Pubdate: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Kevin Brooker, Calgary Herald Alert: Kellogg's Gets Stupid Over a Bong www.mapinc.org/alert/0394.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Michael+Phelps Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada) A SWIMMING CHAMPION USED POT. SO WHAT? I'm willing to bet you had the same reaction I did when you heard about Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps getting caught hitting the bong at a South Carolina frat party: "Who cares?" Even in the U. S., where anti-cannabis hysteria is much higher than Canada, I suspect most people would agree a story titled "Dog bites man" has more sizzle than "23-year-old male smokes pot." But that still hasn't stopped the flow of ink about Phelps's sin, and it makes me wonder to whom the story appeals. To me, it just ain't that much of a scandal. Yet there's a distinctly childish quality to some of the reporting - --mostly feigned, from what I know about journalists -- and I think it's aimed at what someone believes are the childish attitudes of the public. There seem to be two approaches to this matter, as reflected by opposite poles of reaction from Phelps's sponsors. Speedo and Omega basically said, "He's a great swimmer, a good guy, and we stand by him." On the other hand, Kelloggs implied, "This rogue shall never again encourage our precious children to eat Frosted Flakes." In between, I read numerous commentaries where the hounding of Phelps is deemed to exceed his transgression but, still, many wonder incredulously, how could a high-performance athlete not truly understand the dangers of illicit drugs? Such parochial diatribes reminded me of a fascinating Canadian magazine article I read back in the 1980s. Its title, if I remember correctly, was "Pop a beer, light a joint, and hit the road," and it told the fascinating story of a scrawny Scot living in Victoria named Al Howie, and his unlikely rise to become the top ultra-marathoner of his era. Ultra-marathoning involves running long, long distances. Back in 1987, for example, Howie jogged 580 kilometres non-stop in 104.5 hours. The magazine article was effusive about Howie's radical techniques. He mostly ate just fish and chips, except while running. During a standard double marathon his sustenance would consist of 13 beers and five joints. He briefly had a beer sponsor. He was hardly alone. I once met a professional marathon runner with multiple major wins under his belt, and he freely admitted marijuana was a regular adjunct to his training regime. Still, despite what is known by him and, I suggest, thousands of other intense athletes, nobody seems willing to publicly acknowledge any benefits from the use of marijuana. You will recall during the Ross Rebagliati incident at Nagano, the snowboarder followed the company line of many cannabis advocates by emphasizing it's not a performance-enhancer. Well, maybe it is. Cannabis is a known vasodilator, which means it expands veins and capillaries, allowing more blood flow and perhaps greater oxygenation. Nevertheless, Phelps took the standard and, I would suggest, cowardly way out. He is sorry and will never let it happen again. Just once, though, I'd like one of these celebrity pot users to formulate an adult response to his accusers. For Phelps it could have been, "I'm the healthiest stud on the planet and I smoke grass occasionally. And responsibly. What business is it of yours?" Until that message is delivered unashamedly by society's most respected figures, the colossal waste of public resources on marijuana prohibition will continue. So will the hypocrisy. Last week, for example, U.S. federal authorities raided several medical marijuana dispensaries in California, despite President Barack Obama's commitment to end such raids in states where those programs have been legalized. Remarkably, he holds to that pledge, saying it is a matter of cleaning out some Bush appointees to ensure it won't happen again. Obama knows, like the two presidents before him, that having smoked cannabis does not automatically disqualify a person from great achievement. But he needs help if he wants a new political generation, one largely unblinkered by Reefer Madness hysteria, to concentrate its energy on more serious matters. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake