Download the Author May Torres App

Author May Torres
Powered by Conduit Mobile

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Puff, puff, give.

Marijuana Vs. Alcohol

So… now that the April 20 hooplah is over, I’d like to offer my two cents. Okay, you got me, this is going to be a rant. Maybe not so much a rant, but a begging to be enlightened. I’m having a very difficult time understanding how people who love to celebrate every holiday, special occasion, milestone, and everything in between, with a drink, can sit on their moral high-horse about weed smokers. Is it because marijuana is illegal? Is that why the taboo is there? Let’s pretend for a moment that it suddenly became legal to smoke pot. Will the stigma then be removed? Somehow I have my doubts.

While I’m not necessarily advocating weed or alcohol, I don’t object to an occasional drink or bong hit. I personally feel how one of my favorite movie characters, Dr. Evil describes his son, Scott ” Well it’s true! It’s true! You’re semi-evil. You’re quasi-evil. You’re the margarine of evil. You’re the Diet Coke of evil. Just one calorie, not evil enough” In regards to Marijuana, of course. Out of all the drugs to be illegal and have a stigma attached to it, weed is, to me, the Diet Coke of them all. Yet, I saw numerous people judging the “stoners” for celebrating 420. “Why do they need a day to celebrate smoking Marijuana, that’s so stupid?” We have days to celebrate all kinds of things. Many people abstain from celebrating such days like Valentine’s day. We should celebrate love all year and not on that one specific day, they say. It’s their choice not to join in on the festivities. Just the same as 420. If you’re not a pot smoker, great. But leave the people to have their one day. I’m sure those who complain, celebrate in something or another, that others see no point in. Just shut up and carry on about your day. Always something to say and judge others about. Sheesh it annoys me. (Ha! maybe I’m judging too ;-) )

I could see if celebrating 420 was an imminent threat to society. Chances of problems or dangers occurring on that day, from excessive weed smoking are slim. Compare a group of people who celebrated with too much weed to people who indulged in too much alcohol. See what you get. With one group you’ll just be in danger of your pantry being raided. A host of other problems with the other. A majority of people will think nothing of the countless people at bars and clubs, whose goal is to get wasted and possibly have mindless sex with some random person. That’s what some might call a good night.

Alcohol seems to be synonymous with celebrating. Or what about being stressed out? “I need a drink.” Too wound up “I’ll have a glass of wine to relax.” Champagne toasts, drinks to break the ice on a first date, you name it, there’s a reason to drink to it. Hey, I don’t mind. So how come those same people who love to indulge in the alcohol, get so worked up over some person or a group of people sparking up a joint? Hypocrite much? I think that’s what rubs me the wrong way. It’s the fact that people judge and don’t take time out to really look at themselves. The same people, I know personally, were talking shit about celebrating 420, and I know for a fact that they go out to the club and purposely get shit-faced and call it a good time. These are the same people who I’ve partied with before. Downing shots of heaven knows what. They feel that a party is not a party without consuming large amounts of alcohol. It’s almost like a badge of honor. They’ll even go as far as to ridicule a person who may not be able to hang. Labeling them a light-weight.

Again, is it purely the question of legality here? Both alcohol and weed alter your state. Why is one more acceptable? This is a sincere attempt to understand. So if anyone can aid me here, I’d really appreciate it. It may seem like I’m fighting to defend my raging weed smoking habit, that’s really not it. I won’t lie and say that I never tried it. But I’m far from being considered a weed smoker. I will say, out of the times I’ve tried it, I preferred it to drinking alcohol. No throwing up from too much of it, no hangover, no sloppy drunkenness. So until someone can get me to understand why there’s a stigma attached to MaryJane, I’ll say puff, puff, give.