Why is murder illegal? Why is robbery illegal? Why is rape illegal? Society has decided that certain activities should be banned. It's all based on morality when you get down to it.
For now, our society has said that alcohol is not inherently immoral and that marijuana is inherently immoral. When I look at the laws, that's what I see.
We can change the laws -- we could (again) say that alcohol is a great sourge and has no place in our society. We could say that marijuana is essentially harmless and people should feel free to partake. These are moral choices and it is up to society to send a message on what is socially acceptable.
If we were a theocracy, perhaps we could look in a holy book and announce the final word on morality. But we are essentially a secular society, for better or worse. And so our public stance on moral issues such as marijuana and alcohol is revealed by the laws we pass. You say our laws make no moral statement, pro or con. I disagree 100%.
“Why is murder illegal? Why is robbery illegal? Why is rape illegal?””
Sorry, I do not place murder, robbery or raoe on the same moral plane as marijuana, aclohol, tobbaco or gambling. The former are crimes where Liberty is taken from someone by someone else, the latter generally are not.
Secondly, as much as some individuals vote for, or are in favor of some law on moral grounds, though everyone in favor may not be doing so on moral grounds, I do not say all such laws as making a “moral” choice, and saying something is “morally” O.K.
We quite often are NOT saying that we all think that something is morally O.K., but simply that LEGALLY the moral choice about them should be left to the inidividual, because our idea of Liberty says that is what we should do - leave tbe moral choice of it to them. Those of us who think it is morally NOT O.K. will refrain, and those that don’t won’t.
Such laws are not morally pro or con vis-a-vis some allowed activity; they are just pro Liberty and inidividual responsibility.