Michael Phelps, the Olympic great who won eight gold medals for swimming in the Beijing Olympics, got caught smoking marijuana.  A British newpaper printed a picture of the 23-year-old toking on a marijuana pipe. His reaction to the photo was as follows: “I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgement. I’m twenty-three years old, and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me.  For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

To me, that is a class act.  He didn’t deny it.  He didn’t try to explain it away.  He didn’t lie about it.  He didn’t say, “I didn’t inhale,” or ask his accusers to define the word is.

He was very straight-forward about it, admitted his guilt, and promised not to do it again.

He is to be commended.

However, what was Michael guilty of doing?

Smoking marijuana. 

What is wrong with that?

It is against the law.

Why is it against the law?

…

That’s a good question.

(Hell, the current President of United States and his two immediate predecessors admitted to toking on the weed from time to time in their youth. Are Clinton, “W”, and Obama criminals? Technically, the answer is yes. They broke the law.)

Michael got punished.  Why? Because somebody sold a picture to a newspaper showing him smoking weed.

Now, in South Carolina, where the “crime” took place,    state police are in the process of trying to find enough evidence to arrest him. (What’s the matter? Don’t they have anything better to do…like, maybe,  going after real criminals who actually hurt other people?)

Why don’t they  arrest Bill Clinton?  Or Barack?  Or “W”? Hell, hey wouldn’t even have to gather evidence! This “Gang of Three” have freely confessed to the felony!

Bill, “W”, and Barack admitted to smoking grass. And their punishment?…The Oval Office.

I don’t get it. 

If it’s going to be illegal for all.

So how come we can overlook the action for some and not for others? The athlete gets penalized.  The politicians…get elected to the most powerful position in the world.

???!!!

However, I guess that makes about as much sense as anything else that deals with our society’s actions and views of marijuana.

Is smoking grass harmful?  Taken in excess, there’s a possibility that it could be.  So is sunshine, sugar, all foods (even the “healthy, natural” ones), exercise, and just about anything else you can think of. 

Is pot less harmful than alcohol and tobacco?

Yes. Demonstrably. And yet, those two substances are not only legal, but they are heavily taxed to make money for state and federal governments.  In fact, your federal tax dollars go to pay farmers and corporations to grow tobacco!

And, unlike tobacco, which has no medicinal benefits whatsoever, marijuana is extremely beneficial in curbing nausea and relieving pain for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

So, why pick on marijuana?

Is it a backlash against the hippies of the Sixties, to whom the stuff was the drug of choice?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that it shouldn’t be illegal. 

How many of you haven’t smoked grass at one time or another?

When you did, did you feel like a criminal?

Did you go onto “harder” drugs? (In the Sixties, they referred to pot as “a stepping stone drug” or “gateway drug” that led to use of LSD, cocaine, heroin, and the like.)

Do you know people who use the stuff today?

Are they criminals?

Should they go to jail for their actions?

Now, would I be upset if I found out that my grandchildren were smoking pot? I don’t know if “upset” is the right word.  I would be “concerned”. Just like I’d be concerned if they were drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or having sex.  In fact, I’d be MORE concerned if they were involved in the last three than if they were using pot.

I know folks who use the stuff, and they are among sweetest, most talented and loving folks that I know. They are no more criminals than I am.

And, to be honest with you, I have been known to take a hit or two and pass the joint around. Not very often, but on occasion.

 

Knowing that, do I go down in your estimation? Should I be in jail on drug charges? Am I a threat to society? Am I somehow deranged or misguided?

I’ll leave that to you to decide.