I really need to work on putting my thoughts into coherent arguments BEFORE I post...
I can never understand the "make every drug/thing less dangerous than alcohol/cigarettes legal" idea, because not only is that applicable to a LOT of things(especially the cigarettes) but banning either of those would lead to more mafias
My points were...
1. Since there are lots of things less dangerous than cigarettes or alcohol, that are illegal, it being less dangerous than one of them shouldn't be a reason for unbanning something
2. Last time we tried to ban alcohol, mafias formed, and presumably would do so again, so banning them no matter how dangerous they are, is difficult
3.I was referring primarily to the people I've corresponded with, who think that we should either make things less dangerous than either or both of the two legal, or ban them. I often times forget that such views are apparently uncommon outside of my area of Wisconsin.
As for economic reasons for unbanning something, the same thing also applies to any other illegal drug, so by itself is not valid argument.
I suppose I should say that I'm not necessarily opposed to legalizing medicinal marijuana, but recreational usage I definitely am, and I do remember hearing something about some sort of extract with the positive medicinal effects, but not the getting high part, which is something I am all for.