your right t-m, alcohol is one of the worst drugs of all. it can ruin peoples lives in so many different ways and yet its seen as a totally acceptable thing to 'take'. why? you said it, tax.
im not advocating the use of drugs either, cocaine can be highly adictive but so can alcohol (although on a lesser scale). probably what makes drugs alot worse is that they are produced, sold and taken in an underground culture and therefore they can contain other ingredients which are probably worse than the drug itself