"weed also brings people together. when i first started in the arena of mind altering substances the fact that people sat around together and smoked and listened to music and laughed and danced as opposed to fighting and raping and breaking shit was a fair indicator of it effects on people."

That is the "beauty" of weed. I've never seen anybody fight or act all crazy when they are high. Marijuana opened me up to several different "clicks" throughout high school, college, and even my professional career, and I'm so glad that I met these people. If they were never inquisitive about my response to "do you smoke?", "No, I don't smoke cigarretes, they're bad for u." I would probably lose 50-60 % of my close circle.

Alcohol and other drugs though aren't the same way. I mean who's the bad guy/gal, the toker who is minding his own business and not hurting anyone, or George W. Bush and his cronies, who are INTENTIONALLY putting Blacks, Latinos, and even dumb, po white peeps in jail for smoking weed? Not to mention going to war and starting clashes amongst foreign countries?

There is nothing in our book, the Quran, that teaches us to suffer peacefully. Our religion teaches us to be intelligent. Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery. That's a good religion.
Malcolm X (1925-65), U.S. Muslim leader. "Message to the Grass Roots," speech, Nov. 1963, Detroit (published in Malcolm X Speaks, ch. 1, 1965).