Gateway drug.
Actually I think it isn't a gateway drug at all. Think of it this way. I have this friend who wants to try LSD, but he wants to do shrooms first seeing as they aren't quite as strong. Does this make shrooms a "gateway drug"? Just because people smoke pot, doesn't mean that they want to try harder stuff. The people who end up moving on to things like Cocaine and Heroin were already susceptible to it before they smoked their first joint.
Sure you can argue it and says it helps (insert disease here) when you take it. But why does it have to be smoked per say?
I'm against having it legalized if you want to help people with it, invent new ways it can be used. Other then going and buying like a pack of cigarettes.
No need for invention. It can easily be eaten. Some say the effects from eating it are even stronger. (I don't mean just stick the plant in your mouth by the way. You have to do it by some special method involving butter.)