“For many sephardim who’s grandparents and great grandparents lived in the Middle East- a little arak and hashish on a celebratory evening was considered quite normal.”
Evidence please? I’ve never seen evidence that cannabis use was historically customary among any Jews.
Opposition to cannabis use is not some kind of irrational prejudice. There are reams of scientific studies supporting its dangerousness. Of course, the same goes for alcohol, but in contrast to cannabis, there is a long history of safe and sanctioned use of alcohol among Jews.