Commentary on Phelps and Pot...

[scooterbug44]

I certainly don't think it's a "slippery slope" to say that an Olympic athlete has different dietary and medication standards than the general population ............. or that someone who got a DUI while underage has an alcohol problem.

The thrown away comment was because John R said he could be disqualified if pot shows up on his drug screens - which seems odd, but if that is true, he's even dumber than I thought. At that point, he's not "some kid" relaxing w/ something people think should be legal but isn't, he's an Olympian disqualifying himself from competition.

 

[Danny Burns]

thrown away is a pretty big leap.

A pretty big leap indeed, JR.

And Geo, I agree with you, as well. Marijuana is a weed, an herb with some unusual properties that some people find appealing. In my youth... But I am an old man now and with this era of my life left far behind, I just laugh at people who find this substance so offensive. I never have and never will.

The US began it's "War On Drugs" (a gargantuan waste of taxpayer money in my opinion) in the late '30s with the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act after Congress watched the movie "Reefer Madness". I got a good laugh while watching this movie when I was a teenager during health class in high school 40 years ago.

Seventy years ago our illustrious legislative body made a rediculous movie into a rediculous law,and we still haven't had the courage to debate the truth of the actual issues surrounding this simple weed for fear of the hammer of uninformed, uneducated public opinion and the rath of some over-zealous, politically ambitous prosecutor falling on your head.

OK, that's the end of the tirade portion of my post. How about this:

We legalize all illicit drugs (and I don't think marijuana legitimately falls into this catagory), tax them out the wazoo, put thousands back to work (legalizing pot alone would put thousands of farmers back to work), and eliminate the national debt. We could actually HELP those with real problems of drug addiction instead of filling our prisons with sick, helpless people.

Rehab is much less expensive than warehousing real drug abusers (and I don't think the occasional pot smoker falls into this catagory either) at taxpayers expense. Billions of our dollars are spent every year in this warehousing process. This could also save billions of dollars each year that we waste on our miserably failed "War On Drugs".

Just one man's opinion...discuss!!

 

[Geo]

I guess I am in an argumentative mood today.
(cue well deserved smart alec remarks like, "Today?")

I certainly don't think it's a "slippery slope" to say that an Olympic athlete has different dietary and medication standards than the general population.

Neither do I but I don't think that's what you said.

........... or that someone who got a DUI while underage has an alcohol problem.

I don't think it is necessarily an alcohol problem (but it might be). Without knowing more I can only share the opinion that this was a judgement issue which created a legal problem and thankfully, no one was hurt.

It is a stretch but what if we found out that it was the first time he ever drank and he blew a .08 and he was 20 years old at the time? The problem is that he drove the car. The alcohol problem isn't there in this case.

The thrown away comment was because John R said he could be disqualified if pot shows up on his drug screens - which seems odd, but if that is true, he's even dumber than I thought.

I suspect the guy isn't dumb and knows when he can take a couple harmless hits between swim meets. This could be his off season. Or maybe I give him too much credit. Who knows?

 

[TooFarTampa]

I certainly don't think it's a "slippery slope" to say that an Olympic athlete has different dietary and medication standards than the general population ............. or that someone who got a DUI while underage has an alcohol problem.

The thrown away comment was because John R said he could be disqualified if pot shows up on his drug screens - which seems odd, but if that is true, he's even dumber than I thought. At that point, he's not "some kid" relaxing w/ something people think should be legal but isn't, he's an Olympian disqualifying himself from competition.

I think that bong hits are on the IOC's and WADA's list of banned substances, but if my memory is correct it hasn't always been that way, because weed is not a performance enhancing drug. Especially if it makes you eat too many Doritos. Anyway here is the AP's take on it:

LAUSANNE, Switzerland ? The International Olympic Committee expressed confidence Monday that Michael Phelps will learn from his "inappropriate behavior" and continue to serve as a role model after a British newspaper published a photo of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at last year's Beijing Olympics, apologized and acknowledged "regrettable behavior" after the picture was published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.

"Michael Phelps is a great Olympic champion," the IOC said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Monday. "He apologized for his inappropriate behavior. We have no reason to doubt his sincerity and his commitment to continue to act as a role model."

During the Beijing Olympics, IOC president Jacques Rogge called Phelps "the icon of the games."

Marijuana is viewed differently from performance-enhancing drugs under World Anti-Doping Agency rules. An athlete is subject to WADA sanctions only for a positive test that occurs during competition periods.

The News of the World said the picture was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina.

The party occurred nearly three months after the Olympics while Phelps was taking a long break from training, and his actions should have no impact on the medals he won in. Beijing.

He has never tested positive for banned substances and the case is unlikely to fall under any doping rules.

 

[scooterbug44]

That makes it better, so I will change the "throwing away his career" to "unwisely messing w/ his health".

 

[traderx]

Geo, I agree. The reason that Phelps was so apologetic had to be to save face for his sponsors. Even cheeba won't make you want to walk away from sponsorships.

 

[full time]

Most of the swimmers I know (and I've known some of the best) are hard partiers. I don't begrudge a swimmer wishing to partake. Problem for Phelps is he's a public figure who is an icon to many children. Answering a kid's (under 10) questions about Phelps, bongs and weed is really awkward and uncool. He needs to show a little more restraint in his private life so that his dirty laundry doesn't explode on the public scene.

 

[Danny Burns]

"Cheeba"...What! I must be getting old. I've never heard it called that before just now.

 

[Danny Burns]

Most of the swimmers I know (and I've known some of the best) are hard partiers. I don't begrudge a swimmer wishing to partake. Problem for Phelps is he's a public figure who is an icon to many children. Answering a kid's (under 10) questions about Phelps, bongs and weed is really awkward and uncool. He needs to show a little more restraint in his private life so that his dirty laundry doesn't explode on the public scene.

Or not allow idiot friends or acquaintences to take pictures of him while indulging. But I guess it may be difficult to be completely aware of your surroundings while buzzed.

 

[traderx]

"Cheeba"...What! I must be getting old. I've never heard it called that before just now.

I had never heard it either until it appeared in a thread in the lounge.

Cheeba sounds like the name of a Chihuahua that won the Westminster.