Not to judge too harshly, but the news stories showing the
lines at recreational pot shops in Colorado lately might say volumes about
whether this great experiment will work.
I’m sorry, but I didn’t see too many executive types in those long
lines, nor did I see what I might describe as geeks (meaning those techies who
create new and exciting things for us).
Instead, I saw what I would have stereotypically expected to
see: old hippie types, tatted up and ratty haired stoners, and a general bunch
of those on the lower end of the socio-economic scale. Of course, there are executives, et al, who
smoke the devil weed but I really doubt they would be interviewed on national
TV to say they couldn’t wait to get home, lay on the couch, and light up.
While I clearly am generalizing, I don’t think I am too far
off the mark to say that this experiment may show its downside way before we
can see some socially redeeming value.
No doubt there was lots of pot out there before legalization, and
ironically it probably cost less than what the new shops are charging now.
I have seen many teen stoners online praising the
legalization, and also saying they want to move to Colorado as if their whole
life now revolves around smoking and getting high. Wow!
And do they know that the legal age is 21 and that it cannot be smoked
in public? Getting together with a few
buds (and “buds”) at the playground to take a toke or two would still
be illegal. And the fines would likely
be higher than before.
But who knows, maybe it will make our country a little mellower. Maybe we will generate more intellectuals,
more creative geniuses finding the cures for cancer, or more literary giants. Or maybe, just maybe, we will have more
unemployed, more traffic accidents, more neglected kids, and less incentive to
make a better life. Just as long as they
have weed to take away the sharp edges of life, who cares about college, career
advancement, and role modeling. I think
this experiment is going to stink up the lab.
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