Legal Pot

This country is becoming more and more liberal.  Not so many years in the past certain activities were frowned upon because they were considered wrong.  Maybe no one could tell you exactly why the thing was wrong but in your heart you just knew it wasn't the thing to do.  Values have changed and what was once unthinkable has now become more than just an under the radar activity but openly practiced and if not accepted at least tolerated. 

Pot smoking is one of those things.  Of course at one time it wasn't illegal.  It didn't have to be as no one did it.  I don't know who was the first to smoke this stuff or why they wanted to but they did.  Criminals smoked the stuff but then again they did lots of stupid stuff.  I really don't know when or why enough people started smoking marijuana  that society felt threatened enough to make this stuff illegal.  I don't know why anyone needs or wants to drink alcohol or abuse drugs, legal or illegal.  But they do.  They sniff paint, buy white powder from a thug in a dark alley or in neighborhoods no descent person would venture into during the daylight  much less after dark, and inject liquids into their veins willingly with dirty needles when they fear getting a shot by a professional at the local medical clinic. 

Personally it makes no difference if pot is legal or illegal as I've never tried it, used it, nor do I ever intend to, not even to only inhale.  I believe the time is coming when pot is legal.  After all women were given the right to vote, blacks were integrated into the school system, women can kill unborn babies legally, homosexuals can serve openly in the military, and if little Johnny   decides he wants to dress like a girl he has to be allowed to use the girls restroom at school.  What smoking a joint in the grand scheme of things? 

The truth is I am surprised that pot has not already been legalized.  After all, tobacco has been demonized (and rightly so)  so the big tobacco companies are having to force their products overseas more and more.  They will eventually have to stop producing cigarettes and certain economies will suffer greatly.  North Carolina is one of those economies as big tobacco as always been a vital player in our well being. 

With the push to ban smoking and reduce the number of smokers, it would make sense to substitute marijuana joints for cigarettes.  The equipment and distribution network is already in place.  Ohm I know when this does occur people will be smoking marijuana at their leisure just like they did cigarettes twenty years ago.  Not sure just exactly how that is going to affect traffic accidents and insurance rates and job performance but it doesn't promise to be a pretty picture.  But then again that's why it is illegal.