Marijuana Policy Project

This past weekend I did a little impromptu poll among 15 or so random people chilling in one room of a big party.

I asked how many people in the room went through the D.A.R.E.  program.

All but three hands shot up into the air. I then asked how many people were binge drinking or using other drugs at that very party.

One hand went down and a roar of laughter came up from the cheap seats.

So much for Reagan's war on drugs.

It's time the conservatives faced the music: Human beings like being impaired. Drug use ( and by drug I mean any substance taken to actively impede or enhance some of your senses ) is part of the human experience. Pagan mythology is painted with tales of Dionysus, the Bible is positively replete with wine drinking and the famed HMS Mayflower was originally a wine transport vessel that came to the New World bursting in the belly with beer kegs. In 1999 an archaeological survey in present day Romania found charred cannabis seeds in a ritual barbecue ( of sorts ) dating back more than 3,000 years.

The sacred Hindu Vedas refer to a hallucinogen called "soma" that many anthropologists believe to be a cannabis reference.

The Assyrians, Aryans and Scythians all used cannabis in their religious ceremonies. Various Sufi orders of the Muslim faith used cannabis between 1215 and 1500 B.C.E.

Simply put, for as long as humans have been humans we've been finding ways to enhance or dilute our sensory experience, whether that be in the name of worship, poetry, health care or simply the exaltation of life itself — all in the name of a good time. It was in this vein we chose to tackle the touchy issue of cannabis use, abuse and legalization. In my personal opinion, I find the criminalization of a drug that is scientifically proven to be much less dangerous than both alcohol and tobacco absurd and hypocritical. Anti-pot ads run by the American Ad Council are laughably exaggerated ( and seem even more so when they come on after those awesome liquor ads promoting the glamour of getting sloppy with the help of a little ethanol ). Pot has a stigma that has much less to do with the realities of toking ganja and much more to do with the neo-conservative right ( not to mention W. R. Hearst's vendetta against the hemp market for fear it would cut into his cotton profits back at the turn of the century ). So I encourage tokers and non-smokers alike to learn some facts before being so harsh to judge, and, as always, ladies and gentleman, know your rights!

Peace.