I’ve long felt that the really dangerous drug is alcohol. Drunk driving kills, and some guys get aggressive when drunk, leading to murder and especially rape. Whereas with pot, everyone sits around glassy-eyed, giggles, eats Doritos and brownies and just goes to sleep. If they’re driving, they’re dangerous – otherwise, not.
Alcoholics cost us a fortune in medical costs for their badly-abused livers and transplants. No similar downside to pot. Seems like a good idea to me to make pot legal and then tax it like crazy.
Polls have shown the shift, and since generational perceptions differ, it’s only a question of time – same with gay marriage.
In the meantime, folk are pushing the envelope in different ways – and the Emerald Initiative is one I read about today, asking colleges to set pot penalties no higher than alcohol penalties. The sponsoring group is SAFER – Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation. Certainly a creative title. The mere fact that such a group is formed, and is making the news both signals the shift and begins to deepen it.
That’s good news as far as I’m concerned. My basic belief has long been that pretty much everything should be legal – and that we don’t really need any of it to get to that good-feeling place.