I watched other people smoke cannabis, and after producing some foul fumes, they were just passively lying on the floor with a stare of apathy. I decided to NEVER try this, and to this day I have no regrets; I enjoy being in full control of my senses (I also do not drink alcohol and do not smoke). The only thing hallucinating in my place is neural language models that I do research on. However, I do support the legal…
> and after producing some foul fumes, they were just passively lying on the floor with a stare of apathy That's like deciding to never try beer after seeing some people getting blackout drunk. Of course, it's your choice and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that but still a weird argument to make. A lot of things when taken to the extreme can lead to very negative outcomes, not exactly a good reason to penaliz…
It's naive, not weird, which is to be expected by someone who never smoked.
I think, the observation isn't even far off in many situations, especially with youth (who smoke and drink for peer pressure, too). Because of illegalization, there was a substantial incentive to breed extremely potent cannabis genetics, grown in tightly controlled and optimized indoor operations. Or even worse: Weed cut with synthetic cannabinoids. Because you get more bang for your bug, and in particular more bang for trafficked mass (same reason fentanyl is everywhere). There is nothing chill about your typical street dope. For a first time user, chances are they will have a bad time. Too many people do one or two puffs and find themselves already way too "high". As of now, smoking is really only enjoyable, if you have some tolerance, in my opinion.
This will change now. We will see a huge variety of weed strains in people's hands. Not only because, obviously, people will exchange home grown produce (although still illegal), but also because medical cannabis access got a lot easier too now. Meaning you get clean, controlled, defined cannabis in pharmacies, if you find a doctor to $ign the prescription. There will be less pure flower, more leafy mixes, which I believe was common in the past. E.g. a high CBD, moderate/low THC breed will offer a much more enjoyable "on-boarding" experience, but it was nearly impossible to find on the illegal street market.
The culture around weed will change. It will get less intense, but more casual, more chill, more fun. OP will see more people smoking cannabis the same way people enjoy a glass of wine.