I've been smoking for 5 years straight, not because it's cool, not because I have to, not because my friends ask me to. I do it to open my mind, change my perception and perspective on anything in general, even life. I smoke weed because I have the time, the money, and the opportunity, I'm not making myself do it, and no one should make you smoke either. You do it on your on time when you feel comfortable, safe, relaxed, not because you are upset or had a bad day, that is no way to use any drug. I don't consider weed sacrilegious, and I don't think you do either, nor quite frankly do you even care, but see if you aren't like your family, doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to them but it's only them being concerned about you as they should normally because they care about you, unless it's them preaching to you about how their God thinks you are a fucked up piece of shit because you smoked a joint then I'd just not even listen to them. Weed wasn't my gateway drug, see you have to be careful because you don't want to say to yourself often that you wish you could feel like that all the time, or have a more intense experience, that leads you psychologically toward wanting to try other experiences, or drugs, that's perfectly normal sometimes but it gets to be a bit sketchy. I've rolled on E plenty of times, triple stacks of g's up to doped out blue pills pressed with heroin, smoked blunts of wet, pills, pills, pills, and more pills, from cyclones and benzos to oxys, percs, vicodin, and any other opium based drug as well as lots of coke, not including robo tripping, but then I hit my psychedelic phase with acid, shrooms, DMT, and some others, which reality struck reality with surrealism to the point where I didn't know if I was dead, in a coma, still tripping, or perfectly fine. What I'm trying to say is, just smoke weed and be cautious with it, don't be flashy, like telling everyone that you smoke all day errrday, you just have to be careful with what you say, who you say it too, and when or where you say it. Don't be buying clothes advocating the legalization or posting it on Facebook, just be normal about it, but still keep an open mind. Also gotta watch about who you are with and around, you should just be around trusted people, and depending on where you live and where you go, try not to smoke in the car or have anything on your person(in your pockets or on you in general) so that if you get stopped by a cop, you won't be fucked and that you could walk away no problem.