Yes, and legalise, tax, and regulate marijuana instead of criminalizing it

U.S. states’ tax revenues from legal cannabis sales have surpassed $20 billion in total since the recreational marijuana industry kicked off 10 years ago, according to a study by the Marijuana Policy Project.

The total, calculated as of March 31, only includes state taxes and not additional revenue collected by cities, towns and other municipalities with cannabis dispensaries and operations.

Starting off with a trickling of money in Oregon and Colorado in 2014, combined state-tax revenue in pot-legal states first cracked the $1 billion mark in 2018.

After hovering just below $4 billion in…  Read more both 2021 and 2022, states’ combined cannabis-tax revenue broke the $4 billion mark last year.

Look at countries like the Netherlands. There is no criminalisation revolving around it, and most individuals don't abuse it to an insane degree. It can also help medically, or to create art for example. Obviously, individuals should be drug tested if it is suspected to be used while doing things that require a lot of cognitive focus (driving, exams, etc) but otherwise, I don't really see a reason not to have it be legal.

there’s worse drugs out there for the gardai to be worrying about that weed, which they should be focusing on getting off the street anyway

it is a plant and has many medical benefits. It should be decriminalized and be turned into a legal and tax

people become addicts and if you legalize one we must legalize them all and they will ruin our streets

Just listen to advice of actual scientific experts on drugs like Professor David Nutt - https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/d.nutt

This is all evident in countries and cities who have already decriminalised and/or legalised. Look at Amsterdam, Holland for the best example. Germany now following suit, and the biggest one of all, an ally of ours, the United States of America. More than half of the states in America, and still rising, have legalised the recreational use of marijuana and have since only reaped the benefits. It's not just smoking and a high in which marijuana provides, it can provide hemp for medicinal use, construction, food and beverage, clothing and can provide thousands of jobs in the process

clearly criminalising weed has done absolutely nothing to put people off using it, and especially considering that it can have completely legitimate medicinal benefits as well I don't see why it should be illegal. all that's going to do is force people to hide their addictions which puts them in significantly more danger than if it was an acceptable illness to have (keeping in mind that substance abuse disorder is recognised in the dsm). taxing marijuana may work as a deterrent for some people but I honestly don't really have a strong opinion on that part of the deal UNLESS those taxes were used specifically and exclusively towards free rehabilitation services for all addicts in which case 100% tax them.

It's gonna be bought and and sold on a black market anyway, one where there is an increased risk of it doing harm to one's health. Regulating it through sales, tax is better.