Monday, December 27, 2010

How do you feel about pot?

It has come to my attention that certain members of my circle of acquaintances are quietly smoking a substance that is at the present time illegal.  I can't say I'm surprised by this.  I imagine that it's quite common for individuals in any circle of friends to do things that are technically illegal.  Like parking too near a stop sign, or speeding on the freeway.  I personally know adults who have shoplifted and others who have cheated on their taxes.  I'm not immune, either.  I walked drunkenly down a street shortly after celebrating my engagement.  I regularly go faster than I should on roads that are not near schools.  I reuse stamps if they haven't been canceled.  And I have knowingly kept several extra mints from the bowl at the entrance to Macaroni Grill.  But the idea of smoking pot, well, that's kind of different.  I worry about the rather serious consequences of the act even as I acknowledge that they rarely happen.  I also worry about the problems caused when one is impaired.  It likely isn't much different than the effects of alcohol, however, the results can be much more significant.  So I wonder how others feel about this.  My generation has had their go at laws regulating mind altering substances.  What will the next generation do?  Is it looked on differently?  Should I worry about these friends or just smile and think perhaps I'm just old fashioned?  

2 comments:

April Celeste Garff said...

You're not old-fashioned.

Andrea said...

I keep wondering if I should be more of a social activist or just let people do what they want. I guess I don't really care what people do until their actions start to hurt other people, you know, like drunk driving or harming their children. I can tell you one thing, though, you are not old fashioned.