The irony and hypocrisy is apparent when you compare the harm between alcohol and illicit drugs. However, the alcohol industry represents something much more dangerous. They are part of the reason you rarely see drug reformer's message on TV. Why do you think the alcohol industry funds groups like the Partnership for a Drug-Free America? Because they want to keep their illegal competitors off the air and they have done quite an effective job on that front.

I work for a anti-DWI group and when we first started we were on all the major national TV talkshows. Once we joined the SMART(Stop Marketing Alcohol on Radio & TV) we were immediately black ball from the national scene and have found it very hard to get bookings on TV shows to this day. So the alcohol industry is much more powerful than they are percieved by the public. They profit from the drug war and yet receive little scrutiny for it. I applaud Scott for writing about alcohol on his blog, but he doesn't go far enough to point out the relationship between alcohol and getting our message out on the airways.

As bad as alcohol is, Prohibition does not work. If a real crime happens that needs to be dealt with but nothing positive happens through prohibition of any drug, Alcohol prohibition created crime and violence that was off the scale just like drug prohibition has.The year alcohol prohibition was repealed violent crime fell 65%. Legal or not people are going to get a buzz, all prohibition does is create a black market where crime and violence thrive. Drug policy reform groups have the tools in place to change the laws, so keep up to date on current legislation and get ALL your associates to join you in contacting elected representatives at the local, state and federal level. Here's a site you might want to visit:
JUST SAY KNOW to the DRUG WAR
If you're using Internet Explorer web browser use this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/home
If you're using any other web browser use this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/index.html

"But it is rarely observed that the legality of alcohol, by its very nature, plays an important role in undermining other drug enforcement efforts."

Actually, it's not uncommon to find drugs on people arrested for public intoxication or DWI from alcohol (particulary marijuana), because police often ask these people when making the arrest if they have anything illegal on them. Of course, you are correct that consent searches aid in marijuana arrests, but it's often another violation occuring in the public arena (most often a minor traffic violation and perhaps computer check for warrants) that triggers a suspect's detainment. If officers smell marijuana, and perhaps observe other corroborating evidence (e.g. a pipe or baggie of leafy substance), this can lead to a probable cause search and subsequent marijuana arrest. In other words, the vast majority of marijuana violations often occur due to carelessness of the user in the public arena, but these marijuana arrests have little deterrent effect on the vast majority of the millions of marijuana users, who use responsibly and safely in private settings every year.

"As long as it remains legal to get utterly obliterated on booze, the enforcement of other drug laws won't just look stupid and hypocritical. It won't even work."

I agree; show us the consistency in the general laws protecting public health. People are allowed to consume dangerous foods, dangerious liquids, and dangerous cigarettes, not to mention dangerious products like guns and ATVs. We call this freedom. But what is up with illegal 'herb?' Bam out of nowhere... among a multitude of hazardous to your health products is that lonely old devil weed. The (forbidden fruit) "take away" approach is by human nature a guaranteed way to create takers. This is the big mistake the Drug War is making. But when people have a freedom and can take it for granted, boredom sets in. This is where the legal alcohol manufactures need to push their drugs with media commercials, therefore 'bewitching' unsuspecting users to gain marketshare.

If the drug warriors really wanted to lower marijuana use they would make it legal to consume (end the black market), but ban all media commercials to promote use. So the alcohol manufactures don't have to compete with air-time, a real unfair advantage! Then maybe people might start seeing TV beer commercials similar to the old pushers on the street?

Sometimes it is hard to express your disgust toward Government sponsered intrusions.
In this country you don't have a free will or the right to choose what you ingest. Period. Every week some new Prescription drug gets pulled off the market because of it's lethal side effects. Alcohol & tobacco have their fair share of casualties. Yet Government thru legalization has herded it's nation of citizens toward alcohol, tobacco and the Pharmacy's Russian Roulette of pills. The U.S. has created a monopoly of recreational consumables.
The riots in Michigan have placed a microscope on alcohol use and the downside society faces when large crowds of "drunk & uncontrollable" people do what they have been given the right to do. No large crowd of pot smokers would get as out of control as these Government sponsered Partyers. As quoted online "Pot smokers would not be throwing weed bags, bongs and rolling papers"!
Whether a substance is legal or not does not detract from the fact that unruly behaviour is unacceptable and should be punished. It is when our laws allow for the use of one substance while criminalizing the use of a clearly more benign substance that reality is distorted and mistrust sets in.

We can't trust our leaders anymore when it comes to the Billions spent on a misguided Drug war that has done little more than disintegrate our civil liberties.

We can't trust our leaders anymore when it comes to the Billions spent on a misguided Drug war that has done little more than disintegrate our civil liberties.

You are all right, alcohol should be illegal also. As a matter-of-fact I seem to remember that it was??? Oh Yeah, We just gave up. Just because we can't enforce a law doesn't make it wrong. There is too much evidence of all the harm that drugs (including alcohol) do.

We should push for an alcohol prohibition bill to see how many sponsors you get for it, since one of the major prohibitionist reasons for not making marijuana legal is that we have enough problems with alcohol and that it would send the wrong message to kids. So lets write a bill and see how many alcohol supremacists sponsor it so we can start sending the "right message to kids".

A miracle plant that has been bashed over and over.
Totally irrational behavior demonizing a non-toxic beneficial chemical--cannabinoids!

Don't Bogart Me.

I'LL SMOKE WEED WHENEVER I WANT, THE COPS CAN KISS MY BONG! IF I GET ARRESTED AND GO TO JAIL I'LL DO MY TIME AND WHEN I GET OUT - I WILL HIT THE BONG AGAIN. IT IS CRAZY TO MAKE WEED AGAINST THE LAW. THEY CALL ME A DOPER. BUT I THINK PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE WEED AGAINST THE LAW ARE DOPES. HA HA