By BILL SHERMAN Staff Writer on Nov 15, 2012, at 11:24 AM Updated on 11/15 at 11:24 AM
BECAUSE I SAID SO
Here’s a news report that every parent and grandparent who posts photos on line needs to watch.
According to ...
How important are dads to the emotional development of children?
You can’t over estimate it, says Rick Bayless, executive ...
How many of you allow your teen-age sons and daughters to down a six-pack of beer and then take the family car out for a ...
I deviated from my usual grandfatherly stance in last week’s blog to lambast the electorate of Washington and Colorado for voting to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
And in doing so, I stepped into a hornet's nest of angry pot smokers and civil libertarians. You would have thought I was advocating a ban on drinking coffee not smoking pot.
I also caught it on the chin from several people who thought I gave alcoholism a pass vs. marijuana.
And from people who said I shouldn’t be editorializing on the news pages.
About an equal number of people said they agreed with me, and they didn’t seem nearly so angry.
All in all, it was a fun Monday.
So, just to clarify:
This was a blog, by definition a personal opinion piece, not an objective news story. (It appears on line each week as part of the Becauseisaidso blog on parenting and grandparenting, and also appears each Monday in print in the Scene section of the Tulsa World.)
And to further clarify:
- I do not advocate driving drunk or becoming an alcoholic.
- I am opposed to lung cancer and emphysema.
- I did not address the medical use of marijuana, only legalizing its recreational use.
- I have nothing against the commercial use of hemp for rope-making and other purposes. (Yes, one caller brought that up.)
- I know America is full of successful doctors, lawyers, journalists and even U.S. presidents (who did not inhale) who have smoked pot.
I recognize some people make valid arguments for legalizing pot, including not turning a generation of young people into scofflaws, allowing its sale to be legally regulated and controlled, and eliminating its illegal trafficking.
But I stand by my humble opinion: recreational pot use should be illegal, and parents and grandparents should talk to their kids about its dangers. Legalization gives it society’s stamp of approval, sends the wrong message to young people, and makes it more accessible to adolescents, whose pliable, developing young psyches can be permanently altered by persistent pot smoking
You adults who want to stay stoned, it's your life.
Only active print or digital subscribers of the Tulsa World are allowed to post comments on stories posted to Tulsaworld.com. After you fill out the form below and click submit, your comment will be published instantly online along with your screen name.
By clicking "Submit" you are agreeing to our terms and conditions.
