You’re Not Bad, LenDale; Our Marijuana Laws Are
Earlier this week, the Tennessean newspaper published an interview with former Tennessee Titans running back LenDale White in which White acknowledged that he was likely going to be suspended from the National Football League for four games because of marijuana use. White accepted his “wrongdoing” with the following mea culpa:
“I did it, so it is my fault. I smoked marijuana; that is all I have ever done. That’s all I do, that’s it. I smoke. I don’t care about any other drugs, but it’s marijuana. … But I have changed. I am a good man. Unfortunately the stuff that I did in my recent past caught up to me in the present and it’s affecting my future.”
We have written on this blog before about the travesty of having athletes and celebrities pilloried in the media for marijuana possession. And I have personally decried NFL policies that punish players for marijuana use and end up steering them toward alcohol instead. But the quote above really hits me hard for some reason.
We have seen other athletes, like Michael Phelps and Tim Lincecum, apologize for making the “mistake” of using marijuana. That is almost to be expected. I mean, the bottom line is that they did violate the law in some minor way. So as much as I might feel like they have nothing to apologize for, I can see why they are dong it.
What White is saying is different. He said that he has “changed” and is now a “good man.” The obviously implication is that when he was using marijuana, he was “bad.” Well, he wasn’t — at least not for using marijuana on its own. If he didn’t do anything to harm anyone else after consuming marijuana, then he was just choosing to relax with a substance less harmful than alcohol.
Unless White believes that having a beer makes him a bad person, there is no reason he should feel that way about using marijuana. In fact, given the fact that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, the act of using marijuana instead of alcohol is far from bad; it is actually sensible.
So keep your chin up, LenDale! Societal attitudes are shifting, slowly but surely.
20 comments
I’m still waiting for a busted athlete or celebrity to just be loud and proud about it. Yeah I smoked pot, and I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it because dammit, it’s something I like to do and I never hurt a soul doing it.
I guess Ricky Williams was the closest to that sort of principled defense, but even there we got mostly euphemisms and obfuscation. Ricky had to “find himself”, wink wink. I’m sick of the winking — we need high-profile, well-respected advocates. Sports and entertainment stars, as a whole, could be helping the cause a whole lot more than they currently are.
Someone with more medical knowledge than I have needs to point out that marijuana is probably exceptional for athletes in physically abusive sports. It can reduce pain, and it has anti-inflammatory properties. Isn’t it better to recuperate at home with some cannabis rather than taking a megadose of aspirin or ibuprofen? (GI tract bleeding, liver damage, etc…)
We are still battling the Evil Religion of Hate that says — and rests all their arguments on the notion — that marijuana is intrinsically bad. But that patch of sand the Drug Warriors have built on is eroding; just not fast enough for some of us.
Being a wife beating alchoholic is – “bad”
Being a beligerant drunk at family sporting events is – “bad”
Smoking a flower that keeps people level headed and less inhibited while they enjoy the relaxing high is being – “a responsible adult”
You’re fine with us,dont feel like a victim just cause society says so,you are above that,be proud,be yourself,way way to long people have put us down,talkin bout my generation sorry cound’nt resist ,once its legal every where people will be saying why didnt we do this 40 yrs ago.
I’m tired of Chicken Sh*t athletes who are scared to stand up and be themselves and PROUD!
Who would have been better than to parade around and RUB it in their faces than Phelps. At least he’ll have money when he realizes he failed his fellow Cannabis Citizens. ACK
Puppet on a string for verbal comment from a lawyer’s request in order to save his income. Does that surprise anyone?
It all sounded like forced propaganda. Who is he apologizing to? The Children of the Corn?!
as I recall Alonzo Morning had to have a liver transplant and he felt some of the damage to it might have been from all the ibuprofin he consumed….indeed cannabis is far safer….
Does anyone think organizing a boycott of the NFL is a good idea?
It is not who he is apologizing to it is who he is apologizing for. Roger Goodel
Thanks, I understand now who he is apologizing for.
Holy Smokes. “I’m sorry I got caught. But, prohibition requires that I say these statements to protect myself and my possessions.” more like it. 40 years and $1 Trillion dollars of continued insanity. Not, to count the number of lives lost and destroyed by the DEA and DOJ. Even in these times of economic uncertainty their budget grows even larger with no oversights.
Me too, I am waiting for that day when the athlete stands up for all of us and say, “Let’s talk freedom of choice. You drink booze and it has been proven to be very lethal compared to my smoke. Yes, and booze will make you addicted and have all kinds of known physical problems and unlike you, I can’t get addicted to my pot. So leave me alone dumb ass.”
I don’t get it. Michael Phelps – Olympic Gold Medals. Tim Lincecum – Cy Young Awards. Smoking cannabis clearly hasn’t had a negative effect on these athletes. I’m not saying that smoking has increased their athletic ability, but they have continued to perform at peak levels despite using this therapeutically safe drug.. .soooooo let them smoke it!
If any of you have read Jason Peter’s book, “Hero of the Underground: My Journey Down To Heroin & Back”, you can plainly see how hypocritical professional sports organizations are when it comes to drug use. In an organization where pill-popping is not just common place but a way of life, and where pain management doctors are on speed dial; you’d think that they would take a little more tolerant attitude towards safer alternatives to pain relief. The road to addiction rarely begins with a little marijuana. It is irresponsible of the media and the professional sports organizations to allow the millions of viewers they have to assume that based on their reactions.
Any surprise? The NFL peddles goods of the wealthy 1% elite to the masses. Cannabis is not “approved” by Wall Street. Do we really need to delve any deeper than that? It’s got nothing to do with safety, morality, or anything else. It’s about the wealthy wanting to stay there, and making sure no one (or material good, such as cannabis) can compete with their cheap, profit-laden goods, no matter how dangerous and destructive they are to people. Money. Power. Greed. Cannabis is a threat because its easy to grow, has a myriad of uses, and takes away from their bottom line. Every last dollar in the economy must go to “approved” factions. No one is to be independent or self-sufficient, and we must rely on their goods for our survival.
Lots of money, are buying those apologies. It just goes to show you that the truth has a price like every other Wal-Mart item in this country. If you have enough money you can buy anything in the United States. Don’t you get it? The truth is whatever they want it to be because they pay all kinds of money to make it that way and the real truth be damned. That is the Red White and Blue at its finest. You only get as much truth or freedom as they see fit. I mean lets face it, they test our urine just like any other animal within their farm. The only thing we’re missing is the ear tag we already have the number. In other words, THEY OWN US. Everything else is just posturing within a lie of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Its all a lie . We are the only people on earth that has ever a chance for liberty from all tyranny and we piss it away because we have become nothing more than cowards and we can all be bought. Thats why career politicians, Popes, Television Evangelists , lawyers, professional athletes, or any other fine upstanding pillar of your community will never stoop so low as to actually tell the truth. Everybody in the categories mentioned above own or are owned by somebody. We’ve all sold our freedom. All of us. The only difference is the pro’s are forced to do it publicly. We should all be ashamed. We’ve all become liars.
Santonio Holmes of the Pittsburgh Steelers was traded due to two pot issues. One was three blunt roaches in his Hummer during a stop that was due to that the decription of his vehicle was seen leaving a suspected drug deal, and then failed to complite with NFL drug policy.
Ben “I like drunk 20 year olds and hotel attendents”" Roethlisberger, has had two sexual assalt issues.
I would rather have a team of stoners than sexually abusive a-holes. After Big Ben’s motorcycle accident, he donated a k-9 unit to a local police department.
Maybe Holmes needs to donate a DNA lab to Georgia in return.
nobody has talked about Mike Ragone the tight end from the University of Notre Dame that was stopped by police n they found two baggies in his female passengers purse. he took the blame for it being the gentleman that he is. Thankfully Notre Dame did the logical thing and is still allowing him to play football this fall. There is not even a suspension from school. I’m thinking this could be a tremondous opportunity for MPP to start initiatives in the South Bend area.
[...] now joins the massive ranks of athletes and celebrities forced to apologize for using a substance safer than [...]
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