Marijuana is a depressant, not a stimulant. People don't smoke and then go rave it up, they smoke and turn into couch potatoes for the evening.
This is a general misconception.
THC is an 'upper', not a 'downer'.
However, tobacco is a downer. If you combine weed and tobacco in a joint, and smoke that, it will indeed make you 'stoned', which does tend to turn some people into couch potatoes.
However, if you smoke or vaporize pure weed, it will not make you 'stoned', it will make you 'high'. While this is not a physical high that makes you want to jump and dance all night, it is a mental stimulant.
Something adding to that misconception would be, that a lot of people smoking their first few joints tend to pass out from not being used to it. Which can be mistaken for a depressant effect.
(You don't want to know just how many American tourists I've had to guide to fresh air and bring a glass of sugar water, when I was working in a local pub hahaha. They all pass out from that first joint lol. Protip: anyone pass out from their first joint? Get a glass of tea, or warm water, add a lot of sugar (not so much that it would make it disgusting, but enough for a good sugar boost) and give them that. They'll be awake enough to walk home again in 10-15 minutes
As for the discussion. I can only say, as a Dutch person, whatever you do, don't go about it the hypocritical way that Dutch government went;
Over here, we have 'coffeeshops', where anyone is allowed to buy, maximum 5 grammes per person per visit. That's all semi legal, as in, it is officially still illegal by law, but you will not be arrested or prosecuted for it.
However, if you are the owner of the coffeeshop, while you are allowed to sell 5 grammes a person, you are not allowed to stock up your shop's inventory. Buying the bulk required for that is a criminal offense. As is growing the plants.
So we have the front door, which is legal, but the back door is in the hands of maffia like gangsters who grow and distribute weed.
Now imagine running a dairy store. It's okay to sell milk, cheese, butter. But hold on! Breeding cows, or buying more than one bottle of milk at a time to restock your shop, now that's illegal!
There's an ongoing debate here now for a few years, with a lot of local mayors pleading the government to legalize and regulate the growing and wholesale of weed.
The benefits are obvious:
1) it will strike a serious blow to organized crime, who are now making billions from growing and distributing weed
2) it will decriminalize coffeeshop owners, of whom a lot are actually decent folks, who really don't want to buy their stock from criminals, but in the current system, have no choice
3) it will allow inspection and quality control of weed.
4) it will offer legal employment for people who like to grow stuff.
Unfortunatly, so far it has always been parried by our Justice minister with "EU rules won't allow us to legalize". I'm sure he can't keep that up forever though.