A DOPER'S VIEW OF THE DRUG WAR

Phil has trouble finding his glasses, but he never loses a game of Trivial
Pursuit.

"I don't know about that short-term memory thing. But I'll put my brain up
against anybody, and I've baked it for 25 years," he says.

He says, "My mother would have a heart attack" if I used his last name. But
he is remarkably candid about his cannabis habit.

He is a dedicated, enthusiastic pothead. He has been toking weed, rolling
joints and smoking left-handed cigarettes for 25 of his 40- plus years, and
he apologizes to nobody.

"I'm a role model for responsible pot smoking. I only use it at home, never
at work. Heck, I've fired people for using drugs at work.

"On the other hand, I tell kids to never smoke it. Just look at me. I
graduated from Covington Latin at age 15, and I'm a house painter."

He admits another downside: "I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on
pot."

High Costs

His habit burns up $600 a month. An ounce these days goes for $150 for the
average "stuff," and as high as $300 for the really good "hydro," or
hydroponically grown buds, he said.

He blames the government for the high cost of getting high.

Despite the war on drugs, "They are really easy to get," Phil said.

But pot is much stronger and more expensive, he says.

He should know. He's a major consumer of the local product, which comes
mostly from Kentucky.

Phil's views of the government sound permanently warped by the "Reefer
Madness" lies he was told about drugs in his teens. And he says the same
lies are being spread today.

That recent TV ad linking terrorism to drugs, for instance. "If you're
gonna tell me smoking pot causes terrorism, I'd say take a look at that SUV
in your driveway."

He's a fierce advocate of decriminalization, and is looking forward to
November when Ohio could vote to reduce drug penalties from jail time to
treatment.

"Sellin' pot is like doing someone a favor," he says. "Most people only
sell to smoke for free."

A Pot of Revenue

If marijuana were decriminalized, nothing much would change, he insists. "I
would have more money."

He would gladly pay $100 an ounce, even if $90 is taxes. "Legalize drugs,
tax drugs, buy better weapons and blow up the (terrorists)."

That's right, Phil is a "right-wing" pothead, which sounds as odd as an FBI
hippie. He gets stoned - and he votes.

He cites studies that show that pot smokers are safer drivers, "because
they're so paranoid," and decriminalization can decrease pot use by taking
away its outlaw mystique.

You don't need a toke of brain-baking hydro-weed to get the message from
Phil and others like him: solid citizens who pay their taxes and show up
for work wonder why they are the enemy in a war on drugs.

They think the drug war is a trivial pursuit - and I'm beginning to wonder
if they have the right answer.