Please Pass David Brooks a Joint

("Weed: Been There. Done That.")


Put down that alcoholic beverage Mr. Brooks, I think it is affecting your capacity to reach appropriate conclusions.

Your words invoke bad memories of "Reefer Madness." The truth is that a generation given unbridled access to marijuana will undoubtedly turn out..... almost exactly like a generation given unbridled access to liquor.

There are those among us who will be unable to control our tendency to excess, and there will undoubtedly be sad tales to recount. But for the overwhelming majority, there is a realization that life's obstacles must be addressed with clear and sober thought.


Society performs the role of teacher to most of those who smoke marijuana. We are not all drunk or stoned throughout our days in part because we are focused on the responsibilities and obligations to be met.

Marijuana, like alcohol, is an unalterable fact of life.. For far too many years, we have allowed our courts and our jails to be filled to overflow pretending it was a matter we could, or should control. Let us now deal in the real world, where the use of this product will not disappear, where revenue generated from legalizing pot will help prop up sagging coffers for states, where there will be gainful employment for many through this industry, and where the police will be able to focus their time and energy on addressing matters of actual concern to the safety and welfare of those they are sworn to protect.

Mr. Brooks attempts to open up a debate that should long ago have seen its last glimmer of light. I have not smoked pot (except for that one New Year's Eve) in over 40 years, and all the alcohol I have imbibed in that time could fit in one bottle. But I will staunchly defend the right of each of us to make the choice of whether or not to enter into a slightly altered state of being.

As to Mr. Brooks, I think he should sit back, have a hit or two, and then rethink his op-ed.