I’m not personally a fan of marijuana, and I’ve never tried it.

For starters, I’m asthmatic. For that reason, I generally avoid situations where there is heavy smoking of anything, including cigarettes; I know that my lungs wouldn’t appreciate that environment.

I also don’t like the idea of not being in control of myself; that’s why I avoid heavy drinking as well.

And superficially speaking, I don’t like the smell of marijuana smoke; frankly, I find it repelling.

That being said, I have yet to find and cannot make any type of strong argument against federally legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. In fact, there is a strong case to be made for legalization.

Some of the biggest arguments made against marijuana use, such as the one elaborated by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, have centered around issues that might arise with the use of marijuana. Sessions himself compared effects of the drug to those associated with heroin use. However, those claims have not been substantiated, and in fact evidence exists to the contrary. The truth seems to be that there is still much to learn about the drug, but that in small quantities it poses little harm.

Of course, potential for significant harm might exist in usage of “bad batches” of the drug, but legalization would allow for governmental regulation of the product. Negative health outcomes could be limited with significant government oversight and further research into safe quantities of use, which is needed.

Regulation could also mitigate one of the major black eyes around marijuana usage, illegal drug trade. So long as marijuana use is illegal, the government does not control trade beyond making arrests. Because about 50 percent of the adult population has been estimated to use marijuana, this has to be a huge market; allowing it to continue without oversight (and taxation) is foolish, because law enforcement has not seemed to significantly curb said usage.

It could, of course, also be argued that individuals who are under the influence and thus not fully under control might pose a danger to public safety, and this point is valid on its face. However, there seems to be no significant difference between the effect of alcohol intoxication, for example, and being high on marijuana. And as is true for alcohol intoxication, there are already laws on the books protecting against driving under the influence.

Another issue with public safety that I considered as a potential opposition to marijuana legalization was that passive non-users in public might be subjected to effects from the drug, such as “contact high” and secondhand smoke inhalation. This point was perhaps the most troubling one for me, especially with my asthma, when considering the impact of legalization on society.

My opinion turned, though, when I recalled the limitations on cigarette usage that many cities have imposed, often limiting smoking to private places where there will be no public impact. Usage could also be limited to edibles if necessary.

It is true that if someone decides to smoke in a private place like their home, individuals such as their children might suffer from exposure to smoke. This could also be addressed legally, but with a caveat. Some evidence has potentially indicated that cigarettes have a more adverse effect on both smokers and those around them; because limits don’t exist on parents smoking around their children, it would be difficult to justify limiting marijuana use in the same situation.

Indeed, that was the final consideration that led me to favor legalization of recreational marijuana. Although there certainly could be health risks posed to non-smokers, we still allow the use of cigarettes and alcohol, drugs with a seemingly more significant proven impact on health.

If I believed it were possible, I would advocate the outlawing of both cigarettes and marijuana due to the potential negative impact on those who don’t smoke. I know, however, that the likelihood of cigarettes being outlawed is slim-to-none. With that being the case, I don't think there is a legitimate option but to legalize recreational marijuana.