Michael Phelps For Governor!

This past weekend I was watching some of the 2009 swimming national championships from Indianapolis. Once again Michael Phelps set a world record. A few months ago Michael Phelps was busted for smoking weed at a party. He lost several endorsements and a big deal was made about the whole role model Olympic hero idea (that is a discussion for another day). I also saw a press conference this weekend in which the governor of California, Arnold Swarchenegger announced that the state of California is broke. Some estimates claim that California has the 10th largest economy in the world. Many states across this country are running huge budget deficits. As states look for ways to balance their books there is one solution that is very apparent to me. I think the legalization of marijuana would provide a much needed source of revenue for states as well as make many Americans like Michael Phelps happy.

Before you dismiss this idea as completely crazy, I think it would be prudent to discuss a few things. Before we jump to the conclusion that legalization of marijuana will be the downfall of society (like it isn’t already downfallen), I feel it necessary to mention some arguments that people who oppose the idea of legalization often use.

The first argument against marijuana is that “If we legalize marijuana, EVERYONE will get high”. If we have legal drugs everyone will do it because it is legal and we will have a NATION OF POTHEADS!!! The reality is there is no evidence that this will happen. I have never smoked weed. If it were legal tomorrow I would still never smoke weed. Most of the people that want to smoke weed are already smoking it. In addition consider that fact that cigarettes are legal. Is everyone in America smoking cigarettes? Alcohol has been legal since 1933. Do we have a nation where EVERYONE is an alcoholic? I feel it necessary to mention that prohibition was repealed in the middle of the great depression. Coincidence? There is no evidence to support the notion that marijuana use will increase significantly.

The next argument is that if we legalize marijuana then “we are going to have EIGHT YEAR OLD KIDS SMOKIN’ WEED” I am not suggesting that we just let everyone smoke up. Of course it has to be regulated. We have age limits on other drugs in this country and most of us find this perfectly acceptable. We can argue about what the age limit is and how strongly we should enforce the rules but do dismiss the entire idea is irrational. Usually 8 year olds can’t get cigarettes and alcohol. We are talking about adults who choose to engage in this practice.

Another argument against this policy is “Marijuana is a gateway drug that can lead to other things. Marijuana use will lead to use of more dangerous drugs. I actually agree with this argument on some level. While it is true that most users of hard drugs will admit to using gateway drugs earlier in there lives the converse of this argument is not true. There are millions of people who smoke weed who never do anything else. Just because you use weed doesn’t mean that you are going to become a crack head. I also feel the need to point out that alcohol and cigarettes are also gateway drugs and no one is suggesting outlawing them. Another thing that goes hand in hand with this argument is that marijuana is just too harmful to allow. I would ask people to consider how harmful cigarettes and alcohol are. Consider the liver damage, the DUI’s, and the effect alcohol has on the brain both short and long term. Then consider the carcinogenic effects of smoking on both the person and the people around them as well as the addictive effects of nicotine. I think marijuana is very harmful but how much more harmful is it than drugs that society has deemed legal.

The final argument is an argument on moral grounds. The idea that our government and out society has to take a moral stand against marijuana. The idea that the only "thing holding the moral fiber of our country together is the prohibition of marijuana, I think, is the most ridiculous argument of all. The formal laws we have against marijuana were enacted in 1970 (there were other laws enacted before that). Somehow America was able to struggle on with out marijuana being illegal. There was actually a marijuana tax that was levied on selling of marijuana in 1937 (what a great idea). The morality argument is even sillier to me when you consider the society that was in this country. This society during this same time period had colored peopled drinking out of different water fountains, put thousands of Japanese Americans in internment camps, dropped TWO nuclear bombs, and assassinated government officials of sovereign countries. The fact that marijuana was or was not illegal has little to do with our morality.

I think there are several benefits of a well regulated marijuana policy. The first is the revenue generated. Right now the government makes ZERO dollars on the sale of marijuana. There are millions of people smoking and the government is making no money. In addition the people making the money are not the nice sort of people. These people are given their power because marijuana is illegal. Does anyone think drug dealers are paying taxes? Having registered people and places that can legally sell marijuana will allow the government to tax the revenue and at the same time diminish the power of the small time drug dealer. I think legalized marijuana will put the small time drug dealer out of business. If you wanted to smoke up would you go in a back alley to by your drugs or would you go to CVS? My opinion is overtime the influence of these small drug dealers will decline.

I think having the government involved will also make smoking marijuana safer. The drug would be dispensed in predetermined quantities and would be verified for purity. As it is now you can buy marijuana with different levels of potency. The user has no way of knowing how refined the drug is that they are buying. It is possible (even likely) to get marijuana that is unknowingly laced with other chemicals. The user has no idea what they are smoking in addition to the desired drug. Having a well regulated industry will make the product safer.

It is also necessary to consider the secondary effects how much money is spent jailing people that are convicted of marijuana crimes? How much money do we blow on marijuana court cases? Most police forces are over worked and underpaid. What would happen if police could actually chase real criminals and not adults who chose to smoke a little pot once in a while?

I think this is a tough decision. I have reservations about something like this. The problem I am having is that this idea is too often dismissed without even a discussion. Almost every state in this country is out of money. There are people on all sides screaming that we are spending too much money. We have big problems that need to be fixed right now and we need money to fix them. Do we want education, health care, benefits for widows of firefighters, and a new energy policy or do we want the delusion that we are a moral society because we lock up potheads.


(If you can’t deal with weed being legal can we PLEAS E HAVE STATE RUN CASINOS AND LEGALIZED BETTING ON FOOTBALL. We already have a state lottery. Why should Donald Trump make billions of dollars and the state can’t build and run a casino. Just put a nickel slot in every DMV, post office, gas station, and supermarket. I mean really how much money we have to throw out the door.)