Depends how you define “safe”. Marijuana is not deadly in and of itself, true. It is mind altering, however, even in small quantities. Alcohol, if abused, is much worse, but is only mind altering in large quantities. Tobacco is not a mind altering substance and is completely harmless in the short-term, but is probably worse for your overall health than marijuana in the long run if abused. That said, if I had a choice for my child tonight to smoke a cigarette, drink a beer, or smoke a joint, the joint would be last on the list.
—if I had a choice for my child tonight to smoke a cigarette, drink a beer, or smoke a joint, the joint would be last on the list.—
Why? Cigarettes are deadlier because you can literally be inhaling one the entire day you are awake. Alcohol is deleterious to every system in your body from the second you drink it until it leaves your system the next day. Cannabis? No one chain smokes it. No one gets into fist fights with their friends or family after using it.
Everyone laughs at those “hold muh beer” incidents, right? There’s no similar meme for cannabis.