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You are here: Home / Politics / War On Drugs / The War on Your Neighbor, aka the War on Drugs / “Not many jobs out there for potheads”

“Not many jobs out there for potheads”

by Michael D.|  November 12, 20089:06 am| 115 Comments

This post is in: The War on Your Neighbor, aka the War on Drugs

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That’s the latest absurdity from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Radley Balko calls bullshit and lists a few people who managed to find jobs in spite of their pot use:

Barack Obama, president-elect.  Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the U.S.  John Kerry, U.S. Senator and 2004 Democratic nominee for president.  John Edwards, multi-millionaire, former U.S. Senator, and 2004 Democratic nominee for vice president.  Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, 2008 Republican nominee for vice president.  British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, and and Chancellor Alistair Darling.  Josh Howard, NBA all-star.  New York Governor David Paterson.  Former Vice President, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Oscar winner Al Gore.  Former Sen. Bill Bradley, who smoked while playing professional basketball.  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and former New York Governor George Pataki. Billionaire and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Balko is compiling a list. Feel free to add to it.

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Reader Interactions

115Comments

  1. 1.

    jakester

    November 12, 2008 at 9:17 am

    U.S. Circuit Court Judge Douglas Ginsburg. My friend Dan. Comedian Doug Benson (unconfirmed)

  2. 2.

    Josh Hueco

    November 12, 2008 at 9:20 am

    Actually, when I think about the type of people who HAVEN’T, to our knowledge, used it (Cheney, W., Falwell, Robertson, Schlafley, etc.), maybe its prior use should be a requirement for any sort of career in politics.

  3. 3.

    Robin G.

    November 12, 2008 at 9:20 am

    in fairness, should we be distinguishing between pot-smoker and pothead? I’ve found there is a difference, as there is between alcohol drinkers and alcoholics.

  4. 4.

    Keith

    November 12, 2008 at 9:21 am

    Rumor at one time was that Laura Bush used to deal weed, and she went on to become a famous librarian

  5. 5.

    Michael D.

    November 12, 2008 at 9:21 am

    I think, based on my own viewings of their ads, that the ONDCP thinks even occassional use would qualify you as a pothead.

  6. 6.

    robertdsc

    November 12, 2008 at 9:22 am

    Does pretty much anyone in the rap industry count?

  7. 7.

    random asshole

    November 12, 2008 at 9:23 am

    That ad really made me want a burrito. How exactly do I apply for the burrito-tasting position?

  8. 8.

    Xanthippas

    November 12, 2008 at 9:27 am

    in fairness, should we be distinguishing between pot-smoker and pothead? I’ve found there is a difference, as there is between alcohol drinkers and alcoholics.

    Yeah, when they say pothead I think the classic American movie pothead who is almost always unemployed or underemployed. Pot-smoker…that’s different, right?

  9. 9.

    Tattoosydney

    November 12, 2008 at 9:28 am

    @Michael D.:

    Everyone knows that just one joint can turn you into a hysterical, suicidal, murderous trollop…

  10. 10.

    chrome agnomen

    November 12, 2008 at 9:31 am

    well, there’s me, who can’t seem to find the end of work, and who has helped remove the stigma attached to this habit, by producing quality work while under both the influence, and the gimlet eye of many employers.

  11. 11.

    Jennifer

    November 12, 2008 at 9:32 am

    I would guess that some 10% – 20% of American jobs are currently performed by potheads – full-on potheads, not pot smokers. Which means there’s only something like 15 or 20 million jobs out there for a pothead.

  12. 12.

    Bobzm

    November 12, 2008 at 9:35 am

    You know this guy is taking hits between takes.

  13. 13.

    Bobzim

    November 12, 2008 at 9:37 am

    I’d be comfortable in speculating that this guy is taking hits between takes.

  14. 14.

    Comrade Jake

    November 12, 2008 at 9:41 am

    Willie fucking Nelson.

  15. 15.

    The Bag of Health and Politics

    November 12, 2008 at 9:45 am

    Add another one to the list: President George W. Bush. I’m sure he did pot when he was in the service…

  16. 16.

    Jamey

    November 12, 2008 at 9:48 am

    Robin G : Was gonna say the same thing, but I’m not sure the Nat’l Office for Drug Control Policy permits such distinctions.

    Burritos are a gateway food, by the way.

  17. 17.

    kid bitzer

    November 12, 2008 at 9:48 am

    don’t forget the successful entertainer cheech marin.

    or his sidekick, what’s his name, bong or something?

  18. 18.

    crack

    November 12, 2008 at 9:50 am

    I nominate Mark Kleinman for Drug Czar.

  19. 19.

    Dennis - SGMM

    November 12, 2008 at 9:50 am

    Thanks to the policies and practices of George W. Bush, there aren’t many jobs for carpenters, steelworkers, accountants, sales clerks, auto workers, real estate sales people, escrow agents…

  20. 20.

    Jamey

    November 12, 2008 at 9:55 am

    Additionally, I think America’s problems stem from the fact that we’re forced to look only at the pool of applicants for public office who DIDN’T party in high school.

    So, basically, we’re looking at legislative and bureaucratic corps staffed by an army of Michelle Bachmanns, John Boltons, and David Frums.

    I’ll take my chances with the former potheads (except Norm Coleman).

  21. 21.

    Steve M.

    November 12, 2008 at 10:01 am

    Why is Thomas Friedman moonlighting as a drug-ad model?

  22. 22.

    jrg

    November 12, 2008 at 10:02 am

    Here’s a idea for the folks at the Office of National Drug Control Policy – get a real job, instead of wasting time and money battling plants and hard-working citizens.

    Screw these people and their nanny state. I don’t pay my taxes so that these mooks can lie to the public.

  23. 23.

    D-Chance.

    November 12, 2008 at 10:03 am

    God, Cole… could you have found a lamer pee-on to waste your bandwidth?

  24. 24.

    ilsita

    November 12, 2008 at 10:07 am

    That "Hey, not trying to be your mom, but there aren’t many jobs out there for potheads" line sucks.

    The ads are kind of hip, but if these super-silly warnings and "rap session" lingo are the best deterrents they can come up with for smoking pot (as opposed to the ones they might come up with for cigarettes and alcohol, who probably paid for these ads in the first place), it should have given them second thoughts, like this one, for instance: "We just pulled this whole campaign out of our asses!"

    I’m gonna add my pop to the list: he has been smoking pot for 50 years and has been a successful lawyer his whole life. I don’t smoke pot, and I’m a total loser.

  25. 25.

    cmorenc

    November 12, 2008 at 10:10 am

    The real problem with getting older is that the contacts you need to score the really good stuff (or indeed any weed at all) dry up to nothing. I would be a pothead once again, if only I could…but it becomes harder to get any of the necessary people to trust you (or even find any of the sorts of folks whose trust you’d need to gain) in direct proportion to the number of gray hairs on your head.

    And good though pot is, it’s not worth getting any of the diseases necessary to qualify you for "medical marijuana" in states permitting such.

  26. 26.

    Zifnab

    November 12, 2008 at 10:12 am

    That burrito tasting job looks good. But what sort of creds does it take to get a job with the National Drug Control agency?

    Must have prior experience in:

    Lying to someone’s face
    Picking through people’s mail
    Kicking down doors
    Dog shooting

    Screw burrito taster. It’s Drug Enforcement Thug all the way!

  27. 27.

    linda

    November 12, 2008 at 10:13 am

    man, you gotta be high if you provide your opinion on their lame, scare-mongering bs. those dea bully-boys will never give up their taxpayer-financed viagra, er, robogear.

  28. 28.

    Steve

    November 12, 2008 at 10:13 am

    Most of the Engineers I know.
    John Denver.
    Rick Steves.
    Bob Marley.

  29. 29.

    mellowjohn

    November 12, 2008 at 10:17 am

    former advertising executive and current special education teacher mellowjohn, b.s.ed., m.a.special ed

  30. 30.

    Dayv

    November 12, 2008 at 10:20 am

    I work in the lucrative field of burrito-tasting, and let me tell you, the drug testing policy is severe.  I keep having to smuggle in a pothead’s piss to replace my clean urine.

  31. 31.

    r€nato

    November 12, 2008 at 10:22 am

    Christ, I hope Obama ends the war on marijuana when he takes office. It is beyond fucking retarded.

    For what it’s worth, I used to know a guy who dealt weed to a significant number of important people in the city in which I live. I so wish I could name names. And these people weren’t buying quarter-ounce bags either; they bought a quarter-pound or more at a time.

    Of the good stuff, the chronic.

  32. 32.

    r€nato

    November 12, 2008 at 10:23 am

    Bill Maher.

    Woody Harrelson.

  33. 33.

    anangryoldbroad

    November 12, 2008 at 10:25 am

    Bill Maher. Practically every rock or blues musician ever. Every construction worker I’ve ever known has smoked pot,and I know alot of people in that business.

    I wish these morons were as concerned about confronting meth,that’s the shit that needs attention.

  34. 34.

    Joe Beese

    November 12, 2008 at 10:33 am

    The biggest pothead I know lights up upon waking at 5:00 AM before opening his independently-owned coffee house – which employs 20 to 25 people, a fair number of whom probably partake themselves.

    In the interest of honesty, let’s rename the "War on Drugs" the "War on Black People" and get it over with.

  35. 35.

    libarbarian

    November 12, 2008 at 10:33 am

    Additionally, I think America’s problems stem from the fact that we’re forced to look only at the pool of applicants for public office who DIDN’T party in high school.

    I certainly hope so.

    There is a time and a place for everything and it’s called College.

    Not High School, College.

    Joking aside, I’ve noticed a difference between those who started getting fucked up a lot in High School, who are now mostly all losers, and the people who largely waited until College to trip balls, who are mostly well adjusted people.

  36. 36.

    Evinfuilt

    November 12, 2008 at 10:34 am

    There would be no good Restaurants in America without a healthy supply of Pot Heads wanting to cook ridiculous hours in noisy, crowded, hot kitchens.

  37. 37.

    kindness

    November 12, 2008 at 10:35 am

    I’m in my 50’s. I’ve been smoking marijuana since I was 13. I have a post graduate degree and work in healthcare. I am now fully legal (CA carded) & honestly don’t use as much as I used to but still vaporize most days after work.

    The folks who want to scare you are bed wetters. When I was in High School (early/mid 70’s) I can tell you at lease 70 to 80% of my classmates had tried it at least once.

    Legalize it. Sell it & regulate it just like alcohol.

  38. 38.

    Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist

    November 12, 2008 at 10:36 am

    @Robin G.: in fairness, should we be distinguishing between pot-smoker and pothead?

    In fairness, yes. But a big part of the drug war approach, at least in the 20 years when I’ve been paying attention, is to conflate use with abuse, soft drugs with hard drugs, pot smokers with burglars / murderers, etc. It’s all about the hysteria.

  39. 39.

    Evinfuilt

    November 12, 2008 at 10:41 am

    @anangryoldbroad:

    I wish these morons were as concerned about confronting meth,that’s the shit that needs attention.

    But but… that’s the primary form of income in Wasilla, and we don’t want to ruin their economy.

    Meth, and Prescription drug abuse are bigger problems, in that they actually hurt the user.

    Still, I’d rather just legalize everything, but starting with letting the most harmless drug in the world seems rather smart. A good friend of mine is having trouble getting a hold of less potent stuff lately, if he could grow it himself, it would be much safer (not in harm, but in knowing how long he’ll be out of his mind), and more reliable in dosage.

  40. 40.

    mtraven

    November 12, 2008 at 10:45 am

    “If you don’t think drugs have done good things for us, then take all of your records, tapes and CDs and burn them. Cause you know what? The musicians that made all that great music that’s enhanced your lives throughout the years? Real fucking high on drugs. The Beatles were so fuckin’ high they let Ringo sing a few songs."
    — Bill Hicks

  41. 41.

    TheFountainHead

    November 12, 2008 at 10:47 am

    Here’s the only problem with pot, and it’s the same problem with Alcohol: It can be the catalyst for generally good people to make tremendously poor decisions.

    If you can control yourself, you’re okay. If not, you should stay the fuck away from the stuff.

  42. 42.

    Joel

    November 12, 2008 at 10:49 am

    Kill the ONDCP, boost NIDA.

  43. 43.

    ilsita

    November 12, 2008 at 10:51 am

    @TheFountainHead:

    That works for a lot of things, though, like food, for instance, and love.

  44. 44.

    Malron

    November 12, 2008 at 10:51 am

    I would like to point out that these are only the people that ADMIT to smoking pot. Most of us dare not tell for fear of losing our jobs.

  45. 45.

    Conservatively Liberal

    November 12, 2008 at 10:52 am

    When I was head of prototyping and electrical/hydraulic design at a large boat company, I was busted at home for growing weed. The plant manager fired me and then discovered that I had not committed a couple of designs for a new 27 foot dual big block model to paper. Oops. When my boss told him of the error, they tried to hire me just to complete the designs and I told them to get fucked.

    A week later, the company president called me and asked me to come to the plant. When I got there, he asked me what it would take to get me to come back. I explained that was not what I had been offered (which was to just finish the designs that were in the pipeline and that would be it), and I was pissed enough that I didn’t care at that point. He insisted on an answer so I told him that I couldn’t stand the plant manager and my old boss was really under my instruction at most times.

    I left and a few days later he called me and told me that I could lead the department, get a nice raise and he would ‘reassign’ the plant manager to something that would keep him out of my hair. I accepted and the plant manager became a security guard. :) He quit a few months later.

    Every single day I would go out to my car at break times and lunch so I could torch off a few. To try to make it a bit more of a hassle for me they made us clock out at every break, and I dutifully did so every single day. I was pulled into the presidents office and he wanted to know why I was smoking pot on my breaks.

    I told him that if I didn’t I would have told the people there to fuck off and walked out long ago. They left me alone after that. I stayed there for three more years, moving on when I got a great offer to head the service department at a major marine dealership, and the owner there knew I got stoned and didn’t care one iota. All he cared was that the work was done right and that was my specialty.

    Now I run my own computer business and I still get stoned every day, but now I have a medical certificate that allows me to. Of course, the seventeen operations I had to have on my arms, elbows, wrists and cervical fusions got me that certificate but now the cops can’t bother me.

    Yup, us hopheads just have no brains. Tell that to the thousands of boat owners who pilot models that I designed the electrical and hydraulic systems on, or the uncounted boats that I modified or overhauled. If I want to I could go right back to that work and my old bosses would hire me in a heartbeat.

    When you are good you are good. End of story.

  46. 46.

    Zifnab

    November 12, 2008 at 10:58 am

    @TheFountainHead:

    Here’s the only problem with pot, and it’s the same problem with Alcohol: It can be the catalyst for generally good people to make tremendously poor decisions.If you can control yourself, you’re okay. If not, you should stay the fuck away from the stuff.

    Ultimately, you’re absolutely right. There are people who don’t have the discipline to drink or smoke and who are very prone to falling into the drug trap.

    But its a question of risk versus reward. How many pot dealers do you want to throw in prison to reduce the probability that Sally Anne doesn’t pick up too many joints? How many students do you want to expel, how many scholarships do you want to revoke, how many lives do you want to mare with ugly criminal records over discouraging drug use? Is it really worth the amount of weight we throw at it? We spending billions a year kicking down people’s doors, tearing apart their cars, invading their businesses, and picking through their personal lives, all to keep them from over-indulging in a mild narcotic. It’s silly.

  47. 47.

    21st century conservative

    November 12, 2008 at 11:05 am

    A bit off topic but – Consistently wrong since 2002?

    You said you voted for Bush twice…

    I don’t get it.

  48. 48.

    JoeE

    November 12, 2008 at 11:05 am

    Oh, boo-hoo. They may be exaggerating things, but if you don’t think smoking pot can make it more difficult to find employment, I invite you to maintain a steady pot-smoking habit when you’re on the job market and see what happens to your resume when you fail drug-screening tests.

    We desperately need to legalize pot in this country. The amount of pot-smokers bitching about their rights on the Internet is reaching pandemic levels.

  49. 49.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    November 12, 2008 at 11:05 am

    I guess I’m on a different wavelength today. I read the title of this thread and thought, "Jesus! Who wouldn’t want a job a smoking dope?" Obviously, I should have been better focused when reading.

    Joe Biden? He does get that shit eating grin on his face quite a bit.

  50. 50.

    ilsita

    November 12, 2008 at 11:06 am

    @Zifnab:

    Totally.

    I just want to also mention the fact that we have a completely bullshit excuses for rehab/sobriety programs — jail or AA?

  51. 51.

    GSD

    November 12, 2008 at 11:07 am

    Gingrich might want to start smoking weed again. It might help him unclench his asscheeks.

    -GSD

  52. 52.

    The Other Steve

    November 12, 2008 at 11:09 am

    I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs, and I don’t drink.

    Life is way to interesting to try to numb it out.

  53. 53.

    Graeme

    November 12, 2008 at 11:14 am

    Who needs a job! I’m a self-employed pot head.

    Of course, I live in SF. You can smell reefer on every street corner out here.

  54. 54.

    Dave

    November 12, 2008 at 11:16 am

    Every jazz artist of note. Parker, Coltrane, Gordon, Davis, Cannonball Adderly, Wayne Shorter…Christ, I could be here all day typing names.

  55. 55.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    November 12, 2008 at 11:16 am

    Other famous pot smokers:

    Jeff Spicoli

    I’d think up more but I’m sooooooo waaaaasted at the moment and need to order nachos.

  56. 56.

    Graeme

    November 12, 2008 at 11:17 am

    @ JoeE: I’ve passed plenty of drug tests. The nice thing about non-addictive marijuana is that I can clean up for a month, take the test, and it’s no big deal.

    Of course, I mainly work in the financial industry. So many companies don’t even test. They don’t want to have to fire their top producing salesmen over a little cocaine in the system.

  57. 57.

    TheFountainHead

    November 12, 2008 at 11:19 am

    @Zifnab: I agree with you completely. I would love to see weed become the equivalent of alcohol, and I’m not even a user. I was merely pointing out that, with any mind-altering substance, it’s up to the user to determine whether or not it’s safe for them. Not the government.

  58. 58.

    21st century conservative

    November 12, 2008 at 11:19 am

    TheFountainHead… Here’s the only problem with pot, and it’s the same problem with Alcohol: It can be the catalyst for generally good people to make tremendously poor decisions.

    If you can control yourself, you’re okay. If not, you should stay the fuck away from the stuff.

    Look you fools, it’s a Gateway Drug! A gateway to libertinism, licentiousness and liberalism! We can’t have that. And it makes you lazy. If Ayn Rand had been a pothead, she never could have written those novels that Dorothy Parker said should not be tossed aside lightly, but thrown with great force!

  59. 59.

    Krista

    November 12, 2008 at 11:20 am

    And the thing that gets me is that there are tons of people out there who abuse prescription drugs. You could have someone out of their fucking gourd on a veritable Pfizer buffet, and yet there is absolutely no stigma. It only comes to bite them in the ass if they can no longer function, and even then, they tend to be looked upon with sympathy, not disdain.

    But someone who smokes a joint after work to unwind, or who would rather get baked than get drunk (no hangover!), is looked upon as worthless, lazy, etc., even if they are functional and productive members of society.

    I’m hoping that marijuana will become legalized and regulated like alcohol. I do believe that the idea is starting to gain ground, considering how many notable figures admit to having toked. And most people of my generation have either smoked weed, and/or don’t really give a sweet damn if other people have.

    But, as long as the police can do this large pot busts and send out a nice little "look at us and how great we are!" media release about it, the war on pot won’t end anytime soon. And in the meantime, goodness knows how much meth is being sold right under their stupid noses.

  60. 60.

    Conservatively Liberal

    November 12, 2008 at 11:21 am

    Life is way to interesting to try to numb it out.

    If someone is smoking pot to ‘numb’ out life, they are in for a big disappointment once they smoke themselves straight. Once you do that it is like smoking cigarettes. Really tasty cigarettes.

    Problem is if I am out of weed and smell a skunk, my lungs start watering.

    Hell, while I was in work release for my drug bust, I got stoned every single day. The judge in my case did not send me for drug counseling as the pre-sentence evaluator said I was ‘nominally addicted’.

    Yeah, that’s the ticket! :)

  61. 61.

    21st century conservative

    November 12, 2008 at 11:25 am

    And I should like to add that The Prohibition Party is still the oldest active third party in America.

    http://www.prohibition.org/

    As my old friend, Mr. Dooley (Finley Peter Dunne) used to say:

    "Politics ain’t beanbag: ’tis a man’s game, and women, children ‘n’ pro-hy-bitionists had best stay out of it."

  62. 62.

    jake 4 that 1

    November 12, 2008 at 11:27 am

    I thought non-burritocentric organizations like the U.S. military and various intelligence agencies were cutting pot use as an absolute bar to enlisting/employment.

  63. 63.

    telesilla

    November 12, 2008 at 11:29 am

    I don’t know about a lot of famous people, but when I was a teenager in Santa Barbara the ’70s, practically every adult I knew toked up now and then. And these people weren’t hippies; most of them were computer programmers that worked with my dad–who also indulged on occasion. But there were real estate agents, firemen, a couple of FM radio DJs, a writer, a couple of college professors and a lawyer or two, my mom the librarian….

    It was kind of like drinking; it was something the grownups did and no one made a big deal out of it. All of these people were contributing members of society so the whole "you’ll never get anywhere if you smoke teh ebil weed" thing has never made sense to me.

  64. 64.

    redbeardjim

    November 12, 2008 at 11:30 am

    And in the meantime, goodness knows how much meth is being sold right under their stupid noses.

    What? You mean having to go through a background check every time I want to buy some Sudafed hasn’t solved this hideous problem?!?

    UNPOSSIBLE!!!

  65. 65.

    charlotte

    November 12, 2008 at 11:33 am

    Zappa and most everyone I know or ever went to bed with.

    And, oh yeah, George W. Bush, baby.

  66. 66.

    YellowJournalism

    November 12, 2008 at 11:36 am

    My best friend from high school was a major pothead. She’s now a registered nurse.

    Hell, a good portion of my family have been or are potheads and have productive lives.

  67. 67.

    Dave

    November 12, 2008 at 11:36 am

    Also consider this; the effect that decriminalization/legalization/regulation of pot would have on the violence in Mexico right now. A lot of that is fueled by pot and the battles between the cartels to control its shipment into the US. Legalize it and that business withers up and dies.

  68. 68.

    MobiusKlein

    November 12, 2008 at 11:44 am

    The founders of MoveOn.org, Wes Boyd and Joan Blades.
    (Personal knowledge btw.) When MoveOn starts the legalization train, I’m hoping on.

    Here’s another bitch in the same vein – the War on Drugs imperils the War on Terror. All the effort at stopping the opium trade in Afghanistan is driving the populace away from a unified government. If that opium could be used to produce pain killers for poor countries instead, we might have a chance to make things work.

  69. 69.

    Josh Hueco

    November 12, 2008 at 11:55 am

    I will say that NyQuil and Benedryl mixed together give you a good buzz too, or at least relief from the sore throat and headache and ringing ears I’ve got this morning.

    Right now I’m watching La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc on my MacBook. I figure if I shotgun another bottle of NyQuil I’ll start having visions too. I’ll let you know what God/Jesus/Allah/Odin/FSM/Isaac Hayes have to say.

  70. 70.

    redbeardjim

    November 12, 2008 at 11:58 am

    Well hell Josh, last I checked NyQuil was 10% alcohol. That’s better than beer.

  71. 71.

    Atanarjuat

    November 12, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    Man, this topic always gets the "pry my bong from my cold, dead fingers" crowd agitated and furious. You twitching druggies never fail to knee-jerk on this issue.

    Look, dudes, like your Great Redistributionist might, um, get you all free dime bags along with those rainbow ponies he promised you.

    Yeah, keep on tokin’ (and hopefully not votin’), cuz the Man’s got you all oppressed and stuff.

    Feh.

    – Country First.

  72. 72.

    PattyP

    November 12, 2008 at 12:17 pm

    @Dennis:

    Thanks to the policies and practices of George W. Bush, there aren’t many jobs for carpenters, steelworkers, accountants, sales clerks, auto workers, real estate sales people, escrow agents…

    So you’re saying George Bush is a gateway president?
    ;-)

  73. 73.

    Blue Raven

    November 12, 2008 at 12:19 pm

    Based on research I’ve seen reported, our country was founded by potheads. Also, William Shakespeare. The smoking habit amongst Europeans did not start with the discovery of tobacco.

  74. 74.

    Comrade Darkness

    November 12, 2008 at 12:20 pm

    @Evinfuilt,

    I’ve never partaken myself (my brain is already full of scary-weird thoughts and I fear what would happen with some assistance) but can’t you cut the procured weed with something? Hemp, for example? Or some member of the mint family, maybe? Just asking out of curiosity here.

  75. 75.

    Tim Fuller

    November 12, 2008 at 12:20 pm

    I won’t take a job that prohibits my use.

    True story about when I first got to Mississippi 25 odd years ago:

    On an employment interview for a local retailer, I was asked about smoking pot. I told my future boss that I was like nearly every other twenty-something in the 1970’s and wasn’t going to lie to him about it for the sake of employment. His response: "Great, we don’t want to hire some uptight freak who’ll call the cops on the rest of us. Welcome aboard." In retrospect, I think the only reason he asked me is that I was extremely clean cut and looked like a geek or a narc depending on your perspective. To quote a line from Eddie Murphy….I may be a low life but I LOOK good.

    There are many many other stories I will share in my book. The bottom line is that I have smoked pot the greater part of my lifetime and am unrepentant about it. I started smoking pot in the military when it was a felony to even get busted with a seed, so paranoia was something I had to deal with (and get over) fairly early on.

    One of the saddest days in my life was when I heard about my friend, Peter McWilliams’ death from suffocation. He died choking on his own vomit when he was prohibited by the courts from using marijuana to treat the nausea from his AIDS medication. I’ve been ending all my posts on the internet for years now with ENJOY as a tribute to Peter, who did likewise in his correspondence with me back then. Folks around here have heard of him haven’t they?

    Enjoy.

  76. 76.

    Hob

    November 12, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    Dennis wins the thread. Sadly, the prize for winning the thread is being right.

    That sure is one of the dumbest clever ads I’ve seen in a long time. Their site asks for comments, so I posted one:

    "You really want comments? Okay. This is well-meaning and kind of funny, but really pointless. "Hey, not trying to be your mom" is just about the most mom-like thing you could’ve come up with. More to the point: if you take any young guy who smokes pot sometimes, I guarantee that he knows a few lazy stoners, and he also knows a bunch of totally functional people who smoke pot sometimes. Now he sees something like this ad, which pretends that only the first group exists. Why would he ever pay attention to another word you said? Might as well try to convince everyone to quit social drinking by showing pictures of half-dead alcoholics. They’ll just conclude that you don’t live on the same planet.

    Also: almost no one under the age of 40 will have any idea why this ad looks the way it does. Retro back-of-comic-book design plus "not trying to be your mom" = a kind of humor you probably didn’t intend."

  77. 77.

    Zifnab

    November 12, 2008 at 12:23 pm

    Shorter Atanarjuat:

    I have nothing to add except wet stinky verbal farts.

    ~ Patriotism, Bitches!

  78. 78.

    Blue Raven

    November 12, 2008 at 12:23 pm

    (bah, posting by mobile makes me look like I think the Bard founded America)

    Forgot to note that the Sears catalog had marijua candy pre-ban. How many kids ate that and went on to fame?

  79. 79.

    Screamin' Demon

    November 12, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    Zappa

    Frank Zappa didn’t smoke pot, or use drugs of any kind, and he had little tolerance for those who did. Read his autobiography. He said he smoked pot a few times, and all he got out of it was a sore throat.

  80. 80.

    kindness

    November 12, 2008 at 12:37 pm

    Hey "the other steve":

    If you drink coffee, tea or cola’s….you do drugs. If you eat chocolate….you are doing drugs. If you’ve ever eaten a cold medicine or headache pill…you’ve done drugs.

    The number of things that have psycoactive ingredients is too long to suggest you don’t do drugs. The truth is you DO do drugs, you just choose to do different drugs than many of us and you choose to lie about the fact that you do do drugs.

    That makes you a normal republican, that’s all.

  81. 81.

    Zifnab

    November 12, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    Also: almost no one under the age of 40 will have any idea why this ad looks the way it does. Retro back-of-comic-book design plus "not trying to be your mom" = a kind of humor you probably didn’t intend."

    Keep in mind the target audience. The guy who wrote this ad wasn’t trying to impress modern teenagers. He wasn’t trying to impress his kids. He wasn’t trying to impress the pothead community at large.

    He was trying to impress his boss. Makes sense that he’d communicate in a language a 50-something stuffed-shirt middle-management type would understand.

  82. 82.

    C Nelson Reilly

    November 12, 2008 at 12:40 pm

    As a self-employed individual for the last two decades, I decided on mandatory drug-testing for my employee (me). I came back positive and put myself on double secret probation. I’ll be the first to know if I get out of line.

  83. 83.

    jake 4 that 1

    November 12, 2008 at 12:47 pm

    Is it me or is there something ironic about bAdmin’s collection of incompetents telling anyone what will or will not affect their ability to get a job?

  84. 84.

    tigrismus

    November 12, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    @Zifnab

    You also get the best drugs that way, all for free!

    – Bluegrass First

  85. 85.

    LanceThruster

    November 12, 2008 at 1:08 pm

    Founder of "National Review", William F. Buckley.

  86. 86.

    C

    November 12, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    @TheFountainHead: It’s not "the catalyst" of bad decisions, over-use to the detriment of a productive life is *symptomatic* of people who make bad decisions.

    You’re confusing correlation with causation.

    And no, potheads are not exactly the same as alcoholics either.

  87. 87.

    Sarcastro

    November 12, 2008 at 1:11 pm

    "Hey, not trying to be your mom, but there aren’t many jobs out there for potheads"

    Hey asshole, my ole’ hippy mom smokes pot.

    And makes a shit-ton more lucre than I do. And I ain’t exactly hurting.

  88. 88.

    bago

    November 12, 2008 at 1:19 pm

    Or as I call it, the left coast.

  89. 89.

    Volum

    November 12, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    Here’s a few:

    Almost every painter, writer, filmmaker, actor, graphic artist, and musician EVER.
    .
    If you were to throw away all of the art and entertainment created by “pot heads” you’d be left with New Kids On The Block and The Chronicles of Narnia.
    .
    I work for a HUGE conglomerate which creates some of the biggest childrens cartoons on the planet (Dora the Explorer is one) and if we fired every pothead in this studio it’d be a freaking ghost town in here.

  90. 90.

    Interrobang

    November 12, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    This guy called Carl Sagan whom you may have heard of, perhaps, smoked an awful lot of dope back in the day.

    I haven’t had any in years, but that’s because of lack of supply. I’m steadily employed, and have started my own company and am an executive in another company. I don’t make a shitload of money, but I get my bills paid. A friend of mine from NYC mentions that you could hardly be in IT or the art department of any large NYC publication back in the ’90s and not be a total stoner. A lot of those folks no doubt are still working, and probably still toking, to boot.

  91. 91.

    Blue Raven

    November 12, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    @Interrobang:

    A friend of mine from NYC mentions that you could hardly be in IT or the art department of any large NYC publication back in the ‘90s and not be a total stoner.

    When I last worked at Apple Computer (at least seven years ago), they brought in a stand-up comedian to entertain us at a party. He was pretty good. Then he told a joke involving marijuana, and the entire room was stone-faced. I don’t remember the joke itself, but I do know that laughing would prove you’d smoked. Yes, the Valley runs on caffeine, THC, and venture capital, not necessarily in that order.

  92. 92.

    Echoes without Bunnies or Men

    November 12, 2008 at 2:26 pm

    Marijuana causes paranoia in chronic non-users.

  93. 93.

    Sarcastro

    November 12, 2008 at 2:41 pm

    If you were to throw away all of the art and entertainment created by “pot heads” you’d be left with New Kids On The Block and The Chronicles of Narnia.

    I don’t know man, what about that "Turkish Delight" the White Witch slangs to Edmund?

  94. 94.

    Echoes without Bunnies or Men

    November 12, 2008 at 2:47 pm

    Remember Gen McCafferty who had the Drug Czar job? When he resigned, he said something to the effect of , we accomplished what we set out to do and got some of the drugs off the streets, and I couldn’t believe he said that. In what fantasy world does he live in? Has he ever smoked a joint in his life? You don’t need some stiff general in that seat, you need a reformed addict who understands every drug out there.

    You can still get ANY drug you want in ANY town USA. I graduated high school in 1989, and in my posh, sparkling lily white suburbs I could get any drug I wanted, if not directly on campus, certainly within 30 minutes of the last bell for the day.

    So, drug warriors, tell me again of your amazing accomplishments?

  95. 95.

    DUDACKATTACK!!!

    November 12, 2008 at 2:56 pm

    Frank Zappa didn’t smoke pot, or use drugs of any kind, and he had little tolerance for those who did. Read his autobiography. He said he smoked pot a few times, and all he got out of it was a sore throat.

    True, but Zappa chain-smoked like a fiend, equating cigarettes to "food".
    Even as Zappa was dying from prostate cancer, he still smoked and believed that there was no connection between smoking and cancer.

    As much as I admire Frank Zappa for his music, some of his beliefs were just absolutely mind boggling.

  96. 96.

    RobW

    November 12, 2008 at 3:02 pm

    Yeah, when they say pothead I think the classic American movie pothead who is almost always unemployed or underemployed. Pot-smoker…that’s different, right?

    Of course, like every classic movie stereotype, it’s wrong. Every pothead (as in chronic, daily use) I’ve ever known, and I’ve been one myself, had a steady full time job for the very simple and obvious reason that pot costs money.

  97. 97.

    Hob

    November 12, 2008 at 3:02 pm

    @Zifnab: Yes, exactly – plus maybe a little bit of "I always wanted to do a retro comicbook ad parody, maybe this is a good excuse for one." Either way, not much thought or respect given to the supposed audience. I think the same is true of 99% of advertising in general.

    @Sarcastro: My mom can’t abide smoke of any kind. She just takes acid, which I can’t stand. So that works out well.

  98. 98.

    Geoduck

    November 12, 2008 at 3:25 pm

    You really want to cause your local right-winger’s stack to blow, point out that John Wayne (yes, the actor) once admitted to trying pot. He claimed it didn’t affect him.

  99. 99.

    r€nato

    November 12, 2008 at 3:37 pm

    Frankly I don’t think I trust any politician who didn’t smoke a little weed in college, even if they haven’t touched it since then.

    If they say they didn’t, either they are lying or they have a huge stick up their ass.

  100. 100.

    SnarkyShark

    November 12, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    Of course, like every classic movie stereotype, it’s wrong. Every pothead (as in chronic, daily use) I’ve ever known, and I’ve been one myself, had a steady full time job for the very simple and obvious reason that pot costs money.

    Yep, a quarter ounce of anything good around here is $120.00-$150.00.

    I know doctors, lawyers, bankers and plenty of other professionals who smoke it. They are good workers, good parents and good citizens.

    And then there are the drunks who none of those.

    But you don’t hear me being all self-righteous and demanding that I get to tell them what to do. Freedom means everyone is free to go to hell in their own way. Or get to heaven in their own way. Jesus wouldn’t have been Jesus with out the temptations in the desert.

    Its the Hippies vs the Squares all over again, which is why the whole world is waiting with great anticipation for all those Boomers who cant get past 1968 to die.

    This election proves that the process has begun.

  101. 101.

    Gus

    November 12, 2008 at 4:40 pm

    I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs, and I don’t drink.

    Life is way to interesting to try to numb it out.

    Used properly, drugs enhance rather than numb. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without psychedelics. Huge mind expander.

  102. 102.

    Comrade Tax Analyst

    November 12, 2008 at 4:54 pm

    I used to toke up pretty regularly, but around 10 or so years ago every time I did I found myself at varying degrees of disorientation. I quit after the 2am episode where it felt like there was an earthquake, but it was just my body shaking. The person who gave it to me told me it was "strong shit". Yes, it was. Jesus, it felt like there was a train running through me. I can tell you this was a state I did not enjoy. The positive part of this is that it leaves more for the people who can smoke it with little or no ill effect.

    I think everybody who wants to toke weed and still manage to maintain enough to take care of themselves and not harm others in the process ought to be free to do so.

  103. 103.

    Mike G

    November 12, 2008 at 5:23 pm

    Its the Hippies vs the Squares all over again, which is why the whole world is waiting with great anticipation for all those Boomers who cant get past 1968 to die.

    This election proves that the process has begun.

    I really hope this election will be the last one to obsess around what one or the other presidential candidate did during Vietnam.

    I’m sick to death fo the Boomer-dominated mainstream political media’s Prime Stupid over ‘served’/dodged-draft/National Guard/POW every four years. It means nothing to all of us under 40 who can’t even remember the Vietnam war. And to those can remember it, whatever it said or didn’t say about your candidate’s ‘character’ at the time is pretty much irrelevent after four decades.

  104. 104.

    Anne Elk (Miss)

    November 12, 2008 at 5:36 pm

    Every jazz artist of note. Parker, Coltrane, Gordon, Davis, Cannonball Adderly, Wayne Shorter…Christ, I could be here all day typing names.

    Louis Armstrong.

    "What a wonderful world" indeed.

  105. 105.

    Fashion Police

    November 12, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    I’d like to add my name to the list. Functioning pothead and ably employed for over a decade now.

  106. 106.

    Objective Scrutator

    November 12, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    Pot smoking is the pinnacle of misanthropy. Bill Bennett was correct when he said, "We should behead the [CURSE WORD REMOVED] drug dealers." Quite frankly, he has a point, since nearly no pot smoker or pothead has contributed anything to society, other than gang wars and Kriss Kross.

    Oddly enough, it was the liberal judges of the court that dissented from the majority opinion that California should be allowed to have medical marijuana. I guess that this is the first time I’ve ever agreed with a liberal.

    I’m surprised that no one’s listed America hating JFK as a pothead. He smoked it in a vain attempt to cure his back pain, and went against the will of God:

    "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up." (James 5:14-15)

    Clearly, those that smoke pot are not only contributing to a bad economy and gangster crime, they are also blasphemers. To Joe Biden’s eternal credit, though, he created the Drug Czar position in our great federal government. Let’s hope that he doesn’t allow Hussein Osama to lesson the influence of the position.

  107. 107.

    Tsulagi

    November 12, 2008 at 6:55 pm

    Clearly, those that smoke pot … are also blasphemers.

    Are you sure? I dunno, every time I’ve been in a church (admittedly not as much as some) in every depiction or painting of Jesus he looks like a long-haired hippie. Damn near tie-dyed. Wearing what could be described as hand-made Birk footwear. We know what all that means.

    Have any Christian sects conclusively proven Jesus didn’t toke a little? I think not. In fact, the Bible itself points a bit to the contrary…

    The Lord said unto me, ‘I will take my rest and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs. — Isaiah 18:4-5

    And…

    And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. — Ezekiel 34:29

    And don’t even get started about Book of Revelation visions in the Bible not being aided by a few herbs. Notice also Jesus is conspicuously absent in the Bible from the time of his birth until well past his teens. Dude could have been out binging.

    Why do you hate Jesus?

  108. 108.

    rufustfyrfly

    November 12, 2008 at 6:58 pm

    @robertdsc:

    Does pretty much anyone in the rap industry count?

    I’d change that to "pretty much everyone in the music industry."

    Or, perhaps, "every musician you’ve ever enjoyed."

  109. 109.

    Norsecats

    November 12, 2008 at 8:31 pm

    I suspect Objective Scrutator is a parody troll.

    Tried pot at 17. Loved it. Smoked it semi-regularly since then; I am now 37. Usage has dropped off a lot since I have kids, and my wife doesn’t smoke it, but I still spark one up on occasion. I don’t feel that it’s negatively affected my life at all, and it’s led to some very pleasant and fun good times.

    Much prefer getting stoned to getting drunk. I am much more functional stoned, and just feel sluggish and stupid when drunk. Many friends and co-workers are occasional tokers. I work in IT, and while I never smoke on the job, I’ve worked with people who do. Never been a problem.

    I’ve never been tempted to try anything stronger and you’d think, after twenty years of smoking marijuana, it would have happened. The only thing it’s ever been a gateway to, for me, is a lot of take-out food.

  110. 110.

    fliegr

    November 12, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    College: the occasional bong rip.

    Job: Navy type fighter pilot with over 100 nighttime landings on little tiny aircraft carriers, then flying your soft pink bodies around the country. No more rips, but early usage certainly didn’t destroy my eye/hand or motivation. Did I lie to get in? I’ll plead Bart Simpson on that.

    Cole: Love this blog, but an ex-Army dude with a CAT?! WTF?

  111. 111.

    Jess

    November 13, 2008 at 12:45 am

    In my 20s, I was pretty much the only one in my set who DIDN’T smoke pot (major paranoia and depression whenever I tried it), and it took me forever to find a steady job. Must have seemed too uptight for all the stoner business managers…

  112. 112.

    Tim Fuller

    November 13, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    I suspect Objective Scrutator is a parody troll

    or on the government dole, paid for every dopey anti-dope comment he posts…

    Tsulagi: Let’s corner the market on FREE THE WEED t-shirts "because the Bible tells me so"…

    Enjoy.

  113. 113.

    lovethebomb

    November 13, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    Ja Mon. Mebe tokin da spliff yah.

    Also, if you have to take drug tests – check out legal herbal bud alternatives. International oddities dot com. Try the Krypto Bud first. It be smokin. NO paranoia. Totally legal.

  114. 114.

    Nuj

    November 23, 2008 at 8:52 pm

    I was blazing a joint every 2 hours when I was working for the government… Seemed to be okay though, I just had to change blazing spots every now and then so I wouldn’t get caught ;)

  115. 115.

    Atlas Shrugged

    September 16, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    @TheFountainHead:
    brilliant title and well thought out response. i agree completely but also note that most users feel that they are better off high than not. they use as a crutch, and that only inhibits their full potential. if you cannot function at full capacity without a puff or shot, then your not ever going to reach full potential. it is a means to ignoring an inability that one would rather feed into then work on. potheads are not a whole group of persons, but rather individuals taking a chance with their bodies. if they need to get a high in order to function, then that is a problem. the people listed above are not all currently using. reality still stands as the highest medium of all, to overcome fear, self medicating behaviors, addiction, and any other ‘reason’ to attribute a need to use something in place of hard work on ones self- then you have not done great things truly. to first become successful one must have the tools handy, the skills earned, and the talents developed to make a great contribution. to fall back on the idea that you are most creative/ best when high, is a failure of working on your self.

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