Ethanol is a toxin (poison). It has been called drug for many years, by some. It has been used as a medicine to inhibit premature labor. [medicine=drug?] It can kill the very first time a person might choose to binge in college (well documented). It has the ability to induce addiction. (A complex, neuropsychiatric behavior involving craving for the substance, tha leads to social and physical harm to the one using it.) DTs (delerium tremens) is a form of alcohol withdrawal that kills. The chronic exposure, to the poison, kills the liver tissue, resulting in cirrhosis and death. I would say that qualifies for physical harm. The lives ruined and families destroyed would qualify for the social harm. Alcohol is and has been a drug. Maybe it is getting politically correct to not talk about it as such. But it does not change the facts.

Along that line. Prohibition of alcohol did not work, as the drug prohibition is not working. With alcohol regulated, people don't get sent to jail for the rest of their life for having a case of it! We still have plenty of alcoholics. But the numbers seem to say that it would NOT be much different if the "drug" was illegal. The addiction rate, to all drugs, has been steady in this country since, even before, the drug laws were passed in the early twentieth century, (somewhere around 3%?). It is questionable whether or not legalization of drugs would change that rate. I really have my doubts! Because,right now, it seems as if any person who chooses to abuse drugs or alcohol, can easily obtain them in today's drug war environment! It makes it easier for our kids to get them too. Drug dealers don't card!

I agree with you to some extent. There are some bad "drug dealers" out there but there are good one's. Yes...good ones that don't sell to young kids or teenagers. Those are the ones that are paying for there college. It is sooo expensive to try and live these days. Those "good" dealers don't do drugs themselves. Things turn out pretty ugly when you are dealing with a bad one. So many people do drugs. You have your upper/middle class dealers that deal with the upper/middle class society. The bad dealers usually deal with lower class. You would really be suprised that at least someone whom you've met in your life, that you would have never guessed, was probably a dealer at some point in there life. Sometimes all that money will lead you to the right place. However, the money is hard to leave and that's why most "good" dealers you will find in college so that they will still be making good money after leaving the drug trade. Another point as well is the type of drug you are selling. Cocaine is so common where I live in BC, as well as pot of course, we are known for our BC bud. Cocaine is the worst addiction but you would be suprised at how many upper/middle class people can handle it, only doing it when drinking. Alcoholism in my opinion ties with cocaine. It goes hand in hand. I could go on forever but I just wanted to stress the point that people shouldn't judge those "drug dealers" they all have a reason of why they are doing what they are doing. At least they are not stealing your vehicle and breaking into your home (the users do that).