Law & Politics
Source: http://www.cavalierhealth.org

Don’t talk to your kids about marijuana, stick your head in the sand instead.

Times are getting tense for our prohibition overlords with more and more states adopting medical and decriminalization measures as well as a few striving for legalization.  If we all continue to keep the pressure on, prohibition may well be a pivotal 2012 POTUS election issue.

With the public no longer believing Harry Anslinger classic gems like “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.”, prohibitionists must find more subtle and insidious reefer madness propaganda.

Give a read to this Associated Press article that was published over the Internet this week.  As a parent myself, what better way to instill fear and doubt than preying upon our concern for our children.  Let me be very clear: Talking about drugs with our children is an extremely important, delicate issue where no single approach fits all children.

My problem with the rubbish in this article is two-fold.  First, the way it implies how terrible it is that now parents must have this chat with their children about marijuana because legitimate businesses are popping up and it’s a political topic being covered in the media.  Whether marijuana is legal or illegal, every parent should be speaking to their children about marijuana. Whether it’s why people have used it for over 6,000 years; when you believe it’s appropriate to try it, if ever; and how to responsibly use it if you do.  The only person you are shielding from reality by not talking to your kids about marijuana is you, if you think your children aren’t going to be exposed to the topic in their daily lives.

My second problem with this backdoor reefer madness propaganda is why it doesn’t mention how this talk is no different than having a conversation with your children about alcohol, cigarettes, prescription pills, sex, dangers of obesity, guns, heroin, religion, and on and on and on.  What do parents do now when they pass a liquor or sex store with their child in tow and how is that different from a medical marijuana dispensary?  It’s almost like they’re trying to portray marijuana as a much more dangerous topic that is so taboo parents should avoid talking about it.

Don’t use our children for reefer madness circa 2012, shame on you.  Final parting shot from the latest study on the topic of kids and marijuana usage in states with medical marijuana:

“Researchers looked at marijuana use among youth between 1993 and 2009, a time when 13 states legalized the drug for medical use. They found no correlation between legalization of the drug and increased use among teens in a given state. In fact, slight drops in teen use were seen in some states where marijuana was legalized.”