Man talk about a heavily contested topic. Especially since it is becoming more legal in toady's society. I am a long time pot smoker and I can totally agree with it being legalized. I personally would rather smoke a joint than drink or do any other drugs and I hate the idea of anyone being able to tell me what i can and cannot do in the privacy of my home . I know all the arguments of good and bad towards legalizing it. For anything like that there is good and bad that will be evident to everyone. I think the good outweighs the bad that is also a matter of personal opinion. Plus the major bonus for legalizing it is the boost in economy those places get because of it. Bad part about it that I see is how workplaces will respond to it. Forced drug testing and a lot of firing will become more common place. Here's a link for something I found worth noting in here that is in favor of legalizing weed : http://www.hightimes.com/read/10-reasons-marijuana-should-be-legal . 
And this link is for those against it : http://www.aacop.org/page-1860812 

Well, since it's being legalized in Alaska next year, with 2 other states considering it, it's on the fast track to becoming a federal thing like gay marriage is. Let's hope Canada is gonna come out with this stuff too at the federal election, being the legal age of majority next year, I'd love to be able to avoid my first legal drink and hop on to my first legal toke.

I'm happy for weed becoming legalized. It won't have the "evil drug" stigma to it, and it'll be along the lines of alcohol and tobacco, and harder for children to get their hands on, which is great because of its negative effects on their mental abilities if they start on it too soon.

Being legal like alcohol and tobacco, it won't be a "scary gateway drug" anymore because people wouldn't need to go through a black market or some scary dealer to get it, and they're far less likely to be persuaded into anything else.

Best yet, those rare cases where they could be laced with some actual drug would be completely eliminated when people buy it at a dispensary.

Speaking of which, the amount of suffering that the cartels would go through without their precious weed would practically kill a good deal of their business, making those leaves you'd smoke, eat, or drink blood-free and home grown.

People normally inclined to drink alcohol will now be able to substitute it with marijuana, purchasing THC infused sodas and the like, with no adverse effects like liver damage or anything.

Heck, with professionally manufactured snacks and beverages, there's a more exact way of knowing just how much THC content is in what you're eating, and, again, it won't be made by some shady dealer or off the blood of a child, meaning those with weak lungs like myself wouldn't have to harm them with smoke anymore, and can still enjoy a good dose.

Getting to the governmental benefits, in Colorado alone last year, the US government made 500 million on it in taxes. Some complain the taxes are too high, and the government is working to have that lowered, but they're making a nice, clean profit that goes right into public education and health services.

And with health services comes it's health benefits, it's treatment for depression, anxiety, and even most kinds of cancer, which I can absolutely get behind, as a lot of the stuff it's used for runs in my family, because I'd rather not become a pharmaceutical testing guinea pig if I ever fall deeply ill, and since it would already be available for recreational use, you wouldn't have to even go to a doctor.

It's not the worst thing to happen, and it's hard to think of any negatives.