Why was cannabis, a drug used for thousands of years in the Middle East, banned by Western nations in the 1800s even though they found little to no harmful effects? Was there an element of xenophobia?

by skourby
csihar

There's always more to say on the subject, but here's a previous thread with an answer from u/Roggenroll that may be helpful. Basically, it was almost entirely due to xenophobia, with very little consideration given to the drug's actual (non-exaggerated) effects.