Are 'Legal Drugs' as Dangerous as Illegal?

Yes..and there were numerous valid reasons for making them illegal to supply and consume.
Those intoxicating substances where not legal "per say" rather they were not legally recognised and not legally regulated and legally controlled.
They where supplied by any number of people and or companies while the public at large was consuming them at liesure, more or less, with no restrictions and no real awareness of the potential detriments involved ...."Before" it was realised just how detrimental certain kinds of intoxicating substances can be to people and the well being of the citizens at large.
As the supply and quantity of certain intoxicating drug substances increased and the consumerism increased and the addictions increased in relatively short periods of time ( 2 decades ) there became a need to recognise that certain substances being consumed in quantities by the public came with numerous detriments to the users and more importantly to the well being of the community.
Sure.... the consumerism of the substances back then and still is now practised all in good fun and for thrill seeking purposes but just like back then and the same as now there are negative ramifications that can not be ignored concerning the supply and consumption of powerfull intoxicating substances that result in peoples altered mental and physical state while intoxicated.....along with the addictions and the ramifications of addiction to substances that result in growing numbers of habitually intoxicated users.

They are not to be compared to other consumption practices and other available consumer items such as food or caffein or gambling although the stoners and drug users always like to make comparisons and use other peoples addictions and or social vices as valid reasoning to absolve themselves of any criticism for their personal consumption and personal use of the intoxicating drugs that they consume for the sole, self serving purpose of wanting to be intoxicated

On the other hand their comparisons and reasoning concerning alcohol consumption and tobacco consumption are very valid in many aspects.
Those 2 substances are not illegal but they are tightly controlled and regulated for good reasons as everyone realises that uncontrolled consumption would be somewhat of a disaster if there were no regulations and controls and or any laws to back up those regulations and controls.

But you can see that even the controlled and regulated substances still result in a whole lot of negative ramifications and detriments caused by their widespread consumption in the hands of the citizens who stubbornly insist on consuming them while every last one of those consumers adamantly argue and claim that they personally are a responsible consumer and they should have the choice to consume the substances at leisure should they decide to do so.
History shows that when the citizens are allowed to be intoxicated at leisure on any number of available intoxicating substances without any control or regulations or laws to back up those controls and regulations then given time social mayhem, in varying degrees, eventually evolves. There becomes a need to correct the numerous negative aspects resultant of the supply and consumption of intoxicating substances that are recognised as having numerous social liabilities and detriments attached to their widespread consumption.

People resent the authorities and or the governments placing restrictions on what the citizens believe should be consumed by way of thier own personal choices rather than other people or other "entities" telling them what they can or can not consume.

It is a confict of interests where many people support the citizens rights to consume what ever they choose without any interference from other people or other entities while many people support the use of restrictions and controls and laws to curb or hopefully eliminate the supply and consumption of detrimental addicting substances that cause a whole lot of unwarrented grief because of their consumption.

So what will develope concerning this conflict of interests and concerns????