For 3 straight years in college i was a heavy stoner. Smoked multiple times a day every day and was as obnoxious and smug about it as anybody you've ever met. I immediately denied any negatives and believed all the bullshit about it curing cancer and hemp being magic and stuff.
[...]
THC is absolutely addictive, the fact that you don't vomit your guts out when quitting doesn't change that. The pendulum needed some correcting from the refer madness idea, but it has swung waaaay too fucking far. The shit is terrible for your brain, mood, all of it, and the worst part is when you're on it it's so good at convincing you it's safe. I think that makes it uniquely sneaky. Somebody who smokes crack is quickly going to realize that even if they can't quit it's causing problems, but people can smoke weed for decades with the negatives being subtle enough that the user can cope their way out of them.