It’s the week after April 20th, you know: four twenty. A bunch of cities had a pot celebration. But here we are in backasswards, Texas where marijuana is still illegal. Do you think we’ll ever catch up with the rest of the U.S.?
Weed Hound
Dear Hound Dog,
As the marijuana lobby is not a wealthy and influential lobby, they do not possess the financial ability to influence the Texas State Legislature. As a result, my guess is that we will be one of the last states to decriminalize marijuana. Although it is politically incorrect to discuss moderation rather than strictly abstaining, let’s break the rules for a minute. Obviously, from a health and performance standpoint, abstaining from marijuana use is the best choice. But, for the current user, let’s talk about moderation. As an example, it is possible to consume alcohol in moderation. Most people don’t drink simply because the opportunity arises. However, plenty of pot smokers consume their drug for exactly this reason. Adding to this temptation is the fact that marijuana is less detectable than alcohol is. I suggest the “mentally change the drug to alcohol” test. I know some kids who light up on their way to school. Let’s change the drug to two or three shots of vodka. Would that help make the next eight hours of school easier? If it’s not a good time to drink, it’s not a good time to smoke. Marijuana is certainly not a performance enhancing drug. Like it’s legal counterpart alcohol, it’s a “party drug”. And, very much like it’s counterpart, once you lose control of your formally moderate use, you will almost never get it back.
So WeedHound, if you can’t control this drug, you will end up getting lost with it, or have to give it up completely. And, even with all of this to consider, remember two final notes. We are not supposed to spend most of our lives chemically altered. And don’t forget, due to the illegal nature of this drug, a conviction, even for a misdemeanor can permanently screw up our lives.