SMOKE YOURSELF HEALTHY

If Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton endorse something, it can't be all bad, right?

Well, I'm not sure about that logic, but both celebrities came out
last December in support of pot-flavored candies. Dare I say I agree
with those bozos?

Chicago begs to differ on the matter. The Windy City ( note: not
smoky ) passed a law June 15 banning the sale of the controversial treats.

The important thing to realize is that these candies just taste like
marijuana. They don't impart the drug's high, and they aren't made
of marijuana.

Instead, they use hemp oil, a natural ingredient found in some food
and household goods.

Even though hemp is legal, Chicago stores will face face fines up to
$500 and possible suspension or revocation of their business licenses
if they sell the candies, according to a recent Associated Press
story. This is an extreme reaction to a novelty made with legal ingredients.

Chicago isn't the first big city to take offense with the candies,
which have names such as Purple Haze, Acapulco Gold, and Rasta.

Both Atlanta and New York City have made similar challenges to the
product in recent months.

But Chicago is closer to home, and its decision to ban these products
is another slap in the face of civil liberties.

Now, I don't want to buy pot-flavored candy. I'm more of a chocolate
kind of gal myself.

However, I don't see what's wrong with people who like the taste of
marijuana fulfilling their cravings. Better they suck on a lollipop
than light up a joint, right? Lawmakers should be more concerned with
the sugar in these treats than the non-addictive flavoring.

Opponents of pot-flavored candies say kids will become hooked on
marijuana after loving the taste of pot-flavored candies. They say
the candies glorify the drug.

"These products create a false impression among kids that marijuana
is safe and fun," said Arthur Dean, chairman of the Community
Anti-Drug Coalitions of America in a USA Today article.

I say the more forbidden something is, the more the kids will want
it. And as these sweets don't provide a high, they might be an
acceptable and safe substitute to the real thing.

Moreover, merchants of hemp oil candies say they are not marketing
their products to kids. In fact, they encourage stores to sell the
candies to customers aged 18 and over.

"This is an adult product. I don't intend and I don't want kids to
eat it," Tony Van Pelt, president of Chronic Candy, told the Associated Press.

If kids eating sweets tasting like pot were the real problem, then
Chicago shouldn't have banned the sale of the sweets for everyone,
including responsible adults. The city could just prohibit the sale
of the candies to minors.

Chicago needs to repeal its ridiculous ban. The freedom of our
palate is at stake.

Plus, Snoop Dogg's behind me.