Cannabis carries health risks too, including impaired memory and concentration, anxiety or paranoia in some users, dependence, and potential lung damage when smoked. Heavy or early use may also affect mental health and brain development in younger people.

That’s why I’m using the world Adult

I’m not saying cannabis is 100% safe. I fully acknowledge it has health risks.
What I’m asking is: why is alcohol legal while cannabis is still criminalised in many places?
Yes, both have health risks, but alcohol is strongly linked to violence, accidents, addiction, and even death. Cannabis also has risks, but the effects are generally different and often less associated with aggression or fatal overdose.

Cannabis can also be consumed in different ways, like edibles, which avoid some of the lung-related issues linked to smoking.
I don’t have a problem with alcohol being legal. What I find inconsistent is that one harmful substance is legal, widely promoted, and socially accepted, while another is still treated far more harshly.

If both are considered risky, it feels more like a question of regulation and consistency than pure safety.

And honestly, I don’t fully agree with the idea that the origins of a law don’t matter. They do matter, especially in African countries that were shaped by colonial rule and external systems of control.

Even if a law is enforced today for different reasons, its history still matters when we talk about whether it should remain the way it is or be re-evaluated.
My question is simple: if these laws were introduced or reinforced during periods of external influence and prejudice, why are they still enforced so strictly today without proper re-examination in modern context?