Alcohol and Weed

 Politico has a post on Prohibition, stating the case for prohibition being a reasonable reform with supporters ranging from Washington to Lincoln.  The writer is a historian with a new book out.  My mother was death on alcohol; looking back I'm not sure why.  I'm thinking there was some element of experience there, possibly from neighbors, or within the family; I don't know, I never asked. 

I can buy some of the argument, certainly the part about alcohol being one of the Progressive reform causes. Comparing the brewers and distillers to the today's peddlers of oxycontin and fentanyl is good, as is pointing to the impact of firewater on Native Americans.

Meanwhile, there are reports of national Republicans supporting the legalization, or at least the decriminalization, of marijuana. That's amazing to me, but it seems that it's the wave of the future.

I can't come out with just one standard rule for alcohol and drugs which I think would work for all times and all societies. 

That Demon Rum, Updated

 My mother was death on drinking.  She would be pleased by this post.

It's strange how things have changed.  I clearly remember Mr. Youngstrom, our science teacher for one year in HS (unless he was a substitute--the school had problems keeping science teachers) being very emotional when telling the class never to smoke marijuana.  I think the reason was it was a gateway to hard drugs, but it could have been because it was evil in and of itself.

60+ years later Virginia has legalized marijuana, and there's a push for decriminalizing hard drugs.  It seems libertarian philosophy has conquered much of American life.