Why bhaang/bhang is associated by some with Lord Shiva?

Bhaang/Bhang and Lord Shiva!

This connection is propagated by people who want to satiate their cardinal desires of indulging in drugs, by using the support of a defensive argument saying even ‘Lord Shiva accepts Bhang’. It's kind of a subconscious authentication process, a defence mechanism, which we are all aware of. 

Visualize this- someone whom we idolize like MS Dhoni, starts endorsing a soft drink or energy drink, starts endorsing a specific brand of toothpaste, body spray, deodorant etc. What do we do next? We start drinking that brand of soft drink in summer when we are thirsty, start using that body spray; even though it might be costly and less effective than other available established brands of the same product, than the product endorsed by MS Dhoni. Dhoni may have never used the toothpaste, deo, body spray, soft drink ever. He may not have even tasted the energy drink he is endorsing.

Picture this. A crude caricature of the above scenario. In the tier 2, 3 cities; local businessmen start promoting their indigenous local products. Some Gorakhpur or Patna or Mehsana or Hisar or Nagpur or Raipur or Indore businessman starts selling his local bidis/cigarettes made in his factory by imprinting MS Dhoni's picture on the pack of cigarettes/bidis. Ms Dhoni is not even aware of this scene. The locals, motivated by their cardinal desires to smoke bidi, buy that bidi and use a defensive statement. They say even MS Dhoni consumes this product. Thus, it's OK if we use this product.

This is just an analogy to explain how human mind can use someone who is seen as clean, pure, pious, powerful, noble to further fulfil their personal desires and wishes.

Lord Shiva is Omnipotent. He symbolises the destructive force of the cosmos. He is the one who has completely defeated the evil forces, ruler of the desires-Kamdeva, who is responsible to give birth to desires within everyone in this cosmos. He had consumed the poison during samudra manthan to save this world from total annihilation. Lord Shiva is Param Eshwar. The cosmic force which is responsible for Pralay, also known as judgement day or doomsday by some- when this universe comes to an end, manifests itself in the Sagun Roop of Lord Shiva.

People offer bilva patra, milk, dhatoora to Lord Shiva as well. People offer coconut to Lord Shiva as well. That does NOT mean that Lord Shiva drinks or likes Coconut or Coconut water. Coconut represents our head. The fibre of coconut represents the hair on our scalp. When one offers coconut, it means one is bowing in front of God and surrendering one's ego to get blessed.

Thus Lord Shiva is Omnipotent. He does not depend on materialistic things of this world for pleasure. He is beyond all of these worldly pleasures and desires.

It is just a gimmick used by some to legitimise their cardinal desires. They consume drugs, bhaang etc by falsely implicating Lord Shiva’s name saying we are consuming Lord Shiva's prasad or bhaang which Lord Shiva likes. They do this so that less number of people question this jerktastic behaviour of theirs.