Why thank you!

Myself, I'm all for legalization. As far as I can see, the illegality of cannabis is doing more harm than good. And it's not that if it was made legal, the only thing people would be doing with it is smoking it; Cannabis Sativa (or hemp) has a wide number of different uses that could be of great benefit to our economy (see link). It's growth would lead to the production of a vast number of different products, which would be of great benefit to the unemployed. So many more jobs available!
http://abovetheignorance.org/faq.html#1

Btw, did you know that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew cannabis? They weren't successful at it, but of course, this was a long long time ago. Obviously, we've advanced scientifically since then...
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/...grow-marijuana

As far as cannabis use and schizophrenia, like I said, the usage of marijuana depends on the person. It's not for everyone. Same with alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, chocolate cake, etc... :P
Now I don't want to be that cocky college student who thinks she knows everything, because I sure as he11 don't, and I've never knew or lived with anyone who was schizophrenic, so I only have a basic knowledge of it -- you know, what I learned in Psych 101. :P But from what I know, schizophrenia is genetically inherited yes? As well as being a result of environmental influences? This is true for many mental disorders; they're usually already there as a result of genetics or the environment in which one was raised. Many people have a preexisting mental condition and smoke marijuana, and a psychotic episode might be triggered as a result of marijuana usage FOR THAT PERSON, but marijuana did not necessarily cause the mental condition. Research on the subject is still limited, so it's not a sure fact that marijuana causes any sort of mental illness. Of course, research is limited mostly because IT'S STILL ILLEGAL, so many laboratories are not allowed to possess cannabis for research -- another reason it should be legal. People smoke marijuana regardless of whether or not it's legal; making it legal won't change much on that level. But at least if it's legal, there'd be greater public knowledge on the subject, because there'd be more research done on it.
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/n...rc=rss_foxnews
Maybe if it DOES bring out symptoms of a preexisting mental illness, perhaps unknown to the person or unidentified, then for that person, smoking it is a good thing..? It'd be like living in a house with a termite-infested base, but being unaware of it, and then accidentally knocking a hole in the wall to reveal a huge termite mound, or something like that...(maybe that's a bad metaphor, lol...) Noting early the symptoms of an unknown preexisting condition would mean the person would seek and receive help earlier...? I don't know if that made sense or not; just a thought...

Again, whether or not someone should use marijuana is dependent on the individual and his/her lifestyle. If it's legalized, that doesn't mean everyone has to buy a bong and smoke it. But that's the thing with freedom, it gives us the chance to exercise our god-given free will. If someone suffers as a result of their choices, it's their own decision to make.