People disagree on this, but I'm skeptical of the position that cannabis use opens the mind. It alters the mind, certainly: but does it open one up to new, less restrictive ways of thinking and being? I think it opens onto other, equally restrictive ways of being. In short, it turns people who think like neurotics into people who think like stoners. If you're a tense individual, then it must be a great relief to relax, and cannabis will surely get you there. My point is rather that the mental states cannabis invokes are not, in my opinion, liberating. They're just different.
To Ikkyu's earlier question (perhaps rhetorical?), I don't know if spending an occasional evening with a bag of buds is better, worse or about the same than spending an evening at the movies or a game. I'd guess it's about the same, but perhaps a bit cheaper and, let's admit it, probably more fun. That said, I would really rather not give los Zetas another nickle, so I'd choose to stay at home and read Hegel & drink a dry ale or go watch a soccer match at the Mexican restaurant if I'm ready for a break, instead of smoking a joint. YMMV.