Cheech and change
By Paul Moomjean 11/05/2009
Nine months into office and President Barack Obama has finally made a concrete decision and stuck with it. Thank heavens, because he was starting to look a little weak. He still isn’t sure what to do about war in the Middle East, and his hiring and firing of cabinet members made him look as windy as the city he represented. But he’s finally made a decision and looks to stick with it: the federal government won’t stop your state-approved, card-carrying toke sessions. By declaring an end to looking deep into who runs medical marijuana shops and who has the license to visit, President Obama might lead us down a road we don’t want to travel, especially if we’re on the road next to someone looking for munchies.
For the record, I understand and almost agree with the libertarian stance on just legalizing the popular herb. In California alone, we live in a state with inconsistent laws that prohibit pot but not alcohol, allow unlimited divorces for straight couples but no marriage rights for gay people, limit cell phone usage in cars but allow for eating Mickey D’s while behind the wheel, and high school nurses can’t give aspirin but can arrange abortion field trips after sixth period. In our own upside-down state, there appears to be no real accurate picture of justice or fairness, but that is what comes with a free society. While society isn’t perfect, it’s still free to create laws in the best interest of its people and not just the minority. The problem with legalizing marijuana is that while the 420 drug is not deadly like meth or crack, it actually promotes laziness and destroys ambition. The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes on its Web site that marijuana ends up leading to lower grades for high school students and, concerning work habits around the office, pot smokers were found to have “increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’ compensation claims, and job turnover.” The funny adventures of Cheech and Chong are fiction, and the reality is a lack of productivity in society. Maybe Americans aren’t too keen on a complete overhaul concerning drug laws because they know not only what might happen in the workplace but also what might happen to them.
As for Obama’s declaration on ending the federal witch hunts, I understand that with a failing workforce and a depressed society, taking away people’s escapist activities won’t play well with the youth vote; but these pot shops are a joke to those who have friends with cards allowing them to stop by and purchase a little grass. Almost anyone can claim to feel sick, be in pain or just have a headache, and Dr. Chong can OK their medical marijuana cards, giving them the ability to purchase the party-in-a-bag whenever they want. Anyone who argues that the steps are more difficult than that hasn’t done much research on the subject. In Los Angeles alone, there are approximately 800 clinics and pot shops — which, might I add, is a bigger number than churches and Los Angeles Unified public schools combined in the city. Due to this, the government must be a watchdog. By not cracking down on who is in the pot shop business, Obama is essentially agreeing with shady activity. If clinic A doesn’t grant me a card, clinic B, C, D, L or Z eventually will, and that is a scary idea. Having any slob in a suit purchase pot and then turn around and sell for profit to children to pay for even riskier drugs or recreational spending is the road we are on and headed toward.
I understand there are those who need some calm in the storm. There are sick and injured people who use marijuana to help ease the horrors life has handed them. I’m not talking about those people who, due to their circumstances, deserve a doctor’s note and a blind eye from the federal government. But when Obama decides that the federal government will turn a blind eye to anyone with a card or a clinic, he is basically changing his political mantra of hope and change to Cheech and Change.
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