Legalization of Marijuana: The Philosophy is Different Than What People Think ...

I can't seem to get away from the discussion on legalizing marijuana.  It's on the news, it's on Facebook, it's in casual conversations.  Everyone seems to want to weigh in on this one, yet I can't fully understand why.  I've come to the conclusion that the only people who are going to win on this one are the sociologists.

Realistically, marijuana is less harmful than either alcohol or tobacco, both of which are legal (if heavily regulated).  Using the "it's dangerous" argument is just illogical, unless you're willing to explore making booze and butts illegal.  That whole "gateway drug" theory has long since been disproven.  

So why is it such a big deal?

My theory is that people just like to have something to complain about.  

No, seriously, hear me out.  

I think the idea that pot is this big, bad drug has been pretty much taken off the table.  According to an article I read on WMUR this morning, 60% of New Hampshire taxpayers are in favor of "legal, taxable marijuana sold by licensed stores for recreational use".

The barriers have been eroding for some time, and the legalization of medical marijuana has effectively shown that it's not really that big a deal.

True story ... a man was dying of lung cancer, and chemotherapy was wreaking havoc on his appetite.  His wife was told by the doctor that marijuana therapy would probably help him gain weight, but unfortunately it was illegal in New Hampshire.  His wife was tearfully sharing this with her daughters, and it was quickly pointed out to her that they could run over to UNH and have marijuana for him in about twenty minutes.

So, yeah, it has been moving slowly toward legalization.  The stigma has largely disappeared.  Pot smoking is no longer associated with certain negative stereotypes.

And yet the hold up continues.

Right now, the vocal majority are united in the whole "Let's legalize it" cry.  People from all walks of life are joined against the government, either by speaking out publicly or through regular tokes in the privacy of their homes.  These voices run the gamut of rich and poor, of educated and uneducated, of urban and rural.  In the battle against the government vis a vis legalization of pot, there is a strange equality that has come forth.

As soon as pot is legal for recreational use (and make no mistake, it will be), that unity is going to crumble.

Watching this unfold is a sociologist's dream, really ...

Republicans are going to start slamming Democrats about how this is just one more thing the government is trying to control.  Democrats are going to try to make pot taxes exorbitantly high to finance some sort of social issue du jour.  The wealthy are going to complain about taxes on pot.  The poor are going to complain about taxes on pot.

The same people that sell untaxed cigarettes and alcohol are going to get in on the action afforded by marijuana.  Cops are going to be paid off to overlook the difference between the legal ounce and possession of two or three ounces.  Crooked politicians are going to finance underground pot farms and receive kickbacks from illegal sales.

It's going to be a giant clusterfuck, in other words.

This sounds awful, but I am kind of looking forward to it, just because it will be interesting.  

I have no vested interest in marijuana being legal.  I mean, my own personal relationship with cannabis has ended; high school and college were ages ago.  I feel like it should be legal because there is no compelling reason for it not to be, but it doesn't really matter that much to me.  The truth is, if I wanted to get my hands on pot, it would be easy; however, if pot was legal, I would have no interest in buying any.  That ship has sailed for me.  When I am at social gatherings when bowls are passed, I choose to say no, yet I have no issue with those that choose to say yes.  (This is an awkward paragraph, yet I feel like it needs to be included)     

I am reminded of that old adage, "Be careful what you wish for."  I think, in the case of legalization of pot, it's going to lead to another saying ... "May you live in interesting times." 

I think we will be.

Motorcycle Musings

There are a lot of motorcycles in my neck of the woods at this time of year.

First, there is Motorcycle Weekend (also known as "Bike Week") in Laconia. I attended this festivity once when I was going to college up north and was much prettier, thinner, and of course younger. One of my friends that I was with swears that there's a topless picture of me in a collage-style calendar made from that year. (There's a whole shirt-lifting thing that is sort of like Mardi Gras beads but not really ...)

Anyway, I also live in a beach town, and riding along the coast seems to be a favorite route for bikers. I don't blame them--I love to both walk and drive the same road. It's so pretty ...

It seems like there have been a lot of motorcycle accidents this year. It's funny, according to the news there were actually fewer Bike Week incidents, but maybe I'm just paying better attention, I don't know.

I've been on a motorcycle, of course. Once was with my old friend, Andy, who had a knack for exploiting what I refer to as my self-destructive streak. Yeah, I almost fell off ... no helmet ... dumb.

The other was with the father of an ex-boyfriend, a wonderful man (the father, not the ex-boyfriend) who wanted to show me why he enjoyed riding his bike so much. He insisted that I wear a helmet, and it was a really neat experience. It's definitely a unique way to view the countryside, and I must say that I enjoyed it.

As a bumper sticker I recently saw on a motorcycle states, "I completely understand why my dog rides with his head out the window."

Which brings me to the crux of my concern, I suppose.

There is probably a 3:1 ratio, based on my own informal observations through two hours spent in a car each day of the workweek, of motorcyclists who don't wear helmets to those who do.

I feel two ways about this.

First, I suppose that if you're going to be riding a motorcycle, there's an inherent risk involved. Wearing a helmet is not going to protect you from getting a broken neck or back, from losing a leg or landing hard on a sharp piece of machinery and being impaled (we writers have vivid imaginations ;-)). Furthermore, it kind of defeats the purpose of riding a motorcycle, of feeling the breeze in your hair and being just a little bit closer to nature than cars allow, if you're going to stick a helmet on.

However, head injuries are the most common cause of motorcycle fatalities, and helmets are an obvious safety measure that can lower that number. Also, on a purely practical level, I suspect you'd eat a lot of bugs if you weren't wearing a helmet ...

I don't wear a helmet when I ski or ride a bicycle (although my kids do). I don't even wear my seat belt half the time, a habit I'm trying to get better about.

However, I have long had kind of a hang-up about helmetless motorcyclists, and it hit me while riding with my mother to drop off my nephew this afternoon (we had him for the day because my brother and his family were having a yard sale) why this bothers me so much.

It's funny how I never realized this, that an event that shook my subconscious so strongly wasn't something that I connected until today with my disinterest in getting on a motorcycle ever again.

The brain is an amazing thing ...

I took a couple of summer courses at UNH shortly after transferring there from Plymouth State, English electives that ended up being two of my favorite college classes ever (one was "Studies in American Poetry" and the other was "Anger in Literature"). The night before the last class, one of my professors was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was not wearing a helmet, and it was evidently pretty hard for him to be identified, if you get what I'm saying.

So, yeah, every time I see someone on a motorcycle without a helmet, I cringe a bit. I guess it's just not something I will ever understand.

Musings on Fast Food

Pythagorus is on his way to McDonald's to get lunch for the four of us.

I'm getting french fries. I know academically that this is a stupid idea (I'm sending calm and relaxing messages to my pancreas), but sometimes you just need french fries. Or is it just me?

I've read Fast Food Nation, and I'm both proud that I've cut my fast food intake down significantly and appalled that I still partake in fast food (and crave it on a regular basis).

Do you eat fast food? Why or why not? How often? Do you think this is a problem? Is McDonald's the beginning of the end for the world as we know it?

Oh, and just curious, my morning cup of coffee from Dunkin' Donuts (the one made with skim milk and Splenda), I don't count that as fast food. Is that fair?