Marijuana: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, or "Don't Bother Me, Dude?"

Looking at the police log can give people an idea of the state of the culture, and talking to young people can be even more enlightening. A lot of people are smoking pot, young and old. A lot of young people, whose parents smoke marijuana, will recognize the smell at their first illicit party at the home of parents who think their kid would never throw a party while they are in Maine vacationing from their parental duties; and they will smoke it.

What chance does a kid have when dad cautions "cops" to no one in particular while slowing down before passing the police cruiser on the side of the road. Or when dad takes the ten year-old shopping, but forgets to take the two cereal boxes out of his hands, and no one at the register notices, but, after opening the car door for his child and noticing the oversight, says "Look what we won."

So, if just to save children from their parents, an argument could be made for decriminalization of the leafy weed. The HopNews poll was 2-1 in favor of decriminalization of the illicit substance. And although the majority of respondents felt that way, would they have voted if the method of drug delivery, assuming the same amount of drug as in one joint, were by pill instead of smoke? A pill would be less dangerous, because smoke from a marijuana cigarette is said to deliver all of the evils of a cigarette, and much more.

Democratic Representative Barney Frank believes the government should stay out of people's lives. He favors decriminalization of marijuana.

But decriminalization is not the same as legalization.

If the government legalized the drug for adult use, it could make a bounty in taxes! And as an unintended consequence, the sales of "munchies" would also increase. People would drive more slowly. Of course, being a psychotropic drug, there would be some professions that marijuana use, even if legal and purchased over the counter, should be verboten. I can't imagine a police officer officer saying, "License and registration, dude."

Or the teacher starting the day with, "Yo, whaddup, Holmes?"

But the main problem with marijuana use, legal or illegal, is the lethargy that overcomes some of its users — and most of its abusers.

"Let's smoke a joint and lift some weights, and then do our homework together" I doubt it.

More like, "Let's eat some more Hostess cupcakes and drink another gallon of milk while we watch TV with the sound off and the radio blaring, and make really dumb YouTube movies featuring ourselves beating each other up and doing other dangerous things."

Of course the side effects of pot are legend, especially for young people. Unfortunately, 18 is the age when young people have the right to get addicted to nicotine and take years, not only off of their lives, but off of the quality of life. It really only takes one time, the first. And although marijuana is not as addictive as nicotine, it can cause more damage to a developing mind, because that is what it affects.

Cigarettes have never been attributed to influencing a person's mental development, but abuse of drugs has long been known to slow or even stop a young person's maturing process. It could be very well that if marijuana becomes readily accessible to the masses, legal or decriminalized, it should be kept out of the hands of anyone under 21 — or even 25.

Barney Frank wants to keep the government out of people's personal business. But our society isn't the same society that he envisions, with people doing whatever they want. It is a society that wants its children to have all of the tools it needs entering adulthood. It is a society where some children, more than other generations, need society, police, and the courts to take up the slack from absent parents, single parent homes, and the peer pressure that those kids are especially susceptible to.

I don't think kids need marijuana to complicate their lives. Hopefully, they will be well protected if any changes are made.

Please feel free to post. ~Robert