The year was 1994. My hair was eighties big, and I was living in a sorority house in Norman, Oklahoma. The sky was huge, and I was wide-eyed, playing cool, playing real cool, taking drags of long cigarettes and talking Bukowski. Dude, Ham on Rye was sooooo much better, I’d say in one dank living room or another but then it happened. Wanna hit? somebody said, and before I knew it, I was pulling a Phelps.
Don’t get me wrong. I saw the charm in the dented-up-Dr.-Pepper-can-cum-bong, but, frankly, I fell asleep waaaaaaaaay too soon with a bad taste in my mouth and a bit of a headache. So, I have to admit, I was pretty surprised yesterday when I looked at the news and saw that in President Obama’s “liveblogging Town Hall” the vast majority of the 90,000 questions revolved around legalizing the sweet stuff.
You see, for me, marijuana’s always been a blip on the screen, some frat party gone wrong, but apparently it’s at the forefront of a lot of American’s minds (when America’s not exactly at the top of her game!) and seemingly in a lot of their backyards. I recall many a summer night when sitting in my own backyard I’ve gotten a wiff of the ole skunk coming from next door. I’m always shocked: my neighbors are in their 60’s; they have jobs and kids and know who to call for a plumbing job; but all roads point to the fact that they also enjoy dancing with sweet Mary Jane.
So maybe I’m missing something in this whole “Legalize It” debate. It’s one of those times that I’m thinking, hmmm, really, wow, one of those times that I’m a little stunned by what goes on behind closed doors, but maybe there’s something I’m not getting. Enlighten me, dear reader, give me your opinion on the Green.
Where to start?? First, this is a well written piece to introduce a complex question only because the media makes it so by not covering the “rest of the story”, as Paul Harvey so eliquently said so many times.
While I am not a close follower of this subject, I think there are at least two major issues that quickly come to mind that need to be developed before the public can make any sort of reasonable and informed judgment on this matter.
The first relates to the many aspects of health and health care and second relates to the “gateway” drug theory. Does it make any sense whatsoever to legalize the use of a smoking product at a time when most of the world, and certainly the USA, is vehemently fighting the use of tobacco products? Notwithstanding all of the well documented health issues relating to smoking cigarettes, pot adds another significant health problem relating to the long affects to the brain. The direct affect pot has on the brain will obviously differ between individuals, but both short term and long affects to the brain is a siginificant issue that needs substantial scientific investigation before legalizing can even be discussed. While it may not be as big an issue with your 60 year old neighbor, impaired judgment from pot is not to be discounted, especially among younger people.
The fact the pot is a major gateway drug that has proven to lead to experimentation and use of other far more harmful drugs is a matter not to be discounted lightly.
This lightweight argument of people being able to use drugs in their own home because it does not harm anyone else is truly absurd. Maybe there are a few old folks that can make a valid claim to that argument, but the overwhelming majority cannot,but who pays for these people’s health care when they develop the myriad of health problems that will come from their use of pot or other drugs in the “private confines of the own home”? We the taxpayers of course and we can not even deal with the giant health care problem we are facing now.
Hopefully legalizing the use of marijuana in any form or any place is a long way from occuring due to many unanswered questions, of which the two discussed above are certainly some of the most relevant.
You my dear friend have never experienced the true fun of Mary Jane! I find it to be the perfect mood stabilizer. It takes the edge off of a rough day, gives me more patience, and makes nearly every activity more enjoyable. I laugh at the idea that it is this hardcore gateway drug that only leads to years of health care issues, and a downward spiral of our future make up. It is no worse then alcohol, and in most cases it is the better choice. Why is it somehow okay for one to kick back a 6 pack of beer, but not spark up a fatty? The alcohol does damage to one’s body… and tends to make people think from time to time that they are in fact Rick Flair. Weed does no such thing.
I say legalize it, tax it, make it the US’s bitch and forget all the other bullshit… because in the end, people are going to smoke if they wanna smoke. Why not regulate it, and make money for our country… hell, they can use it to help fund our ever growing health care problem!
Well, I’m a total prude and have never tried it so I obviously don’t understand it. I also have plenty of fun with legal substances and not sure why we need anything else. I mean, last night’s wine club gave me enough of a headache.
I don’t want my kids smoking pot, but I kinda really don’t care if you or your neighbors want to smoke it. Hhmm…is it possible I don’t have a strong opnion on something? Ok, I chose “no don’t legalize it”. There..whew…I feel better now!
I have certainly enjoyed a dance or two in my day and damn was it fun.
I don’t really have any problem with the stuff, but really, should this be a priority for our government? I think we’ve got bigger fish to fry.
The common “but alcohol and cigarettes are legal, and they’re more dangerous!” argument is absurd. Two problems:
1. I’m not so sure alcohol and cigarettes should be set as legal benchmarks.
2. They’re already legal. There is a big difference adding additional liberties and taking existing ones away.
I like the idea of roads leading to facts.
And a problem that leads to the incarceration of tons of poor people and that leads to beheadings on our borders probably SHOULD be addressed. I think it’s a plenty big fish to fry.
Oh, these fish. Smoked. Fried. Very interesting comments here! All sorts of things I hadn’t considered. Alas! Maybe I should stick to talking about Jesus and Tarheels (insert that old saying about God making the sky Carolina blue). Thanks for your thoughts.
I sometimes forget that the movement to legalize marijuana is about liberating the lower classes from the forces of tyranny. All this time I thought it was about getting high.
How about this? Legalize the buying, selling, and growing, but leave the actual smoking of the bud illegal.
Everyone wins, right?