CANNABIS ANIMUS? NOT NECESSARILY

First things first: I don't smoke tobacco. I don't chew it,
either.

I tried that once when I was a teenager, maybe 13 or so. I filled my
cheek with some of my grandfather's chewing tobacco -- it came in a
red pouch as I recall -- and I darned near choked to death on the
juice. I literally turned green and purple trying to get that nasty
stuff out of my mouth.

The only stuff I've ever put in my mouth that tasted as bad as chewing
tobacco was liquid Geritol, liver and Brussels sprouts. And I once
took a single sip of whiskey -- again, I was a stupid teenager --
which was enough to convince me I never wanted to try it again.

And I haven't.

Lessons learned. The hard way, yes, but learned nevertheless.

Since I've never smoked tobacco, by extension I've also never smoked
marijuana. It was just not my thing. In the late- '60s, hippies to the
left of me, hippies to the right by the thousands, and I still refused
to do pot.

I tell you that not because it's necessarily any of your business, but
only as a way to confirm for you that I have no dog in the fight
having to do with legalizing marijuana.

You might say I'm worried about nothing since the legalization of
marijuana in any of its forms is not a consideration in this state.

But that's not true. There are 14 states, plus Washington, D.C., where
medical marijuana is legal. They are: Alaska, California, Colorado,
Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

That was a surprise to me. But it was even more of a shock to learn
there are six states -- Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania -- with legislation pending to
legalize medical marijuana.

So it is a consideration in this state. House Bill 1393 was referred
to the Health and Human Services Committee about two years ago. A
hearing was held 10 months ago. Senate Bill 1350 was referred to the
Public Health and Welfare Committee about six months ago.

Hey, it's perfectly OK with me if medical marijuana becomes legal in
this state. This much I know -- if I were seriously injured, diseased
or otherwise medically incapacitated and in serious pain, I'd want the
option of smoking pot for medical reasons. I've never smoked it, but
that doesn't mean I'll never smoke it if the right reason comes along.
In my mind, pain is a "right" reason.

Anyone who's ever been in physical pain knows he or she would do
almost anything to be free of it. And I fail to see the difference
between taking prescription drugs in dosages high enough to ease the
pain or smoking some pot.

Legalizing pot for recreational use is a horse of another color,
however. I'm not saying I'm against it -- again, no dog in the fight
since I don't use it myself -- but I'm not saying I'm for it, either.
But as long as the rules of marijuana use mirrored the rules of
alcohol use in the workplace and on the highways, I'd be at least
inclined to consider it.

Either way, though, I'm thinking it's not going to be too long before
we'll be asked to vote on the matter in this state. Why? Well, because
it came up for a vote in California this week -- they called it
Proposition 19. It failed this time, but it's sure to show up on the
ballot every year from now until it's passed.

And once it's passed in California, can Pennsylvania be far behind? I
think not.

Social change doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen. Even here
in Pennsylvania.

Except that the potheads of California are not going to be happy until
they spoil it for pot smokers everywhere.

Here's what I mean: Right before Game 2 of the World Series, played in
San Francisco, there was a TV news report about fans openly smoking
pot in the concourse outside the Giants' stadium.

Shortly after that, a Ranger player -- center fielder Josh Hamilton --
reported that fans were smoking pot inside the stadium during Game 1
of the World Series.

No big deal, right? Wrong. The conduct and the timing couldn't have
been worse.

This all took place six days before Prop 19 came up for a vote last
Tuesday. And it no doubt rubbed some Californians who were undecided
on Prop 19 the wrong way because it cast their state in a negative
light before the whole country.

End result? It failed by 54 percent to 46 percent of the
vote.

Potheads have got to show more restraint than that, more
self-discipline when it counts. You want to smoke pot and act the
fool, do it behind closed doors.

Otherwise it just fuels the worst fears of non-pot smokers
everywhere.

Even here in York, Pa.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I do have a vote.

Pot smokers need to remember that.