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Yes it definitely is. I'm not going to chase stats but the amount of people who smoke weed in the US is Very High. This is important to know. Many, many, many people purchase and consume pot.

The reason that the comparison is relevant is because we can look to relatively recent US history to see how prohibition of alcohol fucked up our society royally.

When alcohol was illegal violent criminals came to power by supplying it to those who wanted to drink (that is to say many, many people). A lot of people died or risked their lives only because violent criminals controlled the alcohol market. And, of course, even the non-violent criminals who produced or supplied alcohol were punished by law if caught.

While marijuana is a different drug that perhaps has a different base of users than alcohol we can see direct comparisons between the prohibition of the two drugs.

In the US: Some smokers grow their own. Some buy from a friend who grows. Some buy from a grower who drives their product all over the country. But many smokers buy from a source that is ultimately run by violent criminals who will kill their competition and anybody who attempts to undermine their business.

Here's an interesting example of what I'm talking about: In college I took a class called The Geology of National Parks. The professor had been to all of them and encouraged us to go to all of them and to enter them from different points than the main entrances. This was so that we could see the less touristy parts of the parks. However, he advised us to definitely NOT visit Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii from anywhere other than the main entrance because you are likely to accidentally stumble upon a large marijuana farm and be shot by its armed guards. He wasn't joking. The fact is that violence will and does occur in the US when popular drugs are illegal. And also, non-violent people involved in the trade go to prison.

Anyway, I think that's the main reason why talking about alcohol makes sense in these arguments. I think you're right that comparisons of the two drugs' effects on users is not all that relevant, though.

edit: Looking back at this thread I see that you've argued for prohibition of weed because of its effect on users compared to that of alcohol. So it's not you who I agree with on that, its just what I think. In fact, you are wrong to think that the dangers of marijuana triggering schizophrenia is not an acceptable risk. It is. As others have said, I think a very tiny percentage of weed smokers suffer from significant mental damage because of it. Remember, lots and lots and lots of people smoke pot. I don't know of any or of anybody who knows anybody who this has happened to. I do however, know personally a person who suffered a schizophrenic break from LSD use. And, like many, I personally know a lot of people who have suffered greatly from alcohol use and abuse. Still, I don't think these things weigh much in the debate over pot legalization.

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