Poll: If alcohol never existed before, and had just been discovered, would it be made illegal?

[thejdcole]

Right, a simple question, but, say hypothetically that alcohol had never been invented or discovered beforehand, and just recently it had been discovered, would it be made illegal in todays world?

(You can assume that without alcohol we progressed to the same stage of humanity and the butterfly effect never happened).

 

[mcattack92]

If alcohol had not been invented prior to today, the world may be more technologically advanced and ahead more in intelectual areas.

 

[varulfic]

If alcohol had not been invented prior to today, the world would be exactly like that movie Equilibrium.

 

[Raptor Defence Engineer]

If alcohol had not been invented prior to today, the world would be exactly like that movie Equilibrium.

So without booze people are emotionally stunted and robotic?

 

[thejdcole]

I am pretty sure Alcohol is a depressant, not a narcotic.

Sorry I will change that, it was just a slip of the mind

 

[iseko]

An impossible scenario. Medical science like we know it wouldn't exist if alcohol had just been discovered. I can't see any scenario in which medical science would exist actually

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Alcohol or more specifically beer, was created to kill the bacteria in in the water in the past I believe. Or at least that was why it was so popular.

 

[Nerfherder17]

Yes, at the moment, they're always banning new legal highs. although this actually does more harm than good.

 

[thejdcole]

Alcohol or more specifically beer, was created to kill the bacteria in in the water in the past I believe. Or at least that was why it was so popular.

That was the main reason it became so popular, it was far safer to drink than water. The alcohol was weak though so people didn't get wasted daily.

An impossible scenario. Medical science like we know it wouldn't exist if alcohol had just been discovered. I can't see any scenario in which medical science would exist actually

This is why I am talking entirely hypothetically... of course today wouldn't be anything like it is if alcohol wasn't around. The real point I'm asking is if Alcohol should be considered illegal, and an interesting point is that one of the reasons it is not illegal is because of how deeply ingrained in society it is, due to the reasons stated above.

 

[steeple]

of course, and I'm sure the same thing would have happen to tobacco. the only thing stopping them from being banned are the established industry around them and the public being used to them (we're scared of the unfamiliar)

 

[Jordi]

Alcohol is far worse for you than weed is (and I read reports that some scientists even think it's worse than heroine). I don't see any reason why in a country where weed is outlawed a new liquid "drug" would be allowed which is highly addictive and can cause aggression, depression, dehydration, sickness, coma, death (overdose), liver failure, brain damage, etc.

 

[Elegy of Fools]

This would cover all forms of alcohol I would guess?

So! Methonol [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanol] wouldn't exist, which would actually alter how we handle various day-to-day issues; mostly pertaining to our vehicles and cold weather.

And more importantly:

The largest use of methanol by far is in making other chemicals. About 40% of methanol is converted to formaldehyde, and from there into products as diverse as plastics, plywood, paints, explosives, and permanent press textiles.

We would also be without isopropyl alcohol [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol] which would severely damage a number of cleaning products, especially for electronics; specimen preservation in scientific study; and various medical purposes, including disinfecting.

Though I take it you're talking about ethanol; unfortunately it's a double edged sword.

Alcohol in beverage form has existed for at least as long as recorded history. It is painfully difficult to imagine what the world would be like if we were just now discovering it, more importantly because we may very well lack the technological advancement to know anything about it, due to it's heavy involvement in various forms of chemistry. (How's that for irony?)

 

[StormShaun]

We would be in the Mass Effect Era if it was found out now...and called a drug and banned, thanks guys now I have to wait until the Aliens come...