Not that whacky

The general consensus, whether through just plain ignorance or miseducation, is that Marijuana is more harmful than alcohol or tobacco. This isn't necessarily the case, in a document produced by The Law Commission  page 8, it details the drug classifications and shows, on the whole, how much more harmful Alcohol and Tobacco are in terms of physical harm, dependence and social harm.

Dr. Jack E. Henningfield of the National Institute On Drug Abuse(NIDA) in the United States ranked  Cannabis as the least addictiveof 6 substances (cannabis,caffeine,cocaine,alcohol, nicotine and heroin) with nicotine the most addictive and caffeine second.

In New Zealand, the public are continuously warned against and shown the harmful effects of continual tobacco and alcohol usage through printed ad and television campaigns. Despite these warnings adults over the age of 18 are given the choice to consume and they do so on a daily basis. They are aware and make the informed decision .

Prohibition of cannabis by the Government is an unwanted intrusion into individual freedom of choice. Legalising Marijuana would allow adults to continue to make these informed decisions on whether to use something that is no more harmful than two of the most harmful drugs you can legally buy today in New Zealand.
It is something that many of them have been using for years and will continue to use legally or illegally.