Michael Phelps Madness

The real moral to Michael Phelps story
by Kathleen Parker

It's hell being a celebrity, especially if you're young and find yourself at a party, where marijuana and cameras should never mix

And it's not exactly heaven being sheriff of a county with escalating drug crimes and pressure to treat all offenders equally

Thus it is that Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps and Sheriff Leon Lott of South Carolina's Richland County are being forced to treat seriously a crime that shouldn't be one

As everyone knows by now, Phelps was photographed smoking from an Olympic-sized bong during a University of South Carolina party last November.
As all fallen heroes must – by writ of the Pitchforks & Contrition Act – Phelps has apologized for behavior that was "regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," and he has promised never to be a lesser role model again

Check.


Lott, meanwhile, is threatening action against Phelps because ... he has to. Widely respected and admired as a "good guy" who came up through the ranks, Lott is in a jam.
Not one to sweat the small stuff, he nevertheless has said that he'll charge Phelps with a crime if he determines that the 14-time gold-medal winner did, in fact, smoke pot in his county

What's tough is that Lott probably doesn't want to press charges because it's a waste of time and resources.
He's got much bigger fish to fry, but several recent drug-related crimes – including at least two high-profile murders – have captured community attention

And the law is the law.
Therein lies the problem

Our marijuana laws have been ludicrous for as long as we've been alive.
Almost half of us (42 percent) have tried marijuana at least once, according to a report published last year in PLoS Medicine, a journal of the Public Library of Science

The U.S.
, in fact, boasts the highest percentage of pot smokers among 17 nations surveyed, including The Netherlands, where cannabis clouds waft from coffeehouse windows

This we know: Were Phelps to run for public office someday and admit to having smoked pot in his youth, he would be forgiven. Yet, in the present, we impose monstrous expectations on our heroes.
Several hand-wringing commentaries have surfaced the past few days, lamenting the tragic loss for disappointed moms, dads and, yes, The Children

Understandably, parents worry that their kids will emulate their idol, but the problem isn't Phelps, who is, in fact, an adult.
The problem is our laws – and our lies

Obviously, children shouldn't smoke anything, legal or otherwise. Nor should they drink alcoholic beverages, even though their parents might.
There are good reasons for substance restrictions for children that need not apply to adults

That's the real drug message that should inform our children and our laws, rather than the nonsense that currently passes for drug information. Today's anti-drug campaigns are slightly wonkier than yesterday's Reefer Madness, but equally likely to become party hits rather than drug deterrents. One recent ad produced by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy says: "Hey, not trying to be your mom, but there aren't many jobs out there for potheads.
" Whoa, dude, except maybe, like, president of the United States

Once a kid realizes that pot doesn't make him insane – or likely to become a burrito taster, as the ad further asserts – he might figure other drug information is equally false.
That's how marijuana becomes a gateway drug

Phelps may be an involuntary hero to this charge, but his name and face bring necessary attention to a farce in which nearly half the nation are actors.
It's time to recognize that all drugs are not equal – and change the laws accordingly

Kathleen Parker is a syndicated columnist. Her e-mail address is kparker@kparker.com

http://www. dallasnews. com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-parker_06edi. State. Edition1. 2fa363b. html


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Very nice article. Thanks for the read!

 

That's a very cool article. Thanks for sharing

 

someone should tell mr.phelps that its NORML to smoke pot.

 

Why we are putting a badge of shame around this? This is normal. People smoke weed.
It is part of life.

Grow up America. Micheal Phelps is a normal person. Not some saint of godly virtue. Leave him alone.

 

He won 14 medals.. why can't he have a bong break, even if there was no smoke in the bong.

 

I don't know if it's up anywhere yet but they had the best skit during the Weekend Update on SNL last night. They said some great shit about Kellogs and the USA Swiming Association and such. Funny as shit. I am at work otherwise I would try to find it on YouTube and post the link. I still think one of the best lines was in regards to children looking up to Phelps and a parents responce if their children were to ask if they could smoke pot like Michael Phelps. "When you win 14 medals you can smoke all the pot you want."

 

Actually, if anything, I'm kinda disappointed in Michael Phelps. Like, I know that if he didn't apologize for it, he'd lose a lot of sponsors. But really? You're just letting corporate America walk all over what you stand for when you sell yourself out like that.

 

i am really baffled that the media has made such a big deal about it. i was out with my mom and she says "did you hear about the michael phelps thing?" she was a hippie in the 60s and it was just funny to me that it suprised her.

he's a normal guy, he's twenty some years old, marijuana isn't just for a counterculture, many of people do it. i think that it makes him actually look better, he can win all of those gold medals on a drug that people make a big deal on how it makes you a lazy lump you know? but my opinion doesn't matter in the land of the free

 

I want to light up with Michael Phelps.

 

you and me both iggy:

 

Everyone should mail him a joint, like they did in that Abbie Hoffman documentary (sent out joints on all the wedding invitations)

 

Seriously, this whole thing is just ridiculous, you know the only reason he apologized for it was to protect his endorsements and all that. I wish he would have been bold and said "Yes I smoke marijuana, but I don't apologize for it" or something like that! He had a chance to stand up for millions of people who also smoke, he definitely could shut up the fuckers who say weed makes you useless! Urgh! This whole thing is just pissing me off!

 

i have a button that says that. Phelps rocks, and while i don't think it will change much, the more 'high profile' pot smokers we have the better our chances of changing the laws. the problem is that with the laws in place, everyone who smokes is afraid of getting in trouble if they come out of the clam baked closet.

 

thats bull shit that they would try to charge him for smoking, since thats not even illegal, possesion is. and since its in the past that cant help them, and secondly its a glass pipe with no smoke it in. you cant even tell that he smoked, let alone what it was.

But then again this did open alot of good stuff cause people on the news are all like well if an olympic athlete did it how bad can it be. Then the ignorant ones are like OMGZ HE SMOKED POT!

 

they should crucify the sombitch.. Fuck Phelps, quit standing up for a dickhead when there are real people in prison for Marijuana..

Fuck all the favoritism.. FIND REAL PEOPLE IN JAIL AND MAKE A ISSUE..
THE COCKSUCKER CAN AFFORD A LAWYER!

 

As far as the police in South Carolina looking more into this. It makes sense from a law enforcement point of view. The police are looking at this differently from the general public who thinks it's just college kids smoking weed.

The police want to know more like what other drugs were at that party(cocaine,heroin etc)? Who was the supplier of this marijuana? The police are thinking that this could lead to the arrest of a major or significant drug dealer. So the police aren't just going to leave this alone.

 

An example of why the cops would be interested in this.

College drug sting snags justice, security majors, scores of others - CNN.com

 

That's true :/

 

so is this