By Richard Garibay
Assistant Opinions Editor

After the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington and Colorado, I’ve noticed a new surge of enthusiasm for the substance and I have to say I’m pretty annoyed with it.
I hate this booming weed culture, not because I’m not a fan of marijuana, but because most of the people in the movement treat the plant as if it were a holy cure-all.
Tell any barefoot, beard growing, rent dodging pot lover that marijuana is bad and they’ll go off the wall with reasons why it should be legal.
One of the more popular arguments is that it’s much safer than alcohol and cigarettes. I agree completely that weed is safer, however, don’t sit there and tell me that there are no negative effects of marijuana.
In fact, an article published on the National Institute of Health’s website says that, “The current state of science on the adverse health effects of marijuana use links the drug to several significant adverse effects including addiction.”
Marijuana is indeed addictive, which is a negative effect, contrary to what many pot enthusiasts would have you believe.
Many of these people claim that they can quit anytime, which sounds exactly like what a drug addict would say.
The University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute have also explored the negative effects of marijuana use. In a study conducted in 2011, researchers found that “systematic review of the research concluded that long-term marijuana smoking is associated with an increased risk of some respiratory problems, including an increase in cough, sputum production, airway inflammation and wheeze- similar to that of tobacco smoking.”
Just because Marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco does not mean it is safe. Tommy Chong sharing a picture of a weed leaf with a made-up statistic on Facebook isn’t scientific evidence.
What angers me the most are the ridiculous claims that many people will make in order to further the pot cause.
According to FDA.gov, “The FDA has not approved marijuana for any indication… The FDA’s drug approval process requires that clinical trials be conducted in a way that provide the agency with the necessary scientific data upon which the FDA can make its approval decisions. Without this review the FDA cannot determine whether a drug product is safe and effective.”
So, just because a single AIDS or cancer patient in one hundred smokes marijuana and makes a bit of progress does not mean that it is the cure all for every disease in the existence.
If you want marijuana legalized, that’s fine, but do not insult my intelligence and say it’s the greatest thing ever. If I tell a smoker that tobacco is bad, they don’t try to argue uphill. They accept this and go on not worrying about what I think of them and their habits.
Be that way, pot smokers. Accept that it is bad for you and say, “I don’t care what you think, I want to smoke pot legally.”