What’s the deal with marijuana? Do I sound like comedian Jerry Seinfeld? It seems that Jerry Seinfeld’s one of the few celebrities who hasn’t talked about marijuana in recent years.
We’re not going to get into whether marijuana is physically addictive and whether it should be legal or illegal. Those topics are subjects for other posts.
The truth is, marijuana can still mess with a person’s life. Using marijuana puts you under the influence, a state you definitely want to avoid when driving a car. People still, however, drive or do other things while under that influence.
Driving while high is dangerous for you, your passengers, people in other vehicles, and pedestrians. Marijuana and other drugs can change how people perceive the world around them and messes with their reaction times. Personally, I find it hard enough to drive while sober. Using substances and driving makes a tough job needlessly tougher.
But we see actors, musicians, Internet personalities, and others celebrating marijuana and the high it can give you. We also don’t see the consequences of that high. We don’t see the traffic accidents, jail time, job losses, school suspensions, fine paying, and family drama created by irresponsible use.
Maybe we should see those things. There’s a television show called Teen Mom. Some people credit it with lowering the numbers of teenage pregnancies in the United States. On that token, should there be a reality program called Drug Court? Drug courts deal with people with drug and alcohol problems. A show highlighting the negative consequences of drug and alcohol use can show that smoking marijuana isn’t fun and parties, but can lead to some pretty serious results.
Drug Court could be a reality program that, well, shows reality, warts and all. It could illustrate cause and effect for people who think recreational drug use isn’t all that bad. It could reach people in different ways from antidrug books, pamphlets, public service announcements, and other resources. It’s not the ultimate solution, of course, but it’s worth a shot, right?
