The reason for O'Malley's veto is because..............state employees who possess marijuana (even if it happens to be legal in Maryland) could still face federal drug charges. Sounds crazy, but the Feds are kind of touchy about that whole drug thing. So, even though O'Malley never likes to give up an opportunity for new tax revenue, I can certainly understand his opposition on this one.
But let's just assume for a minute that marijuana is indeed legalized in Maryland. What kind of impact would it have? First off, those with medical ailments would likely find some much needed relief (or is it called euphoria?). If someone is in pain or perhaps terminally ill, if marijuana can help ease their pain, is it really such a bad thing? And, when you think about it, is smoking a joint really any worse than popping any of the various "legal" pain-pills on the market (Percocet, Oxycontin, etc.)?Before I go any further, just so no one gets the wrong idea, let me set the record straight. I personally don't smoke pot. And even if it did become legal in my home state (medicinally or otherwise), I still wouldn't smoke it. I just want to make it clear that I'm just trying to look at things objectively here. With that being said, I always thought The Grateful Dead sucked.
And since we're being completely honest here, I have to confess that I watched a couple of Cheech & Chong movies back in the day. (Who would have ever thought that Cheech would have went on to "star" in several Disney movies and make a couple of best selling children's albums?)
On some notes, I think that marijuana gets a bad rap. Judging from what I've seen and countless rock concerts through the years, I would say that alcohol has a much more negative effect on people. Case in point, the drunk people are the ones to most likely wind up kicking each others ass in the parking lot. While the worst thing stoned people do is crowd the snack line (If they wind up legalizing pot in Maryland, I'm definitely buying stock in Funyans!). Statistically, drunks are far more likely to wind up on an episode of "Cops" while pot-smokers are more likely to laugh uncontrollably at a 7-11 Big Bite.
Sure, marijuana is still illegal in most states, but it doesn't seem stop people from smoking it. Maryland's own golden boy, Michael Phelps was busted on camera a few years ago with bong-in-hand. President Obama used to take an occasional toke back in his college days (President Clinton did too, but he didn't inhale). Former DC Mayor, Marion "The Bitch Set Me Up" Barry used to hit the ol' hot stick. Oh, wait a minute, that was crack. Nevermind....
Former Miami Dolphins star running back (now with the Ravens) Rickey Williams took a year off of football to blow the roof off. Paul McCartney and Willie Nelson are no strangers to the wacky weed. And the Doobie Brothers...need I say more? Arnold Schwarzenegger was known to blast a roach back in his bodybuilding days. Even Miley Cyrus was recently reported to have been smoking pot. It's one thing for The Terminator to light one up, but I find it a bit disturbing when I hear that Hannah Montana is puffing the magic dragon.
So, like I said, I don't have a dog in this fight. But since my local lawmakers are pushing the issue, I felt compelled to give my two cents on it. It should be interesting to see how far it goes.....
kw
* http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2012/03/19/md-lawmakers-consider-legalizing-medical-marijuana-2/
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