Governor Schwarzenegger has suggested that the time is now right for a national dialog on the potential legalization of Marihuana. Schwarzenegger, who once killed an alien wearing dreadlocks, was apparently something of a pot smoker himself during the heyday of his body building career in the 70’s. Of course, if you were a Baby-Boomer and didn’t smoke weed in the 70’s, you must have had asthma or been imprisoned in some pervert’s dungeon for the whole decade. The Governor believes legalization is a revenue opportunity for California and that it probably won’t have any severe consequences, mostly because half the State is already regularly stoned.
I have mixed feelings about the possibility of such a debate. I was 16 in 1976 and spent a lot of time listening to Frampton Comes Alive, Destroyer and Hotel California while in an altered state of consciousness. My attorney advises me that I have to provide the disclaimer that I never actually inhaled the 7,358 times I w
as exposed to that end of the marihuana cigarette which was not burning, but it was a long time ago and it’s really hard to remember. I’m pretty sure the corporate records of Church’s Fried Chicken can provide more detail on specific times and places.
I have mixed feelings about the possibility of such a debate. I was 16 in 1976 and spent a lot of time listening to Frampton Comes Alive, Destroyer and Hotel California while in an altered state of consciousness. My attorney advises me that I have to provide the disclaimer that I never actually inhaled the 7,358 times I w
as exposed to that end of the marihuana cigarette which was not burning, but it was a long time ago and it’s really hard to remember. I’m pretty sure the corporate records of Church’s Fried Chicken can provide more detail on specific times and places. However, I now have teenage children of my own and I do not want them to necessarily repeat every stupid mistake I made in my youth. I had a lot of fun in the 70’s, but I also dropped out of high school, ended up in the Army at the advanced age of 17 and worked on the loading dock at a pants factory for a couple of years before finally getting my act together in the age of disco. I’m not suggesting that marihuana was the sole cause of this, but escaping from reality delays acceptance of reality, which is a prerequisite for any sort of personal progress. For me, marihuana was part of a culture of the moment; an attempt to freeze the now so that the impending arrival of responsibility and soul-crushing conformity could be avoided. The problem was that whatever relativistic time dilation was occurring in my mind, the real world was still rocking along, and I got left behind.
I’m not much for panic mongering and I know kids will be kids, but I’m not sure legalized marihuana would be good for America’s youth. Smoking anything is generally unhealthy and smoking marihuana can make you go blind. Ok, maybe that’s masturbation, but you definitely shouldn’t drive a car, operate heavy machinery, negotiate contracts, do metric conversion, be alone with teenage girls or go grocery shopping while under the influence. Young people have enough trouble with pretty much being nuts; adding the smoky disorientation of cannabis will not likely improve things.
Other than laziness, horniness, uncontrollable laughter and profound hunger, the side-effects of ganja are relatively mild, but the real danger of marihuana is that it makes life seem so simple and obvious; when in fact, life is complex and confusing. Youth is a time to experiment and explore, but it is also a time to begin understanding the condition of adulthood in which you will spend the rest of your life (unless you are male, but that’s another blog entirely). The Doobie Brothers ☺ said it best in the title of their 1974 album, What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits; it’s easy to get lost in the smoke.
I am sure that Governor Model T-100 has some valid points; we could raise a boatload of cash, empty half the prisons, greatly reduce violence along the Mexican border, dramatically increase the value of California real estate and drive McDonalds’ stock through the roof by legalizing marihuana, and maybe we should. Maybe responsible adults should be able to sit in the privacy of their own homes and listen to Frank Zappa the way it was meant to be heard without the threat of Big Brother kicking in the door. Maybe Ed Wood’s movies should be popular. Maybe freedom demands that something that cannot empirically be demonstrated to be a significant threat to the health, safety or welfare of society should, by principle, be allowed. Maybe marihuana can be regulated, controlled and limited as a legal substance in such a way that America’s youth can be protected and individual choice honored. Maybe. I don’t know.
After all, we’re doing a pretty good job with alcohol, aren’t we?
I’m not much for panic mongering and I know kids will be kids, but I’m not sure legalized marihuana would be good for America’s youth. Smoking anything is generally unhealthy and smoking marihuana can make you go blind. Ok, maybe that’s masturbation, but you definitely shouldn’t drive a car, operate heavy machinery, negotiate contracts, do metric conversion, be alone with teenage girls or go grocery shopping while under the influence. Young people have enough trouble with pretty much being nuts; adding the smoky disorientation of cannabis will not likely improve things.
Other than laziness, horniness, uncontrollable laughter and profound hunger, the side-effects of ganja are relatively mild, but the real danger of marihuana is that it makes life seem so simple and obvious; when in fact, life is complex and confusing. Youth is a time to experiment and explore, but it is also a time to begin understanding the condition of adulthood in which you will spend the rest of your life (unless you are male, but that’s another blog entirely). The Doobie Brothers ☺ said it best in the title of their 1974 album, What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits; it’s easy to get lost in the smoke.
I am sure that Governor Model T-100 has some valid points; we could raise a boatload of cash, empty half the prisons, greatly reduce violence along the Mexican border, dramatically increase the value of California real estate and drive McDonalds’ stock through the roof by legalizing marihuana, and maybe we should. Maybe responsible adults should be able to sit in the privacy of their own homes and listen to Frank Zappa the way it was meant to be heard without the threat of Big Brother kicking in the door. Maybe Ed Wood’s movies should be popular. Maybe freedom demands that something that cannot empirically be demonstrated to be a significant threat to the health, safety or welfare of society should, by principle, be allowed. Maybe marihuana can be regulated, controlled and limited as a legal substance in such a way that America’s youth can be protected and individual choice honored. Maybe. I don’t know.
After all, we’re doing a pretty good job with alcohol, aren’t we?
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