Smoke Them If You Got 'Em

"I was gonna clean my room until I got high. I was gonna get up and find the broom but then I got high

my room is still messed up and I know why (why man?) yea hey — cause I got high." — Afroman, "Then I Got High."

Lost in all the hullabaloo over the elections — which by the way left us with the same President, same Congressional composition, and same dreary path as the day before — was the fact there were other things on the ballot. A few years ago, while I still lived in California, there was a proposition to legalize marijuana. I thought it would pass. It didn't.

Now I live in Colorado, and as you can probably tell by the graphic at the top of this post, the state got a different result. Who knew Colorado was more progressive!

Yesterday two states legalized marijuana — Washington and Colorado — and though it's still illegal according to the federal government, I somehow doubt this trend is going away.

Now, there are a couple things to remember about the passage of 64 here in Colorado. First, just because it passed on election night doesn't mean everything is different Wednesday morning... I imagine it will take some time to sort this out. But I think it does reflect the fact our culture — and our laws — are starting to change.

Someone came into my office this morning and made a joke about smoking some before bemoaning the passage of the measure. Then I politely told them I voted yes... and there was stunned silence.

I have never used marijuana, nor do I intend to, but I did vote in favor of the measure. Some may find that curious, especially for a Christian. But this is one of those areas where I don't think it's possible to legislate morality. Morality is a choice. That is the heart of free will. A government enforced choice isn't a choice at all.

Making the drug illegal hasn't stopped people from using it, and I don't really think legalizing it will cause a great deal more people to use it. This is, essentially, the same argument that overturned prohibition.

Additionally, I think there's some positive effects to legalizing and regulating marijuana. Our jails are over-crowded, so this helps remove a certain criminal element. The government can control, regulate, and receive revenue from the sale of marijuana — as it does with alcohol and cigarettes. And it moves the sale and distribution of this substance off the street corners and dark alley ways.

Not everyone agrees, and that's fine. That's what America is all about.