Just curious, what's your proof that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol?
Alcohol is toxic to your body - it damages your liver over time if consumed in larger quantities. Particular alcoholic beverages like wine and wood distilled spirits have some health benefits, and in moderation I think alcohol may even be healthy in general .... but ... it is toxic and will do damage to your body in the amounts that is commonly consumed, people do overdose and in some cases die from alcohol poisoning.
Cannabis, on the other hand, is non-toxic. It is pretty much impossible to overdose and it doesn't do damage to your body or organs. It also contains countless medicinal benefits in the form of CBDs which help your body regulate various functions. Your metabolism and countless other functions your body engages in from pain to the nervous system are all better regulated on cannabis because it contains the mechanism by which these functions communicate (CBDs).
I think, right or wrong, most Christians have a mentality that cannabis is INHERENTLY intoxicating while alcohol isn't.
As someone who drinks on occasion and uses cannabis pretty regularly, I have no idea what you are talking about. I get buzzed after a half a beer or a few sips of wine. I can get equally buzzed from cannabis by taking a small drag from a joint or a micro hit from a bong.
The big difference is after you consume more - with alcohol it causes people to black-out and they can become violent, angry, really happy, excited, bold or any number of exaggerated emotional states. They do things that they won't remember the next day. When you wake up, you can have a severe head-ache, body pain and feel incredibly nauseous and tired all day (hangover)
With cannabis, on the other hand, if you consume 'too much' you become tired and lay down on the couch and fall asleep. When you wake up, you feel refreshed.
People are more inclined to beat their children or family members, get in fights, have promiscuous sex and engage in criminal behavior after drinking. People are LESS inclined to do those things after smoking herb. I'm not saying it never happens, gangsters tend to toke herb, drink 40s and engage in criminal behavior but the cannabis is not exaggerating that behavior - if anything it helps them chill out and be more safe than they otherwise would be.
Also, cannabis can be consumed without heating or activating the THC component and you can consume the medicinal portion of the plant without any of the psychoactive effects.
I would say that the Bible is clear that alcohol is lawful (contra prohibitionists who ignore scripture) but I don't think it mentions cannabis at all per say, though IF its an inherently intoxicating substance that would be enough reason to say its sinful (though not criminal.)
That is debatable - you may disagree, but some people claim that canneh bosm (edit: Gunny mentioned this above) which Jesus used in his annointing oils in the Bible is cannabis. It makes sense because it would explain his healing miracles. If you made a cannabis oil and rubbed it on someone's eyes and they had glaucoma, they would find immediate relief from their symptoms. If you rubbed it on someone with some type of nerve damage like Multiple Sclerosis, they would find relief and may even be able to walk. Cannabis has been used as a treatment for leprosy. It has hundreds of medicinal uses.
