When I see people express thoughts such as yours, it makes me think that the abuse, or over-use, of substances such as marijuana or alcohol are the real problems.
Taking a drink, or smoking a joint, can be done without becoming severely impaired, or causing other problems in your life.
The real problems are when someone uses drugs or alcohol to excess.
Precisely. The same thing also applies to other substances, like pain pills, diet pills, etc.
The thought a lot of people have seared into their minds seems to be "since pot's illegal it must be really bad and only really bad people do it".
“The real problems are when someone uses drugs or alcohol to excess.”
Bingo. That goes for just about anything.