I don't think it's perfectly harmless; few things are. And Birdgirl is right, that we need to do a LOT more research before we know all the pros and cons. But so far, the positives seem like they balance out the negatives pretty well, and the positives may even outweigh the negatives. If it's proven through research that cannabis does destroy some brain cells and harm memory, but at the same time it helps prevent some cancers and Alzheimer's and who knows what else...well, I am willing to give up a little memory in order to minimize the chances of losing most of my entire brain to Alzheimer's. The sad thing is that making that choice is illegal.

An irony occurred to me yesterday. Remember Nancy Reagan and her "Just Say No" campaign when her husband was president? What if HE had toked up consistently during his life? He might very well still be alive! I wonder if she thinks about that now -- that in a roundabout way she may very well have been campaigning to hasten the death of her husband.