This is being hailed as a breakthrough against marijuana prohibition, but the masses of would-be pot smokers in California seem to carry a popular delusion that rests on the false idea that marijuana is safe to smoke in unlimited quantities because it's "natural."

As much as I disdain prohibition against any medicinal plant — and I'm convinced the "War on Drugs" was a miserable failure — I have news for all those who smoke pot: Smoking anything is a health risk because you're inhaling a toxic stew of carcinogens produced in the smoke itself. Whether you're smoking pot or tobacco, you're still poisoning yourself with the very kind of carcinogens that promote lung cancer, heart disease, accelerated aging and cognitive decline.

Just because cannabis is now legal to smoke in California doesn't mean it's a wise habit to embrace.