Recreational drug user here.
Cannabis has always been popular in the US. Even in the early days of America, people grew it left and right not just for the bud, but for industrial purposes as well. Hemp is one of the most versatile materials on earth. The drug itself has always been popular, it wasn't until the late 1930s when it was outlawed because the paper industry couldn't compete with the efficiency of hemp. Then you have the war on drugs instituted in the 1970s with the intent to profile and crack down on counter culture groups, civil rights activists, hippies, and communists.
The main reason why its popular is because it gets you high, its something fun to do with your friends, and objectively speaking, its one of the safest and most mundane of the illegal drugs that you can do. In my experience, there are far more dangerous drugs out there than cannabis. Part of the reason why its so popular is because of the rebellious allure that it carries among the youth. Its illegal, and yet it is grown by everybody and their brother. Its almost as accessible as tobacco and alcohol in spite of probation.
I'm surprised Zig Forums wouldn't be in favor of its legalization since its ultimately its only illegal for purely bourgeoi reasons; the paper industry, tobacco, alcohol, prison industrial complex, and DEA all lobby to keep it illegal since they see it as competition, or it would hurt their bottom line. Ironically enough however, it seems that its decriminalization is contingent on bourgeoi motivations as well, i.e. cannabis culture, medical cannabis, industrial hemp ect. Ultimately it will go legal when the money lobbying in favor of its decriminalization surpasses the money lobbying against it. The problem as usual, isn't the drug, but the shitty capitalist system surrounding it.
Of course there are other reasons why its illegal, once again, bourgeoi justifications for the war on drugs:
For a board full of people who are class conscious and well educated, I never thought i'd see this kind of ignorance coming from you guys. Lazy and unmotivated people who do nothing but smoke weed were already lazy and unmotivated in the first place. The cannabis just exasperates the problem. There are plenty of people who use in moderation and function just fine like everybody else. Pretty silly to compare it to tobacco and alcohol considering its not habit forming, way safer, and not life threatening in any way.