You hear this a lot when you say you believe marijuana should be legalized.
Just a bunch of lazy potheads that want to get stoned and not get in trouble. That’s how the whole country would be if we legalized it.
I’m not going to attack all the horribly wrong and misinformed parts of that statement, but I do want to talk about the weird stereotype, and how it has a negative impact on the movement as a whole.
As with every topic in life, a few bad apples spoil the something or other. I’ll share a couple of my ideas on how we can solve some of the perception problems on our end.
We Only See Pictures of The losers
Well, this has a topic of discussion all by itself. What makes a “loser” in the visual sense? Does he look goofy, with his hair frazzled and tongue sticking out?
My point is, you can’t judge a person by their look anymore. Really, you shouldn’t have been able to do so for some time now, but I’m a kid of recent years and I take no responsibility for the sins of my father. Too many times have we seen “punk kids” run companies to record breaking success and become, and maintain, status as leaders of thought.
So I agree that the goofy kid you see at Hempfest, wearing little more than shorts and the dreads that God gave him might not fit into the crowd you hang with; and that’s cool. But he just might be the next innovator of our time. So let his actions/words speak, not his nipple rings (seriously though, doesn’t that hurt?).
Solution:
I’m an old spirit, and carry a lot of old-fashioned views myself. If you want to make headway in fighting for the legalization of marijuana (or any area requiring that you propose an idea to others), try to carry yourself with regard and respect for others. If you see me when I’m not on the clock, you would think I just left prison. At family events, I clean up a bit. At work, I’m shaven and pressed.
If you are going to put yourself in front of someone arguing the legalization of marijuana, don’t give them another reason to fight, there are plenty of those already.
The Stoners on T.V. Can’t Even Hold a Conversation
Unfortunately, this one I agree with. There are tons of videos on YouTube containing the opinions and facts shared by very respectable people. Completely coherent and relevant conversations taking place with people that really know their stuff, and show it. Which ones are sent to my inbox? The ones with a guy so lit up he can barely answer a question posed.
This is compounded when an interviewer realizes the state of mind of the interviewee, and pounces on an unsuspecting pothead who believed he was going to spread the truth and end this fight once and for all.
You have to remember that you are playing in their arena, and for so long as marijuana is illegal it is their game. It wouldn’t be difficult to find videos of completely clean and sober people who can’t hold it together to speak their mind coherently, but that’s not what makes the cut. The media loves to prove their point, and if they can really hit it home by demeaning someone else, they will do so.
Solution:
Put the bong away for a bit before you go on T.V. We are fighting for the legalization of marijuana as used by responsible adults, are we not? Would you go onto an interview drunk? I hope not. Present yourself while your mind is sound and ready to ward off the teeth of some news anchor looking to make a name for himself.
Look At All the Criminals In Jail
They are taxing our society both morally and financially. This statement, in a black and white sense, is 100% true. All those potheads in jail are killing our personal piggy banks and when they come out, they are no better than they were when they went in. You know why?
Because they weren’t “bad” when they went to jail in the first place.
People are going to jail in record numbers because of minor “offenses.” In our society, jail is synonymous with “bad guy.” Well, wouldn’t it make sense to make a virtually harmless drug legal so those people aren’t going to jail; costing you and me a ton of money, and actually producing criminals from otherwise law-abiding citizens? I think so.
Solution:
No easy way around this one. Gonna have to play things safe. It starts with you. Keep quiet about your recreation until it’s time to speak. Don’t share the location of your crop until you can sell it via the Internet. All in all, don’t go to jail.
I know this is a hard one but we seem to live in a world of mediums right now. Some of us are going to jail, some of us are speaking and protesting and some of us sit lazily watching reruns of ‘Threes a Company.’ Instead, we should live in a world of extremes (not physically, vocally).
Let’s be mindful that what we are doing is still illegal, and try not to brag about our farm to that pretty girl (who always seems to be the daughter of a DEA agent). And when it’s time to vote or make our voice heard, let’s make sure they hear it in China.
All The Potheads I Know Don’t Amount To Anything
With the number of people who use marijuana, it’s not hard to find a group of people that smoke pot, and are relatively unsuccessful. You can say the same thing about Honda Civic owners. All the Honda Civic owners I know don’t make a lot of money. What about, hair? All the people I know with hair on their heads are lower-class. See where I’m going with this?
This is more of a social discussion and relies heavily on your environment. What if you asked the same questions of someone who often consorts with upper class people. They would say “all the people I know with hair on their heads are wealthy.”
There are simply too many people that smoke marijuana to lump them into a single group.
Solution:
Be successful. Well, that’s not really fair. I don’t really have a solution that you can use on a personal level, but use the argument above as a base for conversation. If that doesn’t work, send your opposer to this list of 10 Successful Potheads.
They will likely say “well those people are the exception to the rule.” There’s isn’t much you can do to combat ignorance. You can either attempt to explain that a large group of people use marijuana and there are going to naturally be social divides, or you can tell them to wait until it’s illegal and they find that all their “successful” friends have been toking up all along.
Anyway, these are my 14 cents (inflation). My boss is looking at me real funny like, so I have to get to work now.
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Josh is a pro-legalization enthusiasts. Though he claims not to smoke marijuana, he states that "it's a personal decision with many of the same reasons that I don't drink. Hardly a reason it should be illegal." 
Your article makes some interesting points, however, the flashing pictures of the naked lady only covered by cannabis, supplied by your advertisers, belie your message, and seem to cater to the very “pothead” image you criticize.
“It’s a personal decision with many of the same reasons that I don’t drink” Cannabis AKA Marijuana actually does the opposite of alcohol, When you are drunk you are unaware of your surroundings, And can be automatically ignorant, Under the influence of cannabis, You actually notice your surroundings more, You become very observant and able to enjoy all arts, Being psychoactive is very beneficial. I agree with you when you say you want it legalized, But that clearly isn’t going to happen because the billionaires who run the companies that would Die quite instantly after the outbreak of Cannabis’s benefits want to remain billionaires, With their billions they spread ed false information to cannabis which over all started the brainwash which is still going on today. It was even against the law to not grow hemp during the 17th and 18th century and from 1763 to 1769 in Virginia you would be arrested for refusing to grow hemp. Ever since our consumerism started we started brainwashing, Reefer madness a movie written in the 1930’s was intended towards the most naive to believe such things as “A violent narcotic” “Incurable insanity” and “Under the influence of this drug he killed his entire family with an ax” This movie ended with the words “tell your children” instead of the standard “the end” And I’m sure that they did tell their children. Man, Who cares how you hold yourself, Cannabis users know the truth, Which is the positive of cannabis and not the negative we have been told. Liquor and Alcohol companies support a Drug-Free America and fund them more then $1,000,000 a day, This is where those horrid commercials come from. Sure it is our war, we will continue to fight it, and they will stay greedy and selfish, Cannabis is illegal for their personal benefits.
@anomalon and Joshua,
Thank you both for your comments. They are always appreciated.
@anomalon,
I hope by “criticize” you mean the definition of the word and not necessarily the negative connotations associated with it; because then you are correct. In fact, the blog as a whole is meant to cater to the “potheads.” This is because the potheads are the people I want to talk to. They are the same people that I live with and love. The people that I am surrounded by, and the people that I feel get the lesser end of most sticks due to misconceptions. So, yeah, I cater to them.
@Joshua,
I’m not sure what you are trying to say with your mini article. But the fact that it starts with my personal decision leads me to believe that you have perhaps misunderstood the reasons I don’t smoke. Actually, they are very similar to the reasons that I don’t drink. None of those reasons are due directly to the mind altering effects, as much as they are due to the point I am in my life right now.
I recently started a business and still work full time. This takes up a large chunk of my time. What little time I have left I spend with my son and new born daughter. I don’t have the time to smoke or drink and actually enjoy either of those things, so it would seem like a waste of money at this point.
Let it be known that I absolutely love getting high. The end of my statement that you left out is “Hardly a reason it should be illegal.” This is a stab at the people that don’t smoke, and feel that their personal decision should dictate the freedom of others.
I hope that I’ve cleared my stance a bit more.
@Josh, Congratulations on your newborn daughter, I understand your situation and it makes perfect sense, Cannabis is priced like a drug itself in the US, 400+ an ounce, when in Jamaica, 400 dollars could get you mass amounts of it so I understand why you choose to support you family instead of Cannabis use which also makes perfect sense. Cannabis should be free to all, Because our brains actually have receptors for the plant, awaiting THC arrival proving this plant is for human intake. I wish you good luck with your family, and keep up the good writing.
@Joshua,
Thank you very much for your kind words. When I do finally partake, I will puff one just for you.