IT'S TIME TO CHANGE OUR MARIJUANA LAWS

It's tough being a celebrity, especially if you're young and find
yourself at a party, where marijuana and cameras should never mix.
And it's not exactly heaven being sheriff of a county with escalating
drug crimes and pressure to treat all offenders equally.

Thus it is that Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Sheriff Leon Lott
of South Carolina's Richland County are being forced to treat
seriously a crime that shouldn't be one. As everyone knows by now,
Phelps was photographed smoking from an Olympic-sized bong during a
University of South Carolina party last November. As all fallen
heroes must, Phelps apologized for behavior that was "regrettable and
demonstrated bad judgment" and promised never to be a lesser role model again.

Check.

Lott, meanwhile, is threatening action against Phelps because ... he
has to. Widely respected and admired as a "good guy" who came up
through the ranks, Lott is in a jam. Not one to sweat the small
stuff, he said he'll charge Phelps with a crime if he determines that
the 14-time gold-medal winner did, in fact, smoke pot in his county.
The sheriff's job is both easier and tougher given evidence including
a picture of Phelps with his face buried in a smoke-filled tube and
what Lott has called a "partial confession." Phelps has said that the
photo is legitimate. What's tough is that Lott probably doesn't want
to press charges because it's a waste of time and resources. But
several recent drug-related crimes have captured community attention.
And the law is the law. Therein lies the problem. Our marijuana laws
have been ludicrous for as long as we've been alive. Almost half of
us (42 percent) have tried marijuana at least once, according to a
report published l! ast year. The U.S., in fact, boasts the highest
percentage of pot smokers among 17 nations surveyed, including The
Netherlands, where cannabis clouds waft from coffeehouse windows.
Among them are no small number of political leaders who surely cringe
every time a young person gets fingered for a "crime" they themselves
have committed. Better-known former tokers include our current
president, a couple of previous ones and a Supreme Court justice.

This we know: Were Phelps to run for public office someday and admit
to having smoked pot in his youth, he would be forgiven. Yet, in the
present, we impose monstrous expectations on our heroes. Several
hand-wringing commentaries have surfaced the past few days, lamenting
the tragic loss for disappointed moms, dads and, yes, The Children.
Understandably, parents worry that their kids will emulate their
idol, but the problem isn't Phelps, who is, in fact, an adult. The
problem is our laws - and our lies.

Obviously, children shouldn't smoke anything, legal or otherwise. Nor
should they drink alcoholic beverages, even though their parents
might. There are good reasons for substance restrictions for children
that need not apply to adults. That's the real drug message that
should inform our children and our laws. Today's anti-drug campaigns
are slightly wonkier than yesterday's "Reefer Madness," but equally
likely to become party hits rather than drug deterrents. One recent
ad produced by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
says: "Hey, not trying to be your mom, but there aren't many jobs out
there for potheads." Whoa, dude, except maybe, like, president of the
United States. Once a kid realizes that pot doesn't make him insane -
or likely to become a burrito taster, as the ad further asserts - he
might figure other drug information is equally false. That's how
marijuana becomes a gateway drug.

Phelps may be an involuntary hero to this charge, but his name and
face bring necessary attention to a farce in which nearly half the
nation are actors. It's time to recognize that all drugs are not
equal - and change the laws accordingly.