Smoking that Doobie, Brother

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen

Many countries, especially on the western side of the Atlantic, have decriminalized cannabis (weed, pot, doobies, grass, smoke, reefer, whatever) and legalized it for medical use. Many places have made recreational use legal as well. Even where illegal, enforcement of laws is often sporadic.

And there was great rejoicing among pot smokers. In fact, here in not-all-that-far-upstate New York, cops don't care. Polly Pothead in the apartment next door was chugging away so much, the smoke could be seen not only in the hallway, but seeped into our own apartment. Police did nothing. That was before it was legal, but her usage is the same as before; smoking wacky tobaccy just wasn't important enough to enforce the law. Also, she's a terrible conversationalist.

One article I found in my research mentioned that Mary Jane was originally illegal because it is harmful. (Oh, come on! Don't get a burr under your saddle. You know it's true. People who argue for its medical and recreational use cite dubious sources almost as much as a village atheist cites other atheists that have "evidence" against creation science. If nothing else, our Creator didn't design us to inhale burning leaves.) Something that was considered harmful is now legalized because governments see money in it.

People are sold a bill of goods about how marilizing legajuana will boost the economy and provide massive tax revenues. That isn't working out nearly as well as they expected. The underground economy, like the Democrat Party, doesn't want the swamp drained. That is, dealers are used to doing sneaky stuff and not paying taxes, and it's cheaper to get it from Jake the Snake than from Ye Olde Cannabis Emporium, you savvy?

Comparisons are made between grass and alcohol, as may be expected. These are not valid, however, despite some credible points that are raised  —

I'm going to change horses in midstream. Let's see what happens. When I say smoker, I'll be referring to a cannabis user. Drinker refers to alcohol, whether, beer, wine, spirits, or whatever.

• You can't drive stoned, Sebastian. Impaired driving is a problem whatever the cause, and crying, "But it's legal now!" won't cut it.
• Workplaces have a right to prohibit the use of loco weed just like alcohol; you can't show up to work while stoned. I sure don't want a buzzed plumber or surgeon taking care of my needs. I lack belief that anyone else would want to pay a stoner for important work.
  
• People pushing to make marijuana legal appeal to medicinal use. But like evolutionists, they acted like their approach is the only approach, citing other biased advocates for support. The formulas for recreational and medicinal usages are different.
• Standardization of pot is a crapshoot. A drinker in the formerly United States knows that there are standards, and the alcohol content is on the label somewhere, usually hovering around five percent for beer.
• Drinking and smoking (which includes tobacco) are bad for young people. They are still developing, and those things cause permanent damage.

On a side note, I remember being a cashier and ringing up single packs of cigarettes for fifty cents each, and $4.35 USD for a carton of ten. In many places, they are about ten dollars a pack. Most of that is taxes. I reckon that putting warning labels on the package that they're harmful to your health makes it okay to subsidize and tax something that is harmful, huh?

When I posted "Cannabis and the Christian", a surprising number of religious folks argued that they have the "right" to have it, and it should be legal. Some even had complaints that resembled the abortion proponent who says, "My body, my choice". I believe they simply wanted to get high and made excuses to be a stoner while professing to be a Christian. This is taking Christian liberty far beyond what God intended. Look up what the Bible says about drunkenness and apply the principle to pot and other mind-altering substances.

There have been many problems with legalizing marijuana. Interesting how certain scientific facts as well as other contradictions to the claims of pot advocates are in abundance, but the doobie-smoking public is unknowing or uncaring.

God created bodies for health. One should expect problems when policies compromise health for pleasure and money.

It wasn’t that long ago that marijuana (now called cannabis after its genus name Cannabis sativa) was considered bad. It was an illegal drug, considered a gateway drug to harder, more addictive drugs like heroin. Private growers reminiscent of the old “moonshiners” in the days of Prohibition made it available, and drug smugglers ensured ample supplies made it past border guards. Some argued that legalization would remove the incentives for smuggling; then governments could regulate it and tax it.

Powerful special interest groups have been pushing for decriminalization first, then outright legalization next. Their success is to the point where many states have not only legalized it, but are promoting it. Users claim it is harmless and gives them pleasurable feelings. And there’s big money involved; governments enjoy the growing tax revenues.

You can read the rest of this extremely informative article by lighting up "The Bad Aftertaste of Cannabis Legalization".