Cannabis Smokis

A radio show in CA recently asked their listeners to weigh in on the legalization of marijuana that will be on the State’s ballot tomorrow.  Amazingly, many Boomers were against it…and of course, that was after having enjoyed it themselves in their youth….none having been harmed by it, all now sounding a bit like the proverbial “reformed whore”…

For being the most educated generation in our nation’s history, we have a tendency to minimally use the fruits of the tens of thousands of dollars our parents spent on that higher education.  I say this because all the reasons these call-in opponents gave for keeping marijuana illegal –

• it’s stronger today…
• Mexican cartels will take over CA…
• it’s a gateway drug…
• it’s another way for drivers to be under the influence –

are the precise reasons it needs to be legal.

What’s mind-boggling to me is not their hypocritalism (is that a word?), but that they don’t recognize their reasons as what in fact make legalization an imperative.

Once legal, cartels go away, type/strength of all pot is regulated and use is controlled/age-limited, and drivers who will operate a vehicle under the influence will do so no matter what is legal…or not…so that argument goes out the car window.

If they want a cogent argument, it would be that legalizing pot may be a gateway to legalizing other presently illegal mood altering substances, like cocaine and heroine.  Which would lead to…you guessed it, regulating/controlling those drugs as well…

History shows conclusively that the prohibition of alcohol did not work as a deterrent, but did work to create a huge underground criminal element, increase violence thus requiring a significant increase in money for law enforcement, and in fact the most compelling factor for finally overturning it (for better or worse), caused the loss of millions (billions in today’s dollars) of tax revenue.

I ask my fellow Boomers to do your research – opt for brain-jolt  rather than knee-jerk, before you decide matters of such weight, let alone make your thoughts public.  After all, we want our children and grandchildren to make informed choices… let’s lead by example.