People will get defensive and kneejerk some vague response about how it doesn't affect _them_ that way (science!), but I agree 100% with you. It's a drug and it feels like it's being pushed on us these days by states and corporations.
There have been a few cases in the past were heroin use was allowed, or at least not actively prosecuted. They were absolute disasters. E.g. Zurich, 1986-1922: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8044118/
I've visited several US jurisdictions where it's legal. While it's still illegal in my area, I'm adjacent to fully legal and medically allowed areas. The only time I've felt any pressure was visiting Las Vegas, where every cab/uber/etc driver volunteered a recommendation for a pot store.
I found the recommendations useful for knowing which stores are overpriced.
We can say the same for every popular consumer product.
I personally prefer people choosing what they consume over criminalizing the ?billions? of people that find it harmless.