Marijuana: The World’s Silliest Taboo

When this picture of Michael Phelps smoking a bong surfaced, the world once again went loony, insisting that Phelps make amends for something that everyone does anyway. What nonsense.

The fact that an olympic champion of Phelps’ stature has smoked weed is a clear indicator that marijuana is relatively harmless, great fun on accasion and obviously the grand champion of substances that should be decriminalized. Is there any other conclusion to draw from this?

I am quite certain that no photos exist of Phelps sticking a needle full of herione in his harm. I am also quite certain he has never smoked crystal meth. And I am equally certain he has smoked weed on more than just this one “regrettable” occasion. Which is really the core of the problem. Not all drugs are equal and continuing the global farce that is marijuana prohibition is dumb.

Another part of the problem is that the United States of America (I was tempted to write “of hypocrisy” but it just seemed childish) is so far entrenched in the war on drugs that they cannot get out of it even if they wanted to. An industry that big doesn’t get demolished easily and there are a lot of people intersted in maintaining the status quo as far as marijuana legislation goes.

My guess is that it will take the supreme court to rule that marijuana legislation is a violation of basic rights before the federal laws will be changed. And by then the feds will just be playing catch up to the various States, that realized long, long ago in a time far, far away that the criminlization of marijuana is just plain stupid.