Marijuana edibles were a miracle cure for me.
Eat one (10 MG), 1 hour later I was out like a baby and for 7 hours or so.
Compare the side effects of marijuana with most sleep medicine that are prescription. Not even remotely the same:
Example: https://www.drugs.com/sfx/ambien-side-effects.html
Simply treat the stuff with respect!
It is a drug.
Don't drive, go to work, school, etc when high.
BUT those trying to attribute all these dangers and risks to this are full of $hit. The arguments of “gate way drug” and “psychological addiction” are literal trash arguments that like gender dysphoria are intended to sound scientific when in reality they are just rhetoric (playing with words). Like gender dysphoria (Obama era) these ideas were politically motivated and sponsored (Nixon era). The so called science by government always follows the money and political agenda, may it be Covid, a gay gene (dis-proven now), climate change (Now the EPA and NASA get money for this so it will become scientific fact), etc.
Hint: everything that brings you pleasure you want to do more of (psychological addiction) and most folks that died of a heroin OD ate a cheeseburger before (gateway drug). These are not scientific arguments.
But all that said, marijuana DOES have medicinal uses, and it is hard to OD on, it does not make people freak out (quite the contrary, it makes them calm, sleepy...). Marijuana isn't really addictive, it doesn't really pose any sort of grave health risk when using it. Sorry, I know as a conservative this is one of those issues where you're supposed to line up and say that smoking one joint will make you a useless bum that eventually seeks out heroin and lives in his parents home at 40. Nope-
Take away the fake science and the cliche's and you're left with something less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. In time as the myths are dispelled (and they mostly are already - few believe the crap) it will become more difficult for those opposing its legalization.
It Texas where I reside, the state was more or less “shamed” into partially legalizing it: marijuana is highly effective against seizures and the state which prides itself in being “tough on crime” found itself in a conflict where babies that obviously show relief when being treated are hardly making it up just so they can be high. https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/02/16/267816/cannabis-treatment-raises-hope-for-parents-of-epilectic-children-but-costs-side-effects-are-a-matter-of-concern/
It's like everything else. You can find some freak and rare exception, the .01% and try to construct an argument with that (as with abortion where the media and politicians in support use some girl aged 9 that is pregnant from her uncle and severely mentally handicapped and pretending like this is what abortion is about). These are not valid arguments. They are appeals to emotions and rare exceptions.
Marijuana is drug and should be used responsibly, but it's hardly the danger or risk it is made out as.
When I was in college I noticed that none of my college buddies who smoked could hold their breaths under water for more than a few seconds. I consider that alone to constitute serious harm.