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August 2009

Marijuana

There’s only one good thing about Cancer. Cancer brings about the ability to discuss marijuana in a smart way. Plenty of folks discuss pot in all sorts of ways, but cancer (and other chronic illnesses) bring the medical community into the discussion. If they aren’t stoned, it’ll be a riveting discussion.

In 2007 nearly 75,000 marijuana related arrests were made. What is the real cost of those arrests? Is it $100 per arrest? Is it a thousand per arrest? What could those police officers have been doing with their time?

The cost of the drugs wars is astronomical and it’s a colossal failure.

Clinton didn’t inhale.
Bush snorted how much cocaine?
Obama “inhaled frequently, that was the point”

The last three men to hold our highest office have all defied the law, but no one cared. I’m sure some pundits cared while the cameras were rolling, but the reality is that no one in their right mind cares if adults smoke weed.

Los Angeles is dotted with medical marijuana clinics. Every few months a group of homeowners gets together and screeches Ooh, get them out of here! Which, on the surface, seems prudent. Except one thing. Those same homeowners would gladly smoke a joint if it came their way. Where did it come from? Criminals? Gangs? A Meth House?

What if you’re sick? What if chemotherapy has you so nauseous that you can’t keep food down? Should you waste away and die? AIDS? Anorexia? TMJ disorder is helped by marijuana.

I’d daresay I worry less about pot than alcohol. Did you ever see the police come to break up a stoner brawl? Me neither.

I figure sex, drugs and rock and roll are all a part of young adulthood. With my kids zipping through their early childhood and one entering her adolescence, I worry less about the boogeyman, and more about shining a light on things.

Marijuana isn’t scary, but the laws surrounding it are.