Well, so says the Beckley commission (http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/policy/cannabis_commission.html):

WHAT should we do to minimise the harm cannabis can cause to the health and welfare of users and to society at large? The answer, according to a report by a group of prominent academics and government advisers, is to change the law to allow the state to prepare and distribute the drug for recreational use.

This controversial proposal comes from a commission assembled by the Beckley Foundation, a British charity dedicated to exploring the science of psychoactive substances. "The damage done by prohibition is worse than from the substance itself," says Amanda Feilding, the founder of the Beckley Foundation.

The Beckley commission's ideas will be aired in March at a meeting in Vienna, Austria, of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The UNCND will report to a meeting of the UN general assembly later this year that will set international policy on drug control for the decade to come.

Marijuana is now the world's most widely used illicit drug. The latest figures from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicate that in 2006-7 some 166 million people aged 15 or above, or 3.9 per cent of this age group, used it regularly. Just 1 per cent of the world population uses other illegal drugs. Cannabis use is particularly widespread in rich countries. Around 40 per cent of Americans and one-third of Australians say they have tried it.

The evidence assembled by the Beckley commission left it in no doubt that cannabis damages the health of heavy users, especially those who start as teenagers. Such users are at increased risk of suffering from psychosis, and lung and heart disorders. They are also more likely to drop out of school early, be involved in traffic accidents, and be poor parents (see "How bad is it?"). The report also found evidence that cannabis may act as a "gateway drug", increasing the likelihood that users will go on to try more damaging drugs such as heroin or cocaine.

The report details a sharp rise in the potency of marijuana, with levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the chemical that gets cannabis users "stoned" - typically double to treble what they were a decade ago. This, it says, is partly the result of a switch to growing the plant indoors under continuous lighting.

article (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126885.100-radical-alternatives-proposed-for-cannabis-controls.html?full=true)

Aye-aye, your highness!
Now, we are on it!

Yes your highness.
Now, we are on it!

Forget that, we are it, baby.

Forget that, we are it, baby.

We are nothing but a port of information, lad.

What about those that do not fancy the harbor?
Do you think their minds can be swayed?

We are nothing but a port of information, lad.

What about those that do not fancy the harbor?
Do you think their minds can be swayed?

If not, then they shall have the Storm to deal with.

If not, then they shall have the Storm to deal with.

The coastal residents, they be awash. But remember: the storm scares not for the thoroughly rooted highlander.
In fact the storm is welcome, for it is what waters his crops.
The whole institutional structure eats from those fruits for sustenance.

We need many more experienced men to join, for the armada cannot sail without her crew.

I think it's inevitable as the older generations die off and internet access keeps growing. The facts will eventually be known by everyone, and since there is no logic to demonise cannabis compared to legal drugs, there will be no choice.

When that time comes, a lot of people will be eating humble pie.

Cannabis (well THC for the pedantic folks*) is the only drug I think will be legalised any time soon though.

*all cannabinoids present in cannabis for the super-pedantic folks.

All of you are on acid. except this dude ^ ... he seems pretty level headed right now

I, I am headless.