Michael Phelps Smokes Cannabis
If you haven’t heard,

“Phelps got his picture snapped as he inhaled from a cannabis pipe. The photo wound up in a British tabloid, forcing Phelps to publicly apologize and his handlers to deal with sponsors who are surely none too pleased about the swimmer’s choices away from the pool.”

“News of the World said the picture was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina. During that trip, he attended one of the school’s football games and received a big ovation when introduced to the crowd.”

Speaking as someone in Michael Phelps’s generation, his behavior is normal, accepted, and looked upon proudly, being successful and being a “smoker.”

Phelps’s official statement disappointed me.
“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said in the statement released by one of his agents. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”
It was clearly not written by Michael Phelps, but by Michael Phelps Inc. Michael Phelps can gather much attention, and I hope he will work towards ending the hypocrisy surrounding cannabis in America.

Much of the world has modernized their view on cannabis. In much of Europe, it is accepted, though not legal. Mexico wanted to legalize it, but the Bush Administration threatened them, and they changed their mind. In Canada, cannabis is nearly legal. In parts of America, cannabis is nearly legal. Even in the Olympics, the rules on cannabis are murky.

During the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati was stripped of his gold medal in the giant slalom after testing positive for cannabis. The victory was reinstated because the sport’s governing body did not have a rule banning the substance.
Later that year, Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. drew a three-month suspension after testing positive for pot.
“It’s one of those substances that every year there’s debate over it,” said Howman, the WADA official.

The corporate world has had an awkward relationship with cannabis. It will be interesting to see how Phelps’s sponsors act as a result of this picture.
Phelps’s sponsors are Speedo, Omega, AT&T, Powerbar, and Visa. Phelps’s smoking cannabis should have no effect on these companies. Speedo cares about swimming, and that’s it. Omega sells watches, and “smokers” need to remember what time it is, so there is synergy in that sponsorship. AT&T makes a great deal of their text messaging profits off drug deals, so they have no reason to complain, or be surprised. Powerbar’s are a good choice of food to eat after “smoking”, so they should be speaking out in defense of Michael Phelps. Visa, and credit cards in general, are of a great use to “smokers” who need some extra cash or who don’t want to deal with change at a convenience store at 1 in the morning.

Out of this whole ordeal, Phelps should pick up ROOR as a sponsor. They are a international company based in Germany. They make the highest quality water pipes in the world. They are sold in your local head shop, and sold online. Their website is http://www.roor.de. You can even buy their pipes from their website, using your Visa Card. Life really does take Visa.

It is due time America looks at our drug policy, and especially at cannabis. In 2006, cannabis officially became America’s number one crop. http://abcnews.go.com/business/story?id=2735017. “The study estimates that cannabis production, at a value of $35.8 billion, exceeds the combined value of corn ($23.3 billion) and wheat ($7.5 billion).”

An article on February 2, 2009 in the New York Times details the challenges occurring at the southern boarder, because of cannabis. “Despite huge enforcement actions on both sides of the Southwest border, the Mexican cannabis trade is more robust — and brazen — than ever.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/02pot.html.

Michael Phelps is just another name added to the list of successful “smokers”. http://www.veryimportantpotheads.com/main2.html. Our new president, the Super Bowl MVP, and John Updike are a short list of admitted “smokers.” If you watch the current Anti-Drug commercials running, you would think they are talking about two different realities. It is due time to end the hypocrisy and have a real debate in the public on the legalities of cannabis.

Daily Kos Poll Results

slightly edited on August 3, 2010