Should ability to pay determine legality?

George Michael, the recording artist, recently reported that he was having trouble cutting back on his marijuana habit. He admitted that he smoked far more than he felt that he should and needed some help getting this monkey off his back. From his own words (not quoted here) it is clear that he is addicted to the drug and is having trouble cutting back.

George Michael also said that it would be easier if marijuana was legalised. He felt that it was not affecting his ability to work and he could afford it.

How many out there have a career where they can decide when or if they want to show up for work, except for a few contractual requirements for evening gigs? How many make millions at their job? How many make residual money from work they have already done and from that are able to relax and do what they want when they want to and not worry about their next paycheck?

I appreciate that George Michael did work hard to get where he is now, I respect his talent and have enjoyed his music, but the majority of marijuana smokers do not have his financial cushion, and most do not have jobs with the flexibility he has. The reality is that his drug use has been affecting him greatly, but he is not in a position where the affects are imminent or problematic. But for the rest who are not so fortunate, this drug does cause huge problems.

This drug is addictive and does cause problems whether or not it leads to harder drugs. For me the greatest evidence comes from advocates of legal drug use who do not seem to realise just how strange they sound when expressing their opinions.

My best teaching tool against drugs has been to let my children listen to talk shows where marijuana activists are speaking. It does not take long before my children are giggling at this person who has no idea just how foolish he or she sounds.

I think that if I were dying, I might like to try marijuana or some other interesting drug, but I also would not be worried about getting caught and going to jail for it. I value my brain and hope to live a long life and I wish more would respect their own brains and bodies.

The Politics of Disease

I find it interesting that now that someone has developed a vaccine for one or more of the many strains of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), suddenly it is a problem that requires the attention of all parents to get their daughters vaccinated as young as nine years old.

I warned family members and friends that HPV was a serious problem long before the vaccine was developed. HPV can lead to cervical cancer in women and can also cause genital warts. Most importantly, it is transmitted skin to skin and is not stopped by condoms - the area of transmission is reduced but not eliminated unless you are wearing a condom that covers your entire torso and thighs. While not anywhere near as deadly as AIDS it is far more prevelant, and it can kill - hundreds of young women die each year from cervical cancer - this could have been avoided by regular testing and early treatment - or better yet, abstaining from sex until ready for committment.

The Vaccine is a great idea, but it only treats some strains, not all of them (not all cause cancer). HPV because it is associated with genital warts, there is a risk of it becoming a gateway disease like Genital Herpes. Herpes is not a life threatening disease at all (mostly just embarrassing and annoying), and like HPV is also transmitted skin to skin. But, Herpes causes lesions that can leave the body vulnerable to other diseases. HIV (which can lead to AIDS) is also transmitted skin to skin and if lesions are present, then the process is much easier and condoms are not going to be very useful.

My concern is that while vaccines are not a bad thing, there is a danger that girls who are vaccinated against this sexually transmitted disease (or at least certain strains of it) are going to think that they are safe and be less careful in their choices and sexual practices.

I have a daughter and when she is old enough, I will not be taking her to get vaccinated. I will instead be educating her on the important matters concerning her sexuality. I will be stressing the purpose of sex and the responsibilities that go with it. In time, I will let her know what is out there and what she needs to know to make her own informed choices. In time, she may want to get vaccinated and that will be fine with me. I hope to raise my daughter and my sons to be responsible human beings, but I cannot speak for their eventual partners.