Did you ever sell pot to support your habit, or do other drugs?
The only contact I've had with the police in my entire life was a speeding ticket in 1971.
At the same time, I clearly recognized that smoking reefer was against the law, and that no matter how well I behaved in the non-drug part of my life, I could suffer the same legal consequences, and be labeled with the same reputation, that more hard core drug users could expect.
As to cost - A quarter ounce of premium buds cost $40 in south Florida in 1990 - that would last me two weeks. Not a financial burden.
As to other drugs - I belonged to a sub-culture within the drug sub-culture, namely, marijuana was the only drug I ever enjoyed using or tried to buy, and I hung out with other people just like me, college students or professional people with no family to take care of.