Pubdate: Sun, 8 Feb 2009
Source: Record, The (Stockton, CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Record
Contact:  http://www.recordnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/428
Author: Kathleen Parker, Washington Post Writers Group
Cited: Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott http://www.rcsd.net/bio.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Michael+Phelps

WE NEED TO CUT THROUGH THE HAZE OF OUR DRUG POLICY

It's hell being a celebrity, especially if you're young and find 
yourself at a party, where marijuana and cameras should never mix.

And it's not exactly heaven being sheriff of a county with escalating 
drug crimes and pressure to treat all offenders equally.

Thus it is that Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps and Sheriff Leon Lott 
of South Carolina's Richland County are being forced to treat 
seriously a crime that shouldn't be one.

As everyone knows by now, Phelps was photographed smoking from an 
Olympic-size bong during a University of South Carolina party in 
November. As all fallen heroes must - by writ of the Pitchforks and 
Contrition Act - Phelps has apologized for behavior that was 
"regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," and he has promised 
never to be a lesser role model again.

Check.

Lott, meanwhile, is threatening action against Phelps because ... he 
has to. Widely respected and admired as a "good guy" who came up 
through the ranks, Lott is in a jam. Not one to sweat the small 
stuff, he nevertheless has said that he'll charge Phelps with a crime 
if he determines that the 14-time gold medal winner did, in fact, 
smoke pot in his county.

The sheriff's job will be made both easier and tougher by evidence 
that includes a photograph of Phelps with his face buried in a 
smoke-filled tube and what Lott has called a "partial confession." 
Phelps has said the photo is legit. The only missing link, 
apparently, is the exact location of the party.

What's tough is that Lott probably doesn't want to press charges, 
because it's a waste of time and resources. He's got much bigger fish 
to fry, but several recent drug-related crimes - including at least 
two high-profile murders - have captured community attention.

And the law is the law. Therein lies the problem.

Our marijuana laws have been ludicrous for as long as we've been 
alive. Almost half of us (42 percent) have tried marijuana at least 
once, according to a report published last year in PLoS Medicine, a 
journal of the Public Library of Science.

The U.S., in fact, boasts the highest percentage of pot smokers among 
17 nations surveyed, including The Netherlands, where cannabis clouds 
waft from coffeehouse windows. Among them are no small number of 
high-ranking South Carolina leaders (we knew us when), who surely 
cringe every time a young person gets fingered for a "crime" they 
themselves have committed.

Other better-known former tokers include our current president and a 
couple of previous ones, as well as a Supreme Court justice, to name 
just a few. A complete list would require the slaughter of several 
mature forests.

This we know: Were Phelps to run for public office someday and admit 
to having smoked pot in his youth, he would be forgiven. Yet, in the 
present, we impose monstrous expectations on our heroes. Several 
hand-wringing commentaries have surfaced the past few days, lamenting 
the tragic loss for disappointed moms, dads and, yes, The Children.

Understandably, parents worry that their kids will emulate their 
idol, but the problem isn't Phelps, who is, in fact, an adult. The 
problem is our laws - and our lies.

Obviously, children shouldn't smoke anything, legal or otherwise. Nor 
should they drink alcoholic beverages, even though their parents 
might. There are good reasons for substance restrictions for children 
that need not apply to adults.

That's the real drug message that should inform our children and our 
laws, rather than the nonsense that currently passes for drug information.

Today's anti-drug campaigns are slightly wonkier than yesterday's 
"Reefer Madness" but equally likely to become party hits rather than 
drug deterrents. One recent ad produced by the White House Office of 
National Drug Control Policy says: "Hey, not trying to be your mom, 
but there aren't many jobs out there for potheads." Whoa, dude, 
except maybe, like, president of the United States.

Once a kid realizes that pot doesn't make him insane - or likely to 
become a burrito taster, as the ad further asserts - he might figure 
other drug information is equally false. That's how marijuana becomes 
a gateway drug.

Phelps may be an involuntary hero to this charge, but his name and 
face bring necessary attention to a farce in which nearly half the 
nation are actors. It's time to recognize that not all drugs are 
equal - and change the laws accordingly. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake