[solarkraft]

> It can absolutely be a harmful substance, let's not forget that.

Less so than alcohol, let’s not forget that.

I don’t disagree with you, it can be harmful and doesn’t solve all problems, but the above can hopefully give some perspective.

People can waste extraordinary amounts of time with either, form some kind of dependency, but harm from direct consumption or secondary effects are, let’s say … „less common“.

[blooalien]

Also to be considered is that any substance can be harmful if abused in excess; even "harmless" substances or beneficial substances. Even drinking too much water can lead to "water poisoning" [1]. It's even led to a death in a radio contest [2]. There's also the fact that not every person responds to every substance in exactly the same way. Some may experience adverse effects after minor exposure, where others may abuse a thing in excess and never display any outward signs of a negative effect.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

[2] http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/hold-your-wee-w...