Well Omega-X, my philosophy is "To Each Their Own", and this remains true for drugs. Everyone uses their own drug to get them going. For many, that drug is caffeine or alcohol. For others, substances in food do the job. Then there are others who toke, and that's OK too. We've all got our prefrence, somewhat like our beliefs, but our preference is (for the most part) hard-wired into our minds. To discriminate against this prefrence is foolish and ignorant.
There is also a distinct difference between preference and addiction, like with cigarettes and heroin. However, marijuana for most people is not physically addicting. Some may claim mental addiction to it, but I think they like it too much or are too weak-minded to do otherwise. So in general, marijuana is not an addictive substance.
If people give you shit for having an occasional toke, forget about them. I've heard many arguments on why pot is bad, and the bulk of them boil down to preference (and that it is definitely not theirs). Because these arguments have no real underlying reasoning (aside from their own pretentious ideals), they become prejudices.
I've learned that until marijuana becomes culturally acceptable in the USA, one shouldn't talk about it to Americans. Canadians that I've talked to tend to be more straightforawrd and simply say that they don't personally like it, rather than Americans who tend to brand and then bash you.
So in summary, if someone gives you shit for taking a toke, ask them why. If they make no sense, tell 'em to go away (piss off, go to hell, spork off, etc.) Also, if you can't take a joke, grow up =p
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