It’s an exciting time for many living in
cannabis nation California. Thanks to
Proposition 64, individuals may now legally use and grow marijuana for personal
recreational use. It’s no longer
necessary to be “ill” to legally partake in the great American pastime of
smoking weed as it was called in the olden days.
Proposition 64 marijuana may one day be
acknowledged in history books as doing more to rid California of disease and
illness than the discovery of penicillin or the polio vaccination did over a
half-century ago.
History books may one day read how very-ill patients
were miraculously healed and became healthy enough to engage in cannabis nation
California recreational activities. They
no longer needed their marijuana prescription medicine, only recreational
marijuana.
A 2016 national poll reported the percentage of
American adults smoking marijuana has nearly doubled in three years. My generation, the 55-and-older crowd, is leading
the pack as the fastest growing segment of American pot users. Over 4 million AARP membership-qualified
Americans “roll a doobie” to relax after a hard day of [insert your favorite
hard day activity here].
The State of California is getting in on the
action by keeping a watchful eye on this new booming, big dollar and
high-profile California industry. Three
state government agencies with growing budgets – the Bureau of Medical Cannabis
Regulation, Department of Food and Agriculture and Department of Public Health
– are watching our cannabis nation California backs.
Local governments are also enthusiastically seeking
their own regulatory high identity by making sure to get their fair share of
fees and taxes from this new pot of gold.
Growing up when I did, I know an old-school
thing or two about marijuana but mum is the word about my knowledge. This, however, I’ll emphatically tell
you: I don’t use it now or plan to in my
foreseeable future. And, I recommend you
do the same.
You see, at this chapter in my life, I’m not
interested if it doesn’t help me make better decisions, run faster, jump
higher, react sooner or perform better during a gym workout. Whether in the business world or participating
in an athletic event, peak performance on demand is the name of the game.
To be modernly-correct, I suppose, no judgment
should be passed on anyone enjoying this new 21st century version of
Happy Hour so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.
Honestly, however, it’s a matter of time before the hurt starts to rear
its ugly head.
So, I’ll only engage in nameless judgement because
Proposition 64 marijuana provides no wholesome modern-day benefit to the California
you and I dream of for our children and grandchildren. A seductive “Mary Jane” is someone I don’t
want my grandchildren knowing on a first name and intimate basis.
Proposition 64 marijuana commerce offers chump
change revenue for governments starving for new taxpayer dollars. It’ll be another regressive tax for the low-income
class, like lottery tickets, because they’ll pay a higher percentage of their
income in cannabis taxes than their high-income class counterparts.
The rich folks are too busy making money and
finding ways to pay less taxes; they can’t afford the down time being “stoned.”
Meanwhile, we the abstainers will reckon with relentless
peer pressure that’ll test our abilities to have it our way without coming across
as being anti-social or old-fashioned. A
simple “no thank you” to a marijuana offer may not get the job done.
Let’s be athletically-clever in our response
the first or next time a water-filled bong or plate of marijuana-laced cookies
come our way by saying, “No thank you, I’m an athlete living in cannabis nation
California.”
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum
