All drugs are not created equal. Caffeine is a drug, but pretty harmless. Nicotine is a drug, and very addictive. The packaging is what kills you in the end, but it's a slow-motion death. Alcohol is mild for most, but really brutal for a sizable minority. Pot is significantly less dangerous than alcohol, except that kids seemed to have a hard time staying with that drug instead of moving on to the really nasty stuff.