The debate regarding the legalization of drugs, particularly
that of soft drugs like cannabis (or marijuana) is capable of being
characterized as one which pits the concept of freedom of the
individual against the concept of a paternalistic State. Advocates
of legalization argue, amongst other things, that cannabis is not
only less harmful than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco,
but as a matter of fact has been proven to possess certain
medicinal properties. In stark contrast, those opposed to...