Multiple sclerosis and other illnesses whose symptoms are chronic muscle spasms also exist, and I hope in turn that you never suffer from them.

And I mean this most sincerely, as I know a great many people who do suffer from them, and have seen first-hand how these people’s symptoms are ONLY relieved by cannabis (beta-interferon not being widely available on the NHS and far too expensive – five figures a year – for people who are generally subsisting on disability benefits). As a result, I tend to be highly suspicious of people whose only concern is to stress the drawbacks without acknowledging that a significant minority of people derive very real benefit from it. And this isn’t remotely a "trendy line".

"I don’t suppose y’all have kids?"

I have two, as it happens, and I’m going to bring them up exactly the same way my parents brought me up when it comes to drugs (and sex) – make sure they have access to balanced and authoritative information that highlights the drawbacks without resorting to finger-wagging moralism. If they’re anything like me (or their mother), the latter approach is almost certainly going to be completely counterproductive anyway.

The irony is that she doesn’t even like it that much – but what’s the alternative, given that there are no legal or affordable drugs that are anything like as effective? (Believe me, she’s done plenty of practical research).

Fortunately, though what she’s doing is technically illegal, the chances of her getting nicked for it are practically zero: ever since the BMA acknowledged that there were clear medicinal benefits, the police and the courts tended to turn a blind eye to situations with obvious mitigating circumstances. And quite rightly.

Living in a material universe governed by cause and effect (else all our reason crumbles), there is little room (no room) for uncaused ‘free will’. We are free to will what we will, but the causes of what we will are the historical, social, economic, biological antecedents of that will.

By the logic that a person who smokes cannabis reduces their capacity for free will, then so does any action that affects the existence of another person, as it irrevocably changes the antecendents to their future will.

I think you meant ‘remove a part of a person’s capacity for reasoned thought’. In which case, fair enough. But the biggest and most widespread causea of this are ignorance, lies, secrects and mistruths.

Some people overdo it, but most are sensible. The problem with current thinking in government is that we have to protect the idiots who don’t know when to stop, by restricting those who do.

Wha? I’m not allowed to exercise my free will in consuming something that you think will reduce my free will?

i.e. You’re allowed to reduce my free will, but I’m not.

I suppose lots of people vote for this sort of thing, but its continuing attraction does depend on somewhat specific values of "you" and "me".

The fact that ‘a small dose’ of ice cream is hard to quantify doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, or that there’s no difference between eating a Cornetto and eating a gallon of Haagen Dazs.

And criminalising drugs does little to end addiction, but does much to ensure that addicts are unable to live normal lives – whereas you could barely throw a stick in a room of middle-aged middle class professionals without hitting a functional alcoholic.