"DO YOU SMOKE DOPE?"
He Asked.
I have to be honest, the one thing I miss most about being young is being right all the time. When I was a teenager, I had the best eye-roll in town.
At middle age I was still pretty confident that I knew everything:
Pluto was a planet.
Tattoos were for military men and bikers.
Everyone was happier married.
People should stay loyal to their employers.
Baby oil and iodine were good for tanning.
Boys couldn’t be girls.
Barbie had the ideal figure.
There were left brained and right brained people.
Babies slept better on their stomaches.
A cancer diagnosis meant “the kiss of death.”
Columbus discovered America.
We only used 10% of our brains.
A pinch of salt made water boil quicker.
Alcohol killed brain cells.
Colleges were better than trade schools.
And then I wasn’t.
I still remember the time I was supervising a visit with a non-custodial parent when all of a sudden the dad looked over at me and asked, “Do you smoke dope?” Well, that caught me off guard. I knew I looked a little tired, but I didn’t think I looked that bad. Ha!
“No. Do I look like I need it?” I chuckled. “I’ve never really had the desire.”
“Well,” he went on, “ that’s why I can’t have my kids. I can’t pass the drug test. And if this place didn’t exist, they’d have to let me have them.”
What kind of distorted thinking was that — I thought?
“ You look like you love the boys so much I thought you’d just give up that stuff?”
“ Well, sometimes I love them that much.”
Ok, that did it. I knew — for sure — marijuana was bad. (Eye-roll)
And then I didn’t.
You see, a pot dispensary for medical marijuana has opened in my area, and people I love and respect work there. Many in my community are campaigning now to legalize marijuana for recreational use. It is reported that nearly 17 % of Americans smoke marijuana, and 24 states, over half the country, have legalized it for both medical and recreational uses already. Even though there is conflicting research on how cannabis affects the brain, many doctors agree it can help alleviate nausea from chemo and the pain from other diseases.
Personally, I wish I still had the best eye-roll in town. I’ve never believed in legalizing marijuana. But I’ve shocked myself since I’ve aged because I find myself actually saying the words “I might be wrong.” Darn! What happened to that goofy young girl who knew she was always right? Sometimes I miss her.
It’ll Be OK.
A Sundog — refracted or distorted sunlight
~~~
“Be open minded, but not so open minded that your brains fall out.” ~ Groucho Marx
WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS…
Jan, I am with you. I didn’t smole pot (as they called it). I tried smoking cigarettes as a teen. I never caught on to it. It made everything smell horrible! My mother was a smoker all my life. I wonder what teachers thought back then when their students showed up to school smelling like cigarette smoke. I have never seen a need or desire to smoke “dope”. If it is something that harms other people (impaired driving, violence, etc.) then I am against that. If it eases pain for a cancer patient, who am I to say they shouldn’t have it?
I don't smoke pot. I hated it. And I must confess I don't really hang or like people who do smoke. There is a dullness in most that I simply want to roll my eyes when we try and converse. I don't know many athletes with clear, sound minds, and great physical strengths that smoke it either. I'm sure there are reasons for it, but recreational isn't one of them (for me). I recently tried a gummy for pain and it did nothing but get me higher than a Georgia pine tree for 12 hours and that as they say is that!