Quote Originally Posted by Captain VXR
Even with the possible health risks, they are far less worse than alcohol and tobacco. Lung cancer, mouth cancer, limb amputations, throat cancer, cyrrhosis of the liver, alcohol poisoning, death, alcoholism etc etc
Nope. Your assertion is materially wrong.

Respiratory Effects of Marijuana and Tobacco Use in a U.S. Sample - Moore - 2004 - Journal of General Internal Medicine - Wiley Online Library
Journal of General Internal Medicine, Volume 20, Issue 1, pages 33–37, January 2005.
Marijuana smoke contains similar levels of tar as tobacco smoke and up to 50% more carcinogens. Marijuana users smoke unfiltered material, inhale the smoke more deeply, and hold the smoke longer than tobacco smokers, resulting in substantially greater tar deposits in the lungs than tobacco smokers.
Reports from clinical samples suggest that marijuana smokers exhibit a range of chronic respiratory symptoms, although it is unclear whether these symptoms are representative of marijuana smokers as a whole. In addition, marijuana users have greater utilization of outpatient medical services for respiratory and other illnesses. Moreover, the histopathologic and molecular abnormalities observed in marijuana smokers are almost identical to that observed in tobacco smokers.

Quote Originally Posted by Captain VXR
would you rather have cannabis, codeine (derived from cocaine, highly addictive, can be turned into a horrific drug called krokodil very easily which makes heroin look like paracetamol by comparison) or morphine (opiate) used as a painkiller?
Codeine and morphine are both Class B drugs and regulated. So the answer to your question is YES. I'd rather have drugs regulated by law and administered by certified professionals; designed to fulfill specific functions and in measured dosages.