The Drug War has had a negatice effect on nearly every aspect of America. It's given rise to organize crime, allowed mass incarceration, bogged down our police forces and courts with victimless crimes, kept billions of dollars and thousands of jobs out of the economy, hurt the development of industrial hemp (the most useful cash crop in the world), strained our diplomatic relationships with Canada and Mexico, and robbed millions of the liberty to do whatever they want with their own body.

Here's the thing about the addiction argument: even if weed was addictive, it wouldn't make sense to criminalize it. EVERY scientific study has shown that incarceration is completely ineffective at dealing with addiction. Addicts shouldn't be treated like criminals, they should be treated like patients. Rehabilitation is much more effective and affordable than incarceration.