Why don’t you post a link showing where it is being done commercially somewhere in the world since you claim it more economic. I recognize the molecular structure is capable of being altered to ethanol if you spend enough energy. Plastics and pharmaceuticals are not ethanol.
I don't waste my time on anti-science luddites. You know nothing of chemistry. Plastics and pharmaceuticals are more complicated to synthesize than ethanol. Ethanol from petroleum is not commercialy done because of competition from farming subsidies that artifically lower the cost of agriculturally produced ethanol. It's the corporate welfare to farmers that prevents oil companies from making ethanol. Take away the oil subsidies and you then have a petrochemical market for ethanol. Scientific AMerican had a very good laymans article on this subject. Bottom line is that it takes about as much energy to produce ethanol agriculturally than you get out of it.