Because Dane made the assertion that tobacco is not a mind altering drug, which is false.
I'll ask again, do you consider tobacco and marijuana equivalent?
No, nor did I ever say they were.
Pardon me, but that's kind of a non-issue isn't it? I caught that when he posted it, but it's not worth arguing about. When you first start smoking, or haven't had a smoke in a while, you get a head rush. Chain smokers don't notice it as much. We also tend to drink lots of coffee to help us keep smoking.
I took it as obvious that he meant that pot has a much more noticable effect on certain functions in most people, and that you wouldn't want certain folks--doctors-- doing it on the job. That's such an easy question, anyone who gets it wrong has fallen into his little trap, and almost deserves what they get. Do you want your surgeon stoned or just back from a smoke break? C'mon. You're gonna argue over what "mind altering" means.
Put another way: Which would you rather do before watching Full Metal Jacket in your home theater. Smoke a cigarette or smoke a joint? And besides, the question is silly. I don't want a drunken surgeon either.