Good questions, McG of H. But that's typical of you and your observations--smart on all counts (except of course when they disagree with my own :-)).

AFAIK, the American FDA (Food and Drug Administration) puts things on its 'restricted' list. That means that someone somewhere decides certain things are bad for you. Tobacco was not and still isn't considered bad by the FDA. It has never been made illegal. Booze was bad so the Constitution was amended to reflect that until prohibition was ended whereat it was considered good or at least tolerable. THC in the form of 'smokeable and get off on it' marijuana was cool until a dickhead (my term) named Harry J Anslinger got it outlawed with the help of J Edgar Hoover--no relation, although ASAIAC he too sucked.

Marijuana has been referred to in august publications such as Culpeper's Herbal from the 1600s. In that book was a notification that Scottish bagpipe players used the stems of the hemp plant to make reeds and it was considered strange that they also smoked the leaves.

Goodnight.

Great to see you posting again, Kevin.

BM