I won’t say I haven’t thought about it before. But standing there in the city of Utrecht I did have more than a passing thought. This is in the Netherlands. I was walking with my 15 year old son. We passed a line of people waiting to enter a shop that wasn’t full. That’s a sight you might see with some frequency in New York City as brands seek to hype themselves artificially. But I hadn’t expected it here.
I slowed and scanned for explanations why. It only took a moment to figure out. A sign read “MAX 3 CUSTOMERS.” On the inside there were three bank branch like windows for those customers to use. Then I noticed the man on a stool. He was in his 20s, and looked serious. Most importantly he looked, he was watching. Then I looked beyond the people to the wall above the customers. I had a laugh to myself. “Kush.” This was no ordinary cafe. This place sold marijuana.
I grew up, largely in the 80s, in America. Middle school and high school came with the usual elements, math, science. But there was also what Nancy had to say. “Just say no.” This was Nancy Reagan’s simplified advice about avoiding drugs, including pot. There were also the customary fear tactics. I’ve jokingly said they made you think one puff of a joint might turn you into a demonic beast willing to do anything for a nickel. Such was the desire to feed one’s addiction. It was “Reefer Madness” for the television age. More seriously it was an element of propaganda in the now clearly failed American war on drugs. As serious as drug addiction is it was a preposterously basic solution. It spread fear and misinformation that prolonged suffering, impacted crime rates dubiously, and has resulted in a reveres course borne again of politics more than wisdom.
Now, in America, it’s largely, “just say yes.” Pot is legal in over 1/3rd of US states as a recreational product and a 2021 Pew Research study found 2/3rds of Americans support legalization.
In New York State it was recently legalized. Not after democratic debate or process or based of revelations in a new scientific study. It would seem a politician, embroiled in a scandal, simply stopped delaying and saw it legalized for political expediency. He was trying to save his own bacon, perhaps getting us high was part of his escape plan.
I have always wondered why politicians of all stripes stood firmly in the path of legalization. Particularly given the overwhelming public support for the change. I wondered why Republicans didn’t seize on the states rights, individual freedom, aspect to curry favor with voters, particularly young ones. I’ve wondered why Democrats didn’t do the same for the same reasons and attach it to their efforts to address unjust incarceration rates among minority Americans.
Many voices in media and culture are also confused. When Snoop was seen smoking pot (it’s a fair assumption) before performing at the Super Bowl it made news. The coverage was laughed at by many. I thought it was a fun story. One that could have been done if he’d been photographed chugging a beer or taking a nip from a flask just before coming on. It was certainly a missed opportunity to make a “Green Room” joke. The coverage illustrated the confusion. Is it bad or good, right or wrong?
Marijuana is a drug that, in my lifetime, has gone from the door prize at Hades to additive in a fruity seltzer you might enjoy at a family BBQ. No great science experiments herald this change. I’ve read and been told by informed folks that there is limited research on the the long term impact of using the drug. I certainly don’t disagree with the change, but I believe in informed choices. From absurd prisons sentences and simply unnecessary incarceration to the clear medical benefits some cherish it is a natural product we have characterized poorly as simply “dangerous.” But how safe it is is also unclear. My nonscientific research notes, in a bar scenario, the really high guy is less dangerous than the really drunk one.
I can’t shake the feeling that the way it is unfolding is yet another diminishing moment for government. It subtly and further undermines our sense of respect for how government conducts itself. I get that might seem overly naive, self dealing and inconsistency aren’t new to politics. But here we have a moment when we have decided in short order that it’s all fine, never mind those scare tactics. Just look over here now and have a hit to help you reconcile another moment of blundering, inconsistent, and hard to judge leadership.
Opioid of the masses indeed.