Mind altering chemicals are also an integral part of satanic rituals and other shameful deeds, they definitely remove the human fitrah to an extent and drag a person down to a more base fitrah more in tune with other non-human i habitants of earth.
Even though khamr was allowed until the final stage and the prohibition came long after hijrah of the Prophet :saws: to Madinah, it was still spoken of in negative terms throughout the ages and people who indulged in it were seen as anti-social since intoxicants usually indicate a lack of SELF-control. Which friend or social circles would any thinking person want for their child or which son in law would any thinking person want??? Someone who doesn't bother with intoxicants and spending time and money on it? Or someone who spends their time, energy, and effort on intoxicants due to the fact that they give intoxicants a high status in their lives? Would you prefer an employee who consumes intoxicants or one who stays sober?
We'd go back to the blacksmith and perfume seller scenario to evaluate.
I just searched a term and was surprised to see this come up as the first result, didn't even know i had discussed it - especially with all that's happened in between:
Abu Bakr (ra) and alcohol
Umar :ra: on the other hand had violent upbringing issues and was heavy on the drinking scene - and he was the one who set out to bring the head of the Prophet :saws: .....until Allah :swt: guided him due to some goodness He must have seen in him.
Here are some references from the previous scripture despite it's allowance:
Easton's Bible Dictionary says, "The sin of drunkenness ... must have been not uncommon in the olden times, for it is mentioned either metaphorically or literally more than seventy times in the Bible,"[13][100] though some suggest it was a "vice of the wealthy rather than of the poor."[101] Biblical interpreters generally agree that the Hebrew and Christian scriptures condemn ordinary drunkenness as a serious spiritual and moral failing[102] in passages such as these (all from the New International Version):
Proverbs 23:20f: "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags."
Isaiah 5:11f: "Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. They have harps and lyres at their banquets, tambourines and flutes and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD, no respect for the work of his hands."
Galatians 5:19–21: "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: ... drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Ephesians 5:18: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."
And here is a precious gem of information:
Volume 7, Book 69, Number 482:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
On the night Allah's Apostle was taken on a night journey (Miraj) two cups, one containing wine and the other milk, were presented to him at Jerusalem. He looked at it and took the cup of milk. Gabriel said, "Praise be to Allah Who guided you to Al-Fitra (the right path); if you had taken (the cup of) wine, your nation would have gone astray."
Just because we're liable to fall short in times of confusion doesn't mean we should justify that which we know to be wrong or promote that which we know to be less liked by Allah and lower in terms of character.
Atastabdiloona alladhee hua adnaa billadhee hua khair.
And remember ye said: "O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always); so beseech thy Lord for us to produce for us of what the earth groweth, -its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, Its garlic, lentils, and onions." He said: "Will ye exchange the better for the worse? Go ye down to any town, and ye shall find what ye want!" They were covered with humiliation and misery; they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah.This because they went on rejecting the Signs of Allah and slaying His Messengers without just cause.This because they rebelled and went on transgressing. (Surah Al-Baqara, 61)
http://quranindex.net/kelime.php?id=8494
Don't get me wrong - there will most likely always be people who are not connected as strongly to Allah as others, or who fall short sometimes, slaves get lower punishment due to their lack of decision making capabilities, and others who are overly inquisitive and curious, that doesn't mean we should promote lowly substances and portray them as virtues, the abundance of pubs and resulting lewdness in some places is a clear indicator of where such promotion leads.
Looking into the four witnesses ruling should make clear that Islam is well tempered.
The wisdom behind the idolator for the idolatress and the adulter for the adulteress verse is obvious to all who care to think. The fact that cigarette smokers are getting less and less freedoms to fumigate society is a good example of how learning helps put things in perspective - and being arrested for smoking in the tube (i used to arrogantly do it at college age) is not oppression.
May Allah have mercy on us and make it easier for us to repent and follow the best of paths so we can avoid meeting the consequences of our evil actions.