# Why is alcohol use so socially acceptable (required), and pot evil.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-alcohol-use-so-socially-acceptable-required-and-pot-evil/474005>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 22, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-alcohol-use-so-socially-acceptable-required-and-pot-evil/474005 "2008-11-22T17:11:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 7

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-alcohol-use-so-socially-acceptable-required-and-pot-evil/474005/121 "2008-11-26T17:58:07Z")

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> [@Freudian\_Slit](#):
>
> Why is spinning yourself in a circle till you fall over so socially acceptable, and alcohol evil?

Because spinning in a circle doesn’t smell bad,

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-alcohol-use-so-socially-acceptable-required-and-pot-evil/474005/122 "2008-11-26T18:25:01Z")

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Peruse [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=494318) thread (actually an interesting one), then convince me these people aren’t interested in copping a buzz along with enjoying the finer points of their chosen poison. 😛

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**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-alcohol-use-so-socially-acceptable-required-and-pot-evil/474005/123 "2008-11-28T17:32:43Z")

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I think the simple answer to the OP (for the US) is that the US government used drug laws to attempt to control immigrant populations and this mentality has carried forward to this day. There is now such a large industry devoted to fighting pot use that I don’t know how it will ever get changed. When you have hundreds of thousands of career law enforcement professionals who’s bread and butter is keeping people from using pot that makes it difficult for the real facts to guide our nations drug policies.

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