The stigma surrounding marijuana usage, when closely examined, is illuminates glaring inconsistencies. This is not to say that marijuana usage is healthy, or that I endorse its usage, but under an objective examination its demonization in American culture is inconsistent with other aspects of American life. The main arguments for banning Marijuana are its negative health and social consequences. However, the social costs of preventable diseases based on legal lifestyle choices far exceed those of illegal marijuana. The health care costs associated with nicotine products (300 billion), alcohol abuse (249 billion) far exceeds that of all illicit drugs combined (193 billion). It is evident that abuse of both alcohol and nicotine products also have a detrimental effect on Americans, yet the same people who push to keep marijuana illegal are not also calling for nicotine and alcohol abuse to be regulated in the same way.
The health concerns related to legal marijuana are also contradictory. Not in that Marijuana is in any way healthy, but that the government would be able to ban something based on its perceived negative health effects when there are already so many other health problems that ail Americans that are not regulated. An excellent example of this is the American obesity epidemic. Chronic diseases due to obesity account for 7 of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States every year. Obesity decreases quality of life and can also have similar psychological effects to those associated with chronic marijuana usage, including lack of energy and depression.
Obesity and substance abuse from legal substances represent huge health problems in the United States, and yet they are not often discussed by opponents of legalization as comparable health problems that should be addressed in the same way. With this in mind, the notion that the United States federal or state governments should regulate marijuana based on health concerns is ironic based on the issues that we already have with preventable health crisis from legal substances. Anti-legalization supporters should consider these issues when making their arguments, and perhaps consider amending their point of view to include broader health concerns outside of marijuana usage.
https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics
https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/dnpao.htm