Mowie Wowie

 What happens when you legalize pot? Well, some have suggested that marijuana use and abuse would skyrocket. The gates to perdition have been thrown open and all who find themselves on that road have no hope but eternal stonedness. 

Or maybe not. A libertarian think tank named the CATO institute recently released a report that says the net change in pot consumption is somewhere around zero. Proponents of legalization looked forward to all that lovely tax revenue that would come in the wake of legalization and lowering the cost of all those dime bag busts. Folks who were sure that legalizing pot would lead to rampant drug use by all segments of the population, especially our nation's youth waited for the crime wave to begin. 

And now, nearly ten years after Colorado and Washington made recreational pot legal, business is good and the anticipated terror and decline in IQ scores never happened. Here's a tasty bud from the report: "(A)s marijuana becomes more commonplace and less stigmatized, residents and legislators become less opposed to legalization. In essence, rising marijuana use may not be a consequence of legalization but a cause of it." 

Huh. How about that. They're suggesting that once the fear and outrage settles down, it turns out that people might smoke dope because of its effectiveness as a mood leveler and pain reliever. The sad news about the reality check is that the fear of the price dropping for an ounce of weed never really happened. Bummer. It turns out that people who sell dope legally still want to make a buck. A whole bunch of bucks, as a matter of fact. Almost as if they were taking their inspiration from the pharmaceutical industry. 

Which brings up that whole medicine aspect. It is notable that many states legalized medicinal use of marijuana prior to recreational use. Because it can be used to treat ailments as diverse as bipolar disorder and chronic pain. And it's much safer to use than alcohol. Which has been legal for a good long time. 

At this point, I should come clean and let you know that I have no actual experience with this legal pot thing, other than anecdotal. The pot I ingested was smoked, eaten and eventually absorbed a long time ago. But I'm relieved to discover that it turns out that all that goofiness could have been legal. Take away the paranoia, and all of a sudden you've got a miracle drug. Turns out the road to hell isn't paved with good intentions. It's just another winding road on the way to the 7-11 to buy Hostess Cupcakes.