The government isn't trying to be some imaginary thought control government like Orwell's 1984. It's trying to protect health.
And that's wrong.

Furtheremore, Spaceman Spiff, yes I realize that other drugs are out there and that they're free. I dislike them just as much, but at least pot can be a little less acessable if it's illegal.
I don't think it will make a whole lot of difference either way.

Like I said before, this substance abuse doesn't just affect those who take it, in my country it wastes a lot of money while us Canadians pay for health care out of our taxes. Money that could be going to cancer research is being poured into health care for abusers of drugs. Other countries are wasting just as much on it.
My country wastes billions of dollars fighting a ridiculously immoral drug war. If money is what you're concerned with then you're on the wrong side of this debate.

And besides, if you don't smoke regularly why go to all the trouble to defend pot?
We're not defending pot, we're defending freedom. I can defend pot in a different thread.

It has bad side effects
It's side effects are no worse than McDonalds' side effects.
costs the government money (and then consequently lets less money go to more important things)
But you're wrong. If drugs were legal the government would be spending a whole hell of a lot less money. My government would save billions every year on the drug war, and it would save a ton of money by not throwing people in jail who have done nothing wrong. Plus, the government would be able to tax the drugs and actually make money.

and legalizing it does make it significantly easier to access (despite that you continue to try to feebly discount that fact.)
If drugs were legal people would have access to safe drugs. Right now people buy drugs from unsafe, shady people. You don't know what you are getting. If, however, drugs were legal, we could simply buy them at the pharmacy and we'd be 100% certain that we were getting clean, safe drugs. Our marijuana would never be laced, we would never be buying rat poison, etc. etc.

The most important thing, however, is that it will reduce crime. People get murdered because drugs are illegal. If drugs were legal, nobody would buy unsafe drugs from unsafe people (ie, gangs) and they would instead buy them from safe places like pharmacies. Gangs will lose all of their drug related revenue and they will be severely financially handicapped.

There is absolutely no reason not to legalize drugs.