Throughout elementary school I was inundated with ostensibly true, but very misleading evidence against the use of marijuana. What I most remember was being told that it contained "over 100 chemicals," and therefore was tantamount to drinking from the colored bottles under the sink. Up until high school I was under the impression that marijuana was very addictive, as much as heroin, and would inevitably lead to harder drugs. When I found out through my own research and personal experience that this was not true, I felt (and still feel) deceived.
If we're going to speak about a moral imperative to keep marijuana illegal, I'm puzzled as to why we, as a society, felt (feel?) it's ok to mislead children in the interest of some greater good. In fact, I believe I started using marijuana at the age I did because I found out I was deceived as a child. When I learned that many of the dangers that those anti-drug campaigns ingrained into me were made up, I questioned everything I believed. I do not think there is enough discussion about the message we tell our kids w/r/t drugs, and I really believe that honesty is the best policy. Not simply from a moral perspective, but from a practical one. When we lie to our children, they will find out, and they will not believe us in the future. I don't think young people should use drugs for two reasons: 1) it is physically harmful to anyone who uses it, and more physically harmful to a person who is still developing physically, and 2) there are many more productive things a young person can do with their time and their friends than use drugs (sports, schoolwork, art, building a good college application). I do not believe marijuana is a gateway drug in the way that it is typically portrayed, I do not believe it is immoral to use by an adult who is aware of the dangers involved, and I do believe that some drug use can be beneficial for a person psychologically/spiritually. This is the message I will tell my kids: it's honest, and it will help them understand why I won't allow them to smoke weed if they're not ready. When they are ready, it will be up to them.
Change of Subject: Google search sends pot reform fears up in smoke:
'via Blog this'
