I agree with you wholeheartedly, RES, but consider this.

Prohibition on alcohol has been tried, and the result was a number of organized crime cartels and syndicates, producing their own alcohol, and selling it underground. These cartels made substantial money from this - something any government would not want to happen. By prohibitioning alcohol know, they would encounter the same problems. Plus, any government that banned alcohol [I]now[I], would NOT be voted in to office by the public again. Also, the government would lose millions, even billions, of £'s made from alcohol sales and licensing. This would mean that we, the tax payer, would have to suffer all sorts of increased taxes to make up the difference.

The same is true for tobacco - there is no pheasable way the government would be able to ban the sale of tobacco. They would lose a hell of alot of money, and have to increase taxes. They would lose literaly millions of voters.

The opposite is true for Cannabis. It is now illegal, but were it to be made legal, the government would have to admit they were wrong. They would lose alot of trust from the public, and maybe not be voted in to office again. The next government that came along, wanting to win the voters back, would ban Cannabis again, and adopt a 'We told you so' attitude.

My point is this. We complain that governments are only out for themselves. This is probably true. But, think about why.

If a government that was truely out to do their best for the people came in to power, they would have to make a lot of radical changes. This would lose them the vote of many minority groups (ie, if they legalised drugs, then many older voters would be against it and them). This would likely result in them losing the next election. How can they help the country if they get outvoted? Governments HAVE to try and keep themselves in power, by keeping all the voters happy (or as many as possible), so that they can continue to help the country.

As cannabis smokers, we a minority. If the government truely want to help the country, but ALSO want to stay in power, then they have to be seen to be doing what the majority wants.