I'm the granddaughter of Italian immigrants. In my parents' and relatives' homes, alcohol was a non-issue. Earliest memories include sips of beer, wine, creme de menthe (yuk now, but liked it then), Galliano, or whatever the adults were drinking. The kids almost always preferred club soda or milk, but it was offered to us if we wanted it. Obviously our consumption would have been reined in, if necessary.
In restaurants, my father ordered extra glasses, placed them in front of himself at the table, and poured an ounce or so of wine in them for the kids to sip along with our other beverages. (NY in the 50s and 60s.) Obviously we couldn't be served directly by the restaurants, but parents had a lot of latitude in those day. Restaurateurs usually subscribed to the same theories since they themselves were often deeply rooted in European traditions.
My family never made a big deal out of alcohol, nor did I ever see any relative even get tipsy. Zero alcoholics in the family tree, which I attribute to the very healthy attitude toward liquor, and a happy spin of the DNA wheel.
Can't say marijuana has any of the miraculous properties in
@Gardenlover's meme, in fact I would take issue with all of them. However, alcohol often fuels tremendous violence and belligerence in humans while marijuana does not.