PHELPS SCANDAL EXPOSES TWO-SIDED DRUG ATTITUDES

The arguments for and against marijuana use have been discussed at
length for years. Yes, studies show 42 percent of adults have
experimented with pot. Marijuana is the top cash crop in the United
States, according to a 2006 study by NORML, a pro-legalization group.
But in light of the Michael Phelps marijuana scandal, I want to take
the discussion to a different place.

We as Americans are inconsistent when it comes to marijuana issues.
When marijuana is connected to whites, it is recreational. With
blacks, it is destructive.

When the photograph of Phelps surfaced, many wondered how the image
would damage the reputation of America's most acclaimed Olympian, if
at all.

After Kellogg's announced it would not renew its contract with Phelps,
The Washington Times featured an article headlined, "Fans defend
Phelps after his pot puffing."

The article reported that some fans were organizing a boycott of
Kellogg's because of its decision.

"Kellogg's has profited for decades on the food tastes of
marijuana-using Americans with the munchies. In fact, we believe that
most people over the age of 12 would not eat Kellogg's products were
they not wicked high," one boycott organizer said.

Some even went so far as to label Kellogg's as hypocritical for making
sugary cereals and having problems with Phelps' alleged marijuana use.
This viewpoint is not as obscure as you may think.

Others in the media sympathized with the young phenomenon.

"Phelps wandered into a party and trusted that nothing bad could
possibly happen to him among his new chums. The penalty should have
been: Go out there and swim, ya big lug ya. The chlorine is good for
you," New York Times sports writer George Vescey commented in his column.

Forget the DUI charges. Forget about marijuana use. Just swim, "ya big
lug." But for black athletes, things aren't so easy.

Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Howard was railed on sports radio and ESPN
for admitting that he regularly smoked marijuana in the off-season.
Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes faced similar treatment after being
arrested for marijuana possession. In August, critics and commentators
questioned the 24-year-old Holmes' future in the NFL and regularly
have described him as "troubled."

Had this photo been of basketball star Lebron James, the public would
have dubbed James as another black man sabotaging his future in
pursuit of pleasure.

Many, like Vescey, have been quick to excuse Phelps' behavior as
typical for 23-year-olds.

The fact is, he is not the average 20-something. Aside from being one
of America's most acclaimed athletes, he is a role model, not because
we dubbed him that, but because Phelps welcomed that responsibility
when he chose to place his image on children's cereal boxes and sell
his instructional swimming videos on his Web site.

Outside of sports, this inconsistent view of marijuana use continues
throughout the media. Shows like "Weeds" and "Entourage" glamorize its
usage while TBS's "House of Payne" features a black mother's
abandonment of her children while struggling with drug addiction.

This has nothing to do with the morality of drug use. It stands as a
critique of the way drugs are portrayed in the media and how that
portrayal shapes our perception. This hypocrisy is playing an
important but deplorable part in how we've responded to the Phelps
scandal.