Sensible Drug Policy

He's a pothead, and he's proud!

Michael Phelps proved the world wrong and debunked the great marijuana myths. You can toke the occasional marijuana, manage to win a few gold medals, and still get your face on a Wheaties box. Just don’t let anyone take your picture, or they’ll try to pull not only the Wheaties, but your entire career, right out from under your feet.

People have experimented with drugs throughout our history, especially recent history. Some of our greatest musical endeavors have been directly inspired through drug use, from Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis to the Grateful Dead. Yet there are so many other untold contributions that those who chose to experiment have contributed to our culture. You can’t honestly think that the makers of the Muppets never baked a batch of pot brownies. Plus, there are plenty of Americans who not only used marijuana, but grew up to be extremely successful, from Olympic gold medal winners to the President of the United States.

Now Coed magazine has published a list of the 10 most successful potheads on the planet who are cool enough to admit it. The list comprises not only Barack Obama and Michael Phelps, but also New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg, best selling writer Stephen King and talk show host Montel Williams.

It’s about time that we stop stereotyping anyone who experiments with marijuana as a dim-witted loser. Plenty have smoked marijuana and gone on to be successful, and we’re not just talking about the Grateful Dead. Politicians, artists, bankers, and TV producers have had their day with pot, and they’ve been successful enough to be able to still talk about it openly and honestly today.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that marijuana isn’t a stumbling block in some people’s lives, nor does it mean that a 14 year old should be given a bong for Christmas. Let’s just be honest about how prevalent marijuana is in our culture and the fact that many people who smoke it still manage to lead successful lives.

Don’t pigeonhole personal experimentation into convenient, out-dated stereotypes. Let’s start having an honest conversation about marijuana, one that admits the difference between use and abuse.