Pubdate: Wed, 23 Aug 2000
Source: Philadelphia Weekly (PA)
Copyright: 2000 Philadelphia Weekly
Section: Editor's Page by Tim Whitaker
Contact:  1701 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19103
Fax: (215) 563-0620
Website: http://www.brainsoap.com/index_weekly.shtml
Author: Tim Whitaker

WEED MY LIPS: THERE WILL BE NO DISCUSSION OF DRUG POLICY!

COULDN'T DO THAT. WOULDN'T BE PRUDENT.

[ P.S. Why won't Al Gore and that other presidential candidate just doob 
the right thing? ]

In a book published this past spring, an Al Gore biographer proffered the 
possibility that our Democratic presidential nominee and his wife Tipper 
may have smoked dope together semi-regularly for the better part of the 
Peace Decade. This, of course, is hardly earth-shattering news. How many 
people who came of age back then didn't indulge on a semi-regular basis?

Wait. Thinking about it now, maybe George W didn't. Though he's been 
explicit in countless interviews that he doesn't care to discuss his past 
drug use, it has been widely suggested he may have preferred a toot over a 
toke during his own particular halcyon years--chased, perhaps, by a 
half-dozen warm 40s. One can only imagine what a charmer the Republican 
nominee must have been in that condition.

Me, I'll take the toker every time. It's become easy, thanks to the Gore 
family film shorts showcased at the Democratic Convention, to visualize a 
younger Al and Tipper rolling up a couple of hefty doobs, throwing a Blind 
Faith tape into the eight-track and taking to the Tennessee hills in the 
old man's station wagon. You can picture it, can't you? The two of them 
getting real silly, making out, riffing about their future, making out some 
more, talking about public service, giggling as they passed the joint and 
finishing their fun excursion by making out one last time.

Anyone who saw Tipper shake her groove thing at the Democratic National 
Convention can tell this is a woman who has not lost touch with her earthy, 
carefree years. This, alas, does not appear to be the case with husband 
Albert. In fact, would it be the worst thing, if--under Tipper's 
supervision, of course--the vice president paid a short visit to his 
intemperate past?

He and the Tipster could escape to a Smoky Mountain resort, slap some 
vintage Hendrix or Canned Heat into the CD player, stuff a modicum of weed 
into a pipe and, well, let the earth move under their feet. Look, you have 
to agree, the man could only benefit from a little unreality check.

Okay, so perhaps some Americans might feel uneasy at the notion of a White 
House contender bending over a hash pipe. One need only think of the 
reaction in the Bible Belt, or from voters in, say, Ocean County, N.J., to 
a spaced-out Al Gore.

But I suspect the majority of lucid Americans would be drawn to a 
presidential candidate who showed the chutzpah to launch a bare-knuckled 
dialogue about drug use in America. It would be the first step in talking 
truth about our most crushing affliction--an epidemic that's been shrouded 
in deception and misinformation since the day Nancy Reagan first sputtered 
the words "Just Say No."

That one utterly simple-minded slogan set the country's drug policies back 
decades. It showed a nation more willing to condescend than deal in 
complexities. With the advent of the "Just Say No" culture, the playing 
field was fraudulently leveled to make all drug use--pot, acid, coke, 
crack, heroin, Ecstasy, speed, downers--appear equally risky and unhealthy.

Did anyone bother to test-market the campaign's figurehead? Any randomly 
chosen ninth-grader in America could have cheerfully explained that the 
mere visage of Nancy Reagan--let alone the notion of her preaching about 
the evils of drug use--would be enough to drive any sane person to find a 
way to get good and numb.

Where is the leader willing to kick start some real candor about drug use 
in America? One willing to admit, for example, that smoking a joint has 
become a near rite of passage in America; that most people will survive it 
just fine; that some people will like it more than others; that while it 
cuts the edge for most, it induces just enough paranoia to make it 
unpleasant for others; that for the vast majority of occasional tokers it 
won't lead to harder drugs; that most people grow out of it over time, but 
some very small percentage will turn into full-time dopers and become dumb 
as doorknobs; that there are various grades of marijuana--Colombian and 
Hawaiian being among the most potent--so if you're going to do it, best to 
get a handle on what it is you're smoking first.

If we can find a leader who will admit that much, maybe then we can find 
another who will acknowledge the injustice in how we administer punishment 
for marijuana use; who will concede that by practicing just a little 
discretion, one can smoke a joint in broad daylight in any big city in 
America--say, on Sansom Street, for example--and not worry about 
retribution. Conversely, in, say, Athens, Ga., or maybe even Rosemont, Pa., 
that same impropriety could screw up your life royally; that cops tend to 
bust marijuana use depending on workload and the prevailing local ethos; 
that if you're going to use, it would serve you well to know the rules to 
play by.

And if we could manage to get that far, we could begin to address some 
really serious business: Like why users of crack are punished more harshly 
than users of cocaine.

Got a guess?

By now you're likely thinking, What's this guy been smoking? Does he really 
believe there are politicians out there willing to speak truth about drugs?

Actually, no.

So best to end this missive with an issue that does stand a chance of being 
dealt with by political leaders.

Medicinal marijuana.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the former sky-hooking basketball star and author of 
several well-regarded books, was recently arrested for marijuana use in 
California. It was his second bust.

Abdul-Jabbar suffers from migrane headaches. He's had them his whole life.

His affliction has been well-documented. He smokes pot to relieve the 
headaches.

He shouldn't have to hide it. He shouldn't be busted for it. Abdul-Jabbar 
is a principled man who should be permitted his dignity.

For decades, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment have 
reported finding relief from nausea with the aid of marijuana. But only in 
a handful of states is it legal for doctors to dispense marijuana for 
cancer patients.

When pressed, politicians will say this is because they're waiting for more 
studies to be completed. What they're not saying is that they're afraid of 
being perceived as soft on drugs.

This should be a no-brainer. Yo Al, can we count on you to give us a jump 
start here? 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake