Yeah well we kinda tried that, didn't end well :p. Banning cannabis was much easier due to its much smaller appeal at the time. The three first principle compo

Yeah well we kinda tried that, didn't end well :p. Banning cannabis was much easier due to its much smaller appeal at the time. The three first principle components of a drug's harm are the therapeutic window (log ratio of LD50 to median active dose), addictivity (harder to quantify, but we have models based on pharmacokinetics and dynamics), and degree of harm to others when altered. Alcohol is dangerously toxic on the order of ~15-25 units, has fast onset and hits GABA so rather addicting, and as a CNS depressant, is obviously very risky to others. If a designer analog came out with the profile of EtOH, it'd immediately go to Sch I.