Pod whenever
LocAtion wherever
Make a society treat cannabis in the same way As alcohol- allowed in for consumption in certain businesses and heavily supports private use.
While alcohol is treated as cannabis is - prohibition, drug war in full swing
POD: An Ottoman sultan with a fetish for the Romans and a deep sense of pragmatism takes the throne. Have France abandon the Ottoman Empire early on under a zealot king at a critical juncture, leading to a revanchist attitude to take hold in the Ottoman court. Have the Ottoman Empire overrun Vienna early into their history but agree to a relatively generous(to the Austrians) peace treaty where the Ottomans abandon any goals of expansion into the Holy Roman Empire, secure recognition as a continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire, return any lands north of Istria and in Austria proper. Permanent embassies are established in Vienna and Constantinople, the capitulations between France and the Ottoman Empire are rendered null and void alongside their alliance, and reciprocal trade treaties are established rather than a one-sided capitulation being offered. Basically a Diplomatic Revolution of the 16th century. As a result, the Ottoman's European frontier is established at the Carpathians and the Dniester, as well as the Austrian border which was settled in Austria's favor as a sign of good faith. In return, Austria abandoned all claims east of Austria proper including the crown of Hungary, washing their hands of the issue and turning their full focus onto the Reformation and France. As a result of these treaties, the Ottoman Empire's economy is integrated into the rest of the European market and its intellectual circles begin to cross with those of Europe. The German and Italian bourgeoisie as a result are heavily pro-Ottoman as their fortunes are all dependent on continued good relations with the OE and the Near East is once more open for business.
With respect to religion the Ottomans make several concessions on the rights of Christians early on and dedicate the majority of their diplomatic corps towards the Papacy so as to establish a rapprochement between East and West. While full communion is something no Pope will cross without serious concessions on the part of Orthodox local leaders, the Papacy uses the opportunity to grow its influence and prestige in the face of the Reformation via establishing 'A Partial yet very close Communion' with the Eastern Orthodox churches under the sway of the Ottoman Empire. Protestant nations are quick to paint the Papacy as crypto-Muslims, but in much of Catholic Europe the news is met positively barring one major exception, the Iberian peninsula which is conflicted but political pressure has more or less halted all but the most zealous of its kings from adventuring into Muslim North Africa. One of the conditions for the rapprochement was to end piracy in the Mediterranean, which disproportionately fell on the shoulders of the Ottoman Empire due to North Africa's economic systems. Sultan Romanophile however, was zealous in his goal of establishing a peaceful Mare Nostrum which helped sway the Spanish bourgeoisie over time which in turn, put pressure on the Spanish state.
--fast forward several hundred years--
The Ottoman Empire is a well-integrated (and unarguably dominant) superpower of the Mediterranean economy and its peoples are found throughout; whether Muslim, Christian, Jew, or non-practicing, none can deny the influence of the Ottoman state on all corners of the Mediterranean. From Greco-Turk cuisine, to the sailing under the banner of the Ottoman merchant marine, even common phrases from a sailor pidgin of Venetian, Turkish, Greek, Italian, and Arab derivative. But two things in particular that denote Ottoman influence and that any schoolboy or schoolgirl could tell you is the current trending of the fez in fashion and the smoking of cannabis at important business meetings. Cannabis smoking is a custom derived from Ottoman businessmen, many of whom can trace the history of their scholastic programs to the Bektashi Order whose influence on the usage of cannabis is undeniable.
Meanwhile, alcohol with the exception of wine is viewed with distaste among the elite of the Mediterranean due to its prohibition under Islam that resulted in it dropping out of favor around the turn of the 19th century in any meeting involving Muslim guests, and near universally after a particularly disastrous meeting of the European Forum where a drunk English king vomited all over the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire in addition to a long standing political campaign against it highlighting the strains it puts on society. It's largely viewed as the swill of the poor and decisively un-European in nature today, which was used against Russia in propaganda campaigns before the current period when racism and bigotry was more widespread but is also largely to blame for its dropoff in usage from being a staple of European consumption before the industrial age, though its usage in Eastern Europe has always been strong and has remained as such despite Russian efforts to do everything to limit it short of outright banning it.
That said, Turkish Islam has always been slightly more permissive of alcohol than other strains and in recent years, has recently seen an upsurge in popularity among younger individuals and is viewed as part of modern counterculture and rebellion. Its recent legalization in parts of Germania in the Western Roman Empire* have all been largely youth-driven movements that argue upon its historical cultural significance to the people of the region.
*The Hapsburgs eventually overran France and with the blessings(and direct military aid) of the Pope and the Ottoman Emperor reproclaimed the Western Roman Empire. England was Not Amused, but Anglicanism was still a sore point for the Popes. The Ottoman-Hapsburg alliance is today the longest-lasting alliance in world history and has been maintained through intermarrying, establishing childhood friendships between its scions, joint building projects of ridiculous ambition, and many, many royal get-togethers that today are considered a complete waste of the common man's money. The Co-Emperors of TTL's world are childhood best friends and spend far too much time fucking about(discretely) like when they were youngsters. In this world, a descendant of both Mehmed II and Charles V became Pope. Let's just say that nepotism, not poverty, is this world's biggest issue.