A Friend Stopped By | 11/03/2009 4:00 am
Legalize It, by Allegra Huston
What could we do with an extra $2.88 billion of public revenue right now?
Image via Flickr by wallyg
Editor’s Note: Allegra Huston’s new book, Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found, hit bookstores last spring. Allegra is the youngest daughter of film director John Huston and sister of Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston. She was born in London, raised in Ireland and Los Angeles, and now lives in Taos, NM. She was a publisher in London for nine years and has been a freelance writer and editor since 1994.
It’s dark. You’re walking to your car, the subway or just home. You spot a gang of youths out for a night of fun. Your heart races. Then you see what they’re doing: smoking dope. Oh, no! You might trip over one of them. Maybe they’ll philosophize you to death.
Good thing they’re not doing something legal, like drinking, which might get you a broken bottle in the face.
| Reefer madness was a fantasy; if everyone took up pot, we’d have a nation of chilled-out people committing way less violent crime. |
I’m not such a libertarian that I’m arguing for the legalization of all drugs — I’ve seen what hard drugs can do. But let’s be sensible. Why do we criminalize more than a quarter of the population for enjoying a substance whose primary effects are relaxation, the munchies and an overuse of the word "dude"? I don’t use cannabis, but I also don’t jump out of airplanes, go on ten-day fasts, eat peanut butter or engage in masochistic sex; and as people who enjoy those things aren’t hurting anybody but themselves, I don’t see the point of banning them. In fact, I think we should mandate cannabis use for politicians; then they might actually tell the truth, as Al Capone’s henchman did when the FBI gave him a joint to loosen him up for interrogation.
But it’s a Drug — that dreaded word. OK, what’s a drug? "A substance other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body." Too broad. "Something and often an illegal substance that causes addiction, habituation or a marked change in consciousness." That covers coffee, video games and iPhones, not to mention alcohol and tobacco. OK, I’m queen for a day, and I say they’re bad for people. Now they’re illegal. You’ll call them drugs.
Full disclosure: I have tried, twice, to smoke a joint. I couldn’t; my throat burned, it hurt. I tried hash brownies too, but uttering a sentence was like hauling on ropes to put my brain back together. I ate too many. I couldn’t resist: I’m addicted to chocolate.
That’s my point: A drug would be a medicine, or just a vice, or merely an indulgence, if it weren’t illegal. So why is cannabis illegal?
It’s virtually impossible to figure out why some drugs and not others were made illegal in the first place. The history of criminalization is piecemeal and murky. The first ban on cannabis was a specifically anti-Muslim act, propagated by those guardians of all that is right and good, the Spanish Inquisition — who, when they came to the New World, instantly concluded that the hallucinogenic drugs used in native religion must be tools of the devil. It’s hard not to see racism and power politics at work in all this, especially when you look at old propaganda images of black men high on cocaine raping white women, and sinister Chinese luring the flower of white youth into their opium dens.
Read more about: A Friend Stopped By, Allegra Huston, Drugs, Economy, Health, Marijuana, Medicine, Politics
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142 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
You asked me these questions, I will answer them.
What’s wrong with getting high?
If you actually believe escapism by way of reading a book, watching a movie or hanging out on the internet equals that of ingesting drugs that have a detrimental affect on your body and mind, you won’t understand my answer. You and I have completely different opinions on the term escapism. There are people who take a hit of cocaine to escape, if only for a minute. Using your rational, the damaging affect that drug had on that person’s body, even for the minutes or hours, because they could still function and regain a sense of reality, all is well. Wrong. Just as drinking too much alcohol can affect your body and mind in a detrimental manner, so too can smoking weed. Scientists have proven time and time again the affects THC has on the brain. Again I say, the answer isn’t to legalize it, but to instead question why people like you feel the need to escape from what you know as your reality? Instead of spending the money on drugs, why not try and straighten your life out so that you don’t feel the need for drugs?
Should we do things that feel bad?
No. Why would anyone say that it is better to do things in life that feel bad. However your argument to rationalize your thought process on this subject is flawed. There are people who feel good by cutting themselves, those that enjoy strangling themselves while masturbating, those who eat to excess or drink to excess alone in their homes. On the face you could say each are doing what makes them feel good and essentially aren’t hurting anyone else. But when you step back and look at the behavior, as a society one should ask, why are there so many among us that feel the need to gain pleasure in what could be self destructive ways?
Those minutes of pleasure you get by cutting your skin, strangling yourself or smoking weed COULD lead to your death. As a society should we adopt the attitude of not caring because after all, you were only doing something that brought you joy and did not affect me directly? I would say no. Whether you understand it or not, as a society we have already set standards of what we accept as appropriate and inappropriate ways of enjoying ourselves. So yes, it is okay to say it feels good to go to church or have a drink in a bar. Society deems that as acceptable. And no it is not acceptable to go to a house and "light up" a blunt and get high. Because we recognize that getting high off of weed is not something that we accept, and I pray we never will.
Lastly, our morals in our country have been declining for decades and they still are. Have we changed as a nation for the better in terms of women’s rights, equal rights among races, Gay rights, etc. etc.? Yes. But in the process of evolving socially we continue to struggle on a moral basis. We make allowances for bad behavior in the name of progress. I allow my teens to have sex, drink and do drugs. Why? Well you know, they’re going to do it anyway. A politician cheats on his taxes or spouse. It’s just a sign of the times. That is not freedom, that is condoning a flawed sense of morals and values. Instead of arguing for the legalization of drugs as you are, I would say your energies would be better spent on encouraging your fellow men and women to live life to the fullest.
But as I said, I doubt that you will understand my mindset.
Ah, but most other forms of escape cause the body to manufacture its own drugs and thus bring pleasure. Taking drugs merely shortens the process. Certainly taking drugs can have a detrimental affect on one’s body. So can eating too much, not exercising and not using sunscreen. Should we pass laws requiring people to work out at least an hour a day to avoid the detrimental affects of too little exercise? It’s really all a question of balance.
Oh, my life is as straight as I want it. And the only drug I take on a regular basis is coffee. I’ve never used pot and while I do like to get drunk on occasion, it’s fairly rare. Why do I do that? It feels nice. It stops (mostly) my brain from working through physics problems while I chat with people. It allows me to be less shy. And I generally have a lot of fun. Sure, it’s not good for me, but I enjoy it and feel that once every two months or so isn’t any more detrimental than the myriad other things my fellow Americans do. After all, I work out on a regular basis and aside from copious amounts of coffee, I have a relatively healthy and balanced diet which does not consist of cow and fried food like most.
And so could driving my car to work. Should we ban driving? More people die in car accidents (and despite what MADD tries to claim, most of those accidents are not the result of alcohol) than due to smoking weed or kinky sex practices. And, much like driving, many of these activities (aside from cutting) can be practiced in a fairly safe manner. Life is risky. We can’t all live in little plastic gerbil balls. Personally, I think our efforts to remove all risk from a person’s life is detrimental to their well being. This is why we have people climbing mountains and doing other risky adventures, there is a general lack in their lives.
Teens have been drinking, having sex and using drugs for thousands of years. This is hardly indicative of a decline in our morals, now. In any case, I don’t consider it too awful for a teen to have sex as having sex is part of learning to be an adult. I also don’t see a problem if they drink with supervision occasionally, because I think it’s good for them to learn that alcoholic beverages can be consumed in a responsible manner, like a glass of wine with dinner. The children raised by straight-laced parents are the ones that often go crazy with booze once they leave home.
Oh, come on! This is hardly a new problem. I suggest you read: http://www.amazon.com/Treasury-Great-American-Scandals-Tantalizing/dp/0142001929 . The author is fun (I loved Royal scandals as well), but it will certainly remove any notion you have that politicians had perfect morals until recently. What has changed is technology. We hear about it more because of the internet, and it’s easier to "catch" people because of cell phone cameras, email, etc.
Oh, but I do. And I think that sometimes a little chemical fun can help that. We can’t always climb a mountain, run a marathon or go bungie jumping to pump up the adrenalin…..You know what RJB, there have been many, many topics that you and I have disagreed about over the months on WoW, but this post….this post and your statements disgust me beyond words. I have no respect for you nor your beliefs. For you to post that you "don’t consider it too awful for a teen to have sex as having sex is part of learning to be an adult. I also don’t see a problem if they drink with supervision occasionally, because I think it’s good for them to learn that alcoholic beverages can be consumed in a responsible manner, like a glass of wine with dinner. The children raised by straight-laced parents are the ones that often go crazy with booze once they leave home."
Sex indeed is a part of BEING an adult, but children should not have to experience sex. Children do masturbate, children do kiss, but children DO NOT have to engage in sex. Sex should be something adults engage in. And children SHOULD NOT drink alcohol with or without supervision because IT IS AGAINST THE LAW for children to consume alcoholic beverages. So to argue that it is fine for them to break the law as long as an adult is there to witness it, is ridiculous.
So you just continue to get drunk because it makes you "less shy" and you hang onto you belief and desire for chemical fun. And if it sounds like I’m judging you…. I am.
P.S. I am one of those people who was raised by a straight laced parent and I am far from being an alcoholic, have never done drugs and have no desire to, didn’t engage in underage sex. And none of this hindered my growth as a woman, adult or sexual being. Who I am today is a woman that is for the most part respected, happy, content and successful. Living proof that you can grow up in a home filled with structure and boundaries and STILL mature into a fully functioning adult that doesn’t have to "get high" to get through a day!
Technically there are teenagers who are legal adults (18 and 19) so I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say that I’m advocating that children should have sex. But, we have to look at this from a biological standpoint. What makes a person an adult? Functionally, people achieve adulthood by about 14 or 15. Now, we’ve developed a society where these individuals don’t have the rights or responsibilities of an adult, and thus we’ve raised them to not be mature enough to necessarily handle adult decisions, but this does not change millions of years of evolution. And I think that you stretch things when you imply teenagers are children in the same way ten year olds are children with your tone….
In any case, I don’t think anyone should *have* to experience sex. But, I do not see a problem with a 15 or 16 year old experiencing consensual (with a barrier method of bc) sex with another teen roughly the same age. There is a lot a person needs to learn about themselves before they can pick a mate, and I think depriving teenagers who would have been considered adults in any other century the chance to start on their life is a bit silly.
I do not find the argument that "it’s against the law!" sufficient explanation for the morality of a situation. Until recently, it was against the law to have sex with someone of the same gender. Did that make it wrong? Did it all of a sudden become morally correct after Lawrence vs. Texas? I think that one of the reasons that the US has more problems with teens and 20 somethings binge drinking is precisely because of the way alcohol is treated in our society.
In any case, to return to the subject at hand, this is often the argument that people attempt to use against smoking pot. It’s wrong because it’s against the law. Laws are just a construct and thus a discussion about morality shouldn’t include them. You are claiming it’s wrong because it’s bad for you. Fine. Is eating oreos wrong? How about ice cream? Is driving 75 mph on the freeway wrong? How about having 4 cups of coffee a day? My point is that people make many choices that are not optimal for their health, and we as a society do not seem to mind. Smoking some pot falls into the same category, so unless you can come up with a coherent reason why it’s wrong to smoke pot but it’s not wrong to not exercise, your logic is bogus.
As for the personal attacks, I find it amusing that you talk about respect and then post comments like a raving animal simply because I disagree with you. A bit hypocritical…. In any case, given some of your posts about men and relationships, I don’t think that I agree that your growth as a sexual being wasn’t hindered. But, to give further details would be to descend to your level.
At one point during a discussion about sex, someone told my husband that he didn’t masturbate because he didn’t have to. My husband’s response was, "I don’t masturbate because I have to. I do it because I *like* to." I don’t have to get drunk, but occasionally I like to. I also like to life weights, play judo, read novels, play video games, and eat ice cream. I don’t *have* to do any of those, but I like to.
Belinda I grew up with boundaries and structure but my mom also knew that I was curious. She would let me have a sip of her beer or wine as I was growing up. I wanted to know what it tasted like. When I was on a swim team she would let me have a little bit of brandy when I got home from practice if the hour long hot shower didn’t warm me up since we were practicing in an outdoor pool during the winter and it was cold. I never abused the privilege and ironically it was my cousin, who grew up in a house without alchohol that got me drunk for the first time. My grandfather would let me help him make his gin and tonic and I was always allowed a spoonful of his drink. I was taught moderation from an early age when it came to drinking and I know my limits. I don’t really like to drink so I rarely do so one drink can get me tipsy. If I am driving I never drink because I know that I am a lightweight. I don’t go to bars because they are not fun for me since if I am driving I wouldn’t be able to have a drink.
When did you become GOD? I thought he was the only one allowed to judge.
Unbelievable. How sad.
You start your post off by saying you grew up with boundaries and structure but then contradict yourself by saying "but my mom also knew I was curious." What….she didn’t have the internal strength to tell her child no?
Laurel name one child who isn’t curious about adults and alcohol, drugs, cigarettes or sex. Children ARE curious about all of these things. And yet you admit to drinking wine, beer, brandy and gin & tonics as a child as if its not a big deal. Oh my Lord, you speak of children drinking "a little alcohol" as a learning experience. Something needed so that they learn how to drink in moderation once they are of age.
Bare with me on this, clearly you and I were brought up in different homes but….my father told his children "in our house you do as I say, and I do not want my children drinking before the age of 18." Not once did I go to my father and say, "let me have a sip of beer because I’m curious about how it tastes" I had respect for my father, his guidance and the fact that he told us what was expected of us, so we listened. Thank God I didn’t have parents like yours that would have gave in to my insistence to try alcohol, that is just disgusting! Trust me, I know how you were raised in this regard is not an anomaly, I am sure MANY people on this site have their own childhood memories of their parents allowing them to drink alcohol and break the law in the process.
As for your comment about me supposedly playing God, let me educate you on something (since as you said, you thought he was the only one allowed to judge) people judge others every single day, always have and always will. Given the fact you have judged me, your comment is quite hypocritical wouldn’t you say?
Really, you want to start talking smack about my mom now? She is the greatest mom ever. I wasn’t spoiled unless I wanted books. You seem to think that I was some two yr old booze hound who begged for a drink when that isn’t the case at all. The brandy was strictly for medicinal purposes only and it only happened twice BECAUSE I was so cold from swim practice that I couldn’t stop shaking. Which is better hypothermia and an emergency visit to the hospital or a thimble of brandy. I don’t suggest all parents do what my mom did, but banning something makes it more appealing to people. I NEVER begged for anything other than Barbies and Lucky Charms. Mom always said no. A teaspoon of a gin and tonic twice a year never harmed me and neither did a tiny sip of wine or beer once every three or four months. To this day I prefer non-alcoholic to alchoholic ones. I drink Sparkling apple cider instead of wine or champagne. I only drink a beer on extremely hot days and it takes me four hours to finish it if I finish it at all. What my mom did is remove the mystery and make it less appealing as I got older. Once I hit 21 I didn’t go have a night of bar hopping getting trashed, I went to a country bar with my best friend, ran into a cousin of mine, hung out with some other friends who were there, bumped into my ex, got my free drink and danced all night.
BTW I never judged you. I know people judge others and it is wrong. Your perception of what I said seems to be off if you thought I was judging you.
You were experiencing hypothermia and Your Mother chose to give you liquor over rushing you to the emergency? Yep, Laurel I stand corrected. You have a mother that made wonderful choices for you when you were a child. Forget everything that I have said, your mom did a great job raising you.
BTW, I never talk "smack" - I’m far to mature for that. I believed we were engaging in an exchange of opinions. You must have confused me with some young woman who is your contemporary.