Never among life’s surprises did I ever expect to see marijuana legalized. I think I said that maybe three years ago. Well, it still is not legalized in the United States, at least within federal statutes. But many states are beginning to either decriminalize the drug or send it to a brave new world of legalization. Come Wednesday, pot becomes legal in Colorado.
Legalized weed does not mean that one may do what they please for a Rocky Mountain high. For instance, smoking pot in public is supposedly against the law. And though driving under the influence will be enforced, it will likely take a great deal of profiling — a smoke-clouded car with the driver and passenger eating an entire fried chicken for instance — to make any substantial impact on this type of DUI.
Make no mistake about it, the same wolf cries that have been heard for all our lifetimes will likely be howling louder. But meanwhile a greater body of study has emerged over the past century or so during which marijuana has been vilified by both the misinformed and the powerful.
Practically any argument about pot will likely bounce head-to-head among those who have a vested interest in a flourishing marijuana industry against those who seek the weed’s destruction.
Mass media already provides a wink and a nod for some celebrities who smoke weed almost openly. My hero, Willie Nelson, for example. Although I love his work on its merit, not because he smokes pot. I would be willing to guess that in 40 or more years dabbling in drug may have actually helped his creativity by smoking reefer than say getting s**t-faced on Wild Turkey.
You hear about so many athletes getting busted for pot, mainly because that’s what they do, just as the jocks did 10, 20 and 40 years ago. Some have even claimed that marijuana can help athletic ability. I don’t see how, though I’m no athlete. I would be interested in studies on marijuana and its effect on adrenal in. Many a stressful incident resulting in disaster are blamed on weed intoxication. But how many of those situations found people in the situations merely with pot ingredients in their system, and in which they seemed like a logical scapegoat?
There continues to be studies as to the medicinal effect pot has on a variety of illnesses. I can say with confidence, that if marijuana was legal I would use it for the chronic pain now treated with the powerful and powerfully-addicting methadone. I would find one of the sugar-free cookies or cake as a delivery system because, as an ex-smoker, I prefer not to smoking anything. There are various methods being developed which will use the drug’s properties for various maladies while not having the buzz that goes with it. That is well and good, but it’s kind of like drinking a Shirley Temple or near beer.
One thing for certain is we will read and hear more about marijuana than in history. I would say that people should use their own smarts to have an informed opinion. Unfortunately, I see too many people who like their news to fit their point of view. With that in mind, I have no guess as to whether the new reality of marijuana is here to stay, or it will be a flash in the pan.
I am sure for many of the Coloradans will for now abide by that sentiment from the band, Traffic, from some 40 years, that one should just “Light up and leave me alone.”
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