Most drinkers don't drink themselves to an early grave, we provide a safety net for the ones that do, and prosecute those whose use affects others. Treating cannabis similarly would make general use safer and help the police waste less time on non-offences. Furthermore, I've always believed treating it as as illegal as stronger, more socially destructive drugs does more to increase gateway hard drug usage than it prevents.