[jeffwask]

>I strongly believe that cannabis should be legal, but also find it quite >problematic that many users and advocates will quickly bristle the moment the >downsides that many experience are described.

>I think the horrific levels of injustice prior to legalization has had a >pendulum effect on conversations about safety and downsides.

I think you hit the heart of the issue. The negatives have been used as a cudgel and amplified beyond reason over the years to block progress on legalization. It's create a knee jerk reaction to anyone who talks about their negative outcomes. (This isn't exclusive to MJ legalization. Try talking about quitting alcohol in a group setting over drinks. Something I had to do because I had negative outcomes with alcohol.)

Very often these points are parroted by organizations that want to block legalization for reasons that have nothing to do with the issues of abuse or health, for example the Private Prison system which is one of the biggest lobbies against marijuana reform.

While at the same time, society happily brushes aside the same concerns about alcohol which proportionately has worse side effects and outcomes. We also still sell cigarettes with glee for the tax dollars while they essentially have nothing but negative outcomes. People pay 8-10 dollars a day to murder themselves and cause undo excess cost and burden on healthcare but no one give a shit anymore.

It's all so performative, inconsistent, and driven by capitalist motivations tangentially associated with the actual issue.