@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @ @ @ WORK IN PROGRESS @ @ @ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Why does the government try to prevent the use of some drugs? It is said it is because they are dangerous and harmful both for the mind and the body, but we have plenty of examples of very sane people who do drugs, and of drugs that are not considered physically addictive (lsd) or physically harmful in the short term (cannabis). Yet, those people and these drugs are widely decried. We should note that most prohibited drugs started as medications, or were freely distributed. A preparation made from coca leaves, the Mariani Wine was widely popular for some times. The first example of drug prohibition in the US dates back from the XIX century, when opium dens were outlawed in San Francisco because of their perceived effects on public morality. Always in the States, we have the example of the disastrously unsuccessful alcohol prohibition and its effects. More recently, officials have tried to make drugs illegal not much because of their psychological effects