Deviance

Similar to the age restrictions for alcohol consumption in the U.S. and the prohibition, the criminalization of marijuana can be examined in the same perspective. Like you've stated, people with power criminalize certain actions and things as a way to legitimize and prioritize their own interests over others and in doing so, create social/cultural norms that clash with the majority. The idea that marijuana is put on the same level as much harder drugs and resulted in countless arrests and imprisonment for the possession and use of it is baffling when we consider the fact that it has medicinal purposes and is much safer than alcohol and tobacco. This continued narrative of marijuana being dangerous and its criminalization can only be a result of those in power trying to protect their own interests. If we were to examine other parts of society we will only continue to find countless variations of this.