Is It Time to Review Marijuana Laws? :UPDATED

Michael Phelps Caught Smoking Marijuana

Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps was recently photographed using a marijuana bong at the home of a friend. The photographic evidence was conclusive.

This led to release of the following statement:

"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."

If Michael Phelps was seen drinking a shot of Tequila would we be having this conversation. No, it would be acceptable because his behavior would be understandable and alcohol is legal.

But according to John V. Santore:

“Today, public figures justify past drug use as "youthful indiscretions" and the matter is dropped. But huge numbers of ordinary Americans are introduced to the jail system because of minor drug offenses, and as the records show, the overwhelmingly disproportionate nature of drug arrests creates a justified perception of injustice and both economic and racial bias.”

“Will Michael Phelps have to go to court for his actions? No. (Nor should he have to.) Will any law enforcement jurisdiction in America conduct a systematic raid of a college dorm at a prominent university with the goal of arresting everyone in possession of marijuana? Of course not. If such an action was taken on a broad scale, the arrests would likely be in the thousands. At the same time, will poor Americans, overwhelmingly minority in ethnicity, continue to be arrested by local police for the possession of small amounts of pot? Absolutely.”

So maybe it is time for Obama to review the present marijuana laws. In 2004 he commented on the need to reform marijuana laws and stated that the "war on drugs" was an “utter failure”. Watch:



Remember that Obama also blamed his youth for smoking marijuana. It was Bill Clinton who blamed his youth for his inability to inhale.

Maybe it’s time for a deep breath and for change.

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UPDATE: In an article by Tony Newman, "Phelps struck another blow to the myth that marijuana smokers are lazy couch potatoes [...] Successful and honorable people who have smoked some pot are all around us, from President Barack Obama to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg [...] Once someone is convicted of a drug offense, they can lose college financial aid, food stamps, public housing and, in some cases, even voting rights. Money wasted and lives ruined … and for what?" Phelps didn't need to apologize!