'REEFER MADNESS' ALIVE AND WELL

So Michael Phelps, the most successful individual athlete in Olympic
history, was caught in a "drug scandal."

Phelps, the fresh-faced, mom-and-apple-pie swimmer with 14 medals in
his trophy case, was photographed at a frat party smoking pot from a
bong.

Somebody alert the DEA.

Apparently, "Reefer Madness" is alive and well -- and the Phelps
controversy is a tempest in a water pipe.

USA Swimming, the sport's American governing body, has suspended him
for three months.

At least one major sponsor dropped him and he has been pilloried for
betraying millions of youngsters who look up to him.

There's no question that Phelps's transgression was stupid -- he's a
celebrity and should have known that news (and images) of him smoking
up would be media fodder.

But let's keep this in perspective: Marijuana isn't exactly
performance-enhancing, so smoking pot doesn't diminish Phelps's
achievements.

It's not like a baseball player who shoots himself full of steroids to
hit more homeruns, like Jose Canseco.

Or a sprinter who humiliates an entire nation by shattering a world
record at the Olympics, only to have his medal taken away, like Ben
Johnson.

Or a professional boxer who spends his prime years in jail on a rape
conviction, like Mike Tyson.

Phelps has never attacked a competitor and ended his career, like
hockey player Todd Bertuzzi did to Steve Moore.

What Phelps did pales in comparison to dozens of other athlete
scandals. He didn't cheat or harm anyone else. Granted he broke the
law, but even the law recognizes pot use as a minor offence.

He has apologized for poor judgment. His punishment, a brief
suspension, is strong enough to be a clear condemnation of his actions
without destroying his career.

Hopefully, he'll emerge from this a little chastened, a little humbled
and a little smarter.