[robertpaulsen]

See my post #4. Alcohol has a history of use in the US (add cooking, an area I forgot), whereas marijuana doesn't.

The author is attempting to ignore that by placing alcohol and marijuana on equal historical footings with his sentence, "Pretend for a minute that humankind had not discovered alcohol until Drexel distilled it in 2000".

Not the same.

[MrLeRoy]

See my post #4.

I did---see my post #7.

Alcohol has a history of use in the US (add cooking, an area I forgot), whereas marijuana doesn't.

So what?

[kinghorse]

Speaking of *rolling eyes*, wouldn't it be funny if alcohol was illegal and groups formed to press for it's legalization because it was so important in cooking recipes. LOL.

[FreeTally]

The author is attempting to ignore that by placing alcohol and marijuana on equal historical footings

No, you are trying to equate alcohol in a form that can be ingested and intoxicate a person with alcohol in the form that if ingested, would kill the person. The author is not ignoring anything; your specious argument is irrelevant.

"History" is not a justification for inprisoning certain people for ingesting a certain substance, and not inprisoning others for ingesting another substance..