HEROES LIKE PHELPS ARE HEROES TOO

Thousands of stories across the country have captured the plight of
Michael Phelps and his recent bong incident. Phelps has apologized
for his youthful indiscretion. It seems that his apology was accepted
by most Americans, including the corporate sponsors that gave Phelps
lucrative contracts for his endorsements.

Only one spoiler is making noise. Sheriff Leon Lott of Richland
County, S.C., has said he will charge Phelps with a crime if he
determines he smoked marijuana. Possession of marijuana in South
Carolina is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $570 fine.

Coincidently the Phelps story broke the same day that Santonio Holmes
became most valuable player of Super Bowl XLII. Phelps and Holmes
both felt the thrill of victory in sports. They've also had to
address their drug use in the press.

It seems like heroics are not enough to cancel out the governments
zero-tolerance policy on recreational drug use.

Maybe both of these athletes should have known better. But even our
greatest sports heroes are human beings who make mistakes. Like
Phelps and Holmes, millions of Americans use marijuana, either
recreationally or medically.

Let's be honest. Olympic gold medals and bong hits don't mix well
with mainstream America.

Phelps should know this. But maybe because he is a normal 23
year-old, he forgot. Both Phelps and Holmes remind us that even
heroes can make poor choices that cause them to run afoul of the law.

Holmes has come a long way since his arrest in 2008 for the
possession of a small amount of marijuana. Holmes received a one-game
suspension and was allowed to continue the season without further
punitive action. He overcame this mid-season stumble and recovered to
be the hero of the Steelers' record sixth Super Bowl title. Holmes
received a second chance to make amends for his mistake.

But when you're dealing with a government that is hell-bent on
continuing an unwinnable war on drugs, it has little regard for mistakes.

Take the case of Mitchell Lawrence, an 18-year-old Massachusetts
teen, who was sentenced in 2006 to two years in prison for possession
of a single marijuana joint. Lawrence received this rather severe
punishment at the hands of an over-zealous prosecutor that had little
regard for the teenager's youthful indiscretions. His life is forever
ruined by the stigma of the arrest.Drug use is considered a moral failing.

This is wrong. Many people struggle with addiction, and it should be
addressed in a medical context, not a criminal, punitive one.

And for every person who struggles with drugs and drug addiction,
there are millions of others who use drugs recreationally, and
responsibly. Phelps and Holmes are two high-profile examples of
people who use drugs recreationally and suffer no adverse effects --
other than exposing themselves to criminal sanctions due to drug
prohibition. Recreational drug use should not be used to demonize individuals.

One thing is for certain: Michael Phelps is still a hero to America,
and his career should not go up in smoke because of a single mistake.
Santonio Holmes' Super Bowl heroics are a testament to this.