Pot

In the late 1970s, I had a college roommate who literally smoked marijuana every night.  That might not be fair to Stan, but it's the impression I came away with.  Stan was a nice guy. A smart guy.  I always thought that his drive for success was weakened by the pot smoking, but who knows.  He just enjoyed smoking joints and so did plenty of others at Cal Berkeley in 1979.  Was it illegal?  Yes, sure.  But no one ever acted like there was any penalty. My first rock concert - Paul McCartney and Wings, June 1976 - the smell of marijuana was everywhere and me and my fellow15 year old friends were offered free tokes.  We refused (at least I know I did.)

That's my background on the subject.  Never tried the stuff.  Berkeley was hard enough for me without altering my brain with chemicals.

They say that marijuana isn't addictive -- at least physically -- but is addictive psychologically. How else to explain the persistence of the legalization crowd?  It is unreasonably important to them.

The argument is made that allowing adults the legal use of the drug is harmless and will be beneficial to society as police and court enforcement costs will be saved.  But, no one is saying it should be legal to anyone under 21, so there will still be police enforcing the law and courts adjudicating.  And it's also probably true that almost no one will become a pot smoker if they must wait until 21. (Studies, anyone?)

It is said that marijuana is as safe -- maybe safer - than alcohol.  Perhaps it would be difficult or impossible to die from an overdose of marijuana. Other drugs -- yes.  Alcohol in great excess -- yes.  All true.  But the one thing about pot is that --  unlike alcohol or other pills or powders or needle- based drugs --  the second-hand smoke itself is an intoxicant.  Or at least that is the legend.   Our President Barack Obama himself wrote about the joys of inhaling the second hand smoke for an extra kick.  From the 2012 David Maraniss biography:  "His other innovation was the "roof hit," in which the Choom Gang would roll up the windows of a car and smoke inside. Once all the weed was gone, they would tilt their heads back and suck in the remaining smoke from the car ceiling."   I know that if I lived in an apartment or condo and smelled pot, I'd feel I was within my rights to demand that it be stopped.  As we have established with tobacco smoke, your right to smoke-- anything --  ends where my nose and lungs begin.