What about people who have been healed/alleviated from serious conditions such as glaucoma, mutliple sclerosis, been able to eat while undergoing chemotherapy or while wasting away from AIDS, etc. Regardless of its potential or lack thereof to "heal" in a psycho/spiritual sense, there is a scientific consensus that it is useful in healing/alleviating certain physical ailments.
P.S. I wonder if I may have had one of those "dangerous experiences" you speak of? Not sure whether what I have been through is the same category of experience you are talking about there.
Personally I know a lot of relatively well-adjusted people [including myself I would say, although "well-adjusted" is an inherently subjective and vague term] who use marijuana regularly, I don't know anyone who uses cocaine regularly who I would consider "well-adjusted."
To me, it seems like I've experienced both positive and negative effects from using cannabis, the negative ones being more linked to over-use/habitual use and the positive ones being highlighted by occasional use/ritual use.
I also enjoy a guinness or glass of wine from time to time, and am struggling with nicotine addiction. I do feel that herb is a different and less dangerous substance than alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, crack, heroin, speed etc. I think it could have its psychological perils for some (myself included?) but is less dangerous on that front than LSD, psilocybin, etc.
I also think that given the society (at least where I live) that is saturated with all kinds of drugs and where most people are not thinking about total abstinence from everything, it's not a bad thing to promote the use of herb as opposed to all those other substances. I certainly do so from behind a microphone, amongst the various other things I talk about.
I am bearing in mind what you say still Ayinde, it may be that herb is the crutch that is preventing me developing my leg muscles to their fullest extent. But quitting cigarettes is what I need to do right now, herb still seems useful to me from where I stand right now.
Apart from enhancing creativity (especially musical creativity, or so it seems to me- and enhancing appreciation of music in general), I think what I love most bout herb is the fellowship aspect, how it could help break down barriers between people, loosen tongues and hearts, I just love meeting new friends over a joint or having a great time gaffin bout any and everything under the sun with me longtime bruddaz and sistaz (whether they smoking too or not- I don't only hang out with herbalists).