Relax, man.
That’s what many marijuana advocates, politicians and celebrities are saying as times and paradigms shift and we (cough, cough) celebrate this “high holiday” season. With every campus smoke-out, puffing president and 4/20 woo-ha, the argument for decriminalizing marijuana is chugging forth … and gaining momentum.
It’s time to accept the times are changing, and what we used to consider acceptable has to change, too. In our lifetimes we’ll have to deal with the fallout of the evolution of permissible social conduct: political candidates that had scandalous Facebook accounts, officials that posted Twitter feeds that offended, or even those that tried underage drinking, which is practically inevitable these days. Right now it’s about hits from the bong. Eventually there won’t be anyone who hasn’t had a Facebook or something else that “tarnished” their reputation.
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, NORML, says its Web traffic and donations have surged. Some donations even come in $4.20 increments.
More than a dozen state legislatures have taken up measures to decriminalize recreational use or to allow some medical use, The New York Times has reported. Decriminalization means to keep the drug regulated, while repealing some of its criminal classification, a step short of legalization.
A Massachusetts Democrat and a Texas Republican, both U.S. representatives, co-wrote a bill last year to decrease federal penalties for possession and to give medical users new protections. Though the bill failed, California and Massachusetts legislators are arguing for a “sin tax” on legalized marijuana.
Hey, it’s a recession.
New York Gov. David Paterson was handcuffed and carted off to a police station when he was a state senator in 2002 protesting the Rockefeller Drug Laws. We support legislators’ recent push to overhaul the state’s 30-year-old drug sentencing laws, widely regarded as the nation’s most stringent. Even America’s top politician used to go to the magic show. “When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently,” said President Barack Obama in a clip on the syndicated “Chris Matthews Show.” “That was the point.”
Finally, an honest politician who can appeal to our younger crowd.
And as Snoop Dogg picks up more wrinkles as his blunts sizzle down to the roach, younger guns like swimmer Michael Phelps are toking up too.
So maybe to be an Olympic champion, drop the box of Wheaties and grab the dub sack of weed-ies.
We support decriminalization, hoping that’ll unload crime from the streets and relieve casual users from legal pressure … and keep sniffing cops from our dorm room doors. But we don’t think the nation’s ready for complete legalization just yet. Gun-wielding cartels invading from the Mexican border and the trade within our own cities should probably be our priority when it comes to drug laws. At the very least, decriminalization allows our police to prosecute serious crimes instead of prowling the Nature Preserve looking for that telltale all-natural aroma.
Dissenting Opinion:
While we agree that social norms may be changing, some members of the editorial board feel strongly that there are plenty of reasons not to smoke marijuana as well.
It’s one thing to say that important figures have done it, and that eventually many others will as well. Just the same, we respect those who choose other means by which to “relax.”
Don’t forget that marijuana use, with a few exceptions, is still illegal in the present and that you and you alone are responsible for your actions … and you always will be. Even if you find a way to clean up your Facebook and hide your activities, you have to take responsibility for the choices you make. Your judgment can be impaired, and that your health can be affected. Now, more than ever, responsibility counts. Not only will you be held to the decisions you make today, but you may be forced to live with the negatives later on.
Even if society takes a more lenient view someday, there’s still caution to be practiced.