The fact is the legal status of pot has little to do with it getting you high and everything to do with economic special interests. Petrochemical companies are the wealthiest in the world with very very deep pockets for PACs.
Hemp may not be exactly the same as the grass you smoke, but it IS the reason it is illegal. Methanol is a viable alternative to gasoline but only if a fast growing biomass is available. Interesting that hemp based methanol fueled many cars in the early 1900s. Also interesting that Nylon (petrochemical based) was patented shortly before hemp was outlawed. This legislation was a bit premature though because not enough hemp fiber alternatives were available to make the rope for our war ships so special permits were granted to grow hemp for the war efforts.

I do not smoke pot EVER, I do not drink alcohol EVER!
If one of my children was going to do one or the other, aside from the legal consequences (which are too many and too great) I would much rather they smoked pot than drank alcohol.

As to anyone who says they don't drink alcohol for the buzz I call BULLSHIT! When you don't drink at all it becomes very obvious the change in someone's personality after only one drink. Wether or not you call this buzzed, or drunk, or nothing at all it is still an altered state of being. That being said, if you want to drink, ENJOY just fess up to the fact that you enjoy altering your state of mind.