i saw a documentary many years ago about why marijuana became illegal.

basically, according to the doc, at some point not too long before it became illegal, someone had invented a "hemp ginny" which would have resulted in huge savings in its production costs, like the cotton ginny before it that turned cotton from a luxury item to a mass market item over night. the theory was that the major chemical companies in the US at the time, who were making huge sums of money from the chemicals they sold to the paper industry, would have lost their main customers because paper made from hemp would not need these chemicals. these companies had massive loans from the federal government so they would have lost out too.

interesting theory - not sure if it's true, but as you point out, when compared to alcohol the danger to society is so slight that something doesn't add up.

___________________________________________

"Even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day." Withnail & I