Pubdate: Thu, 5 Feb 2009
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2009 The Detroit News
Contact:  http://detnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Authors: Jason Flom and Anthony Papa
Note: Jason Flom is president of Lava Records, and Anthony Papa is 
communications specialist of the Drug Policy Alliance in New York.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Michael+Phelps
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Marijuana - Popular)

HEROES LIKE PHELPS ARE HEROES TOO

Thousands of stories across the country have captured the plight of 
Michael Phelps and his recent bong incident. Phelps has apologized 
for his youthful indiscretion. It seems that his apology was accepted 
by most Americans, including the corporate sponsors that gave Phelps 
lucrative contracts for his endorsements.

Only one spoiler is making noise. Sheriff Leon Lott of Richland 
County, S.C., has said he will charge Phelps with a crime if he 
determines he smoked marijuana. Possession of marijuana in South 
Carolina is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $570 fine.

Coincidently the Phelps story broke the same day that Santonio Holmes 
became most valuable player of Super Bowl XLII. Phelps and Holmes 
both felt the thrill of victory in sports. They've also had to 
address their drug use in the press.

It seems like heroics are not enough to cancel out the governments 
zero-tolerance policy on recreational drug use.

Maybe both of these athletes should have known better. But even our 
greatest sports heroes are human beings who make mistakes. Like 
Phelps and Holmes, millions of Americans use marijuana, either 
recreationally or medically.

Let's be honest. Olympic gold medals and bong hits don't mix well 
with mainstream America.

Phelps should know this. But maybe because he is a normal 23 
year-old, he forgot. Both Phelps and Holmes remind us that even 
heroes can make poor choices that cause them to run afoul of the law.

Holmes has come a long way since his arrest in 2008 for the 
possession of a small amount of marijuana. Holmes received a one-game 
suspension and was allowed to continue the season without further 
punitive action. He overcame this mid-season stumble and recovered to 
be the hero of the Steelers' record sixth Super Bowl title. Holmes 
received a second chance to make amends for his mistake.

But when you're dealing with a government that is hell-bent on 
continuing an unwinnable war on drugs, it has little regard for mistakes.

Take the case of Mitchell Lawrence, an 18-year-old Massachusetts 
teen, who was sentenced in 2006 to two years in prison for possession 
of a single marijuana joint. Lawrence received this rather severe 
punishment at the hands of an over-zealous prosecutor that had little 
regard for the teenager's youthful indiscretions. His life is forever 
ruined by the stigma of the arrest.Drug use is considered a moral failing.

This is wrong. Many people struggle with addiction, and it should be 
addressed in a medical context, not a criminal, punitive one.

And for every person who struggles with drugs and drug addiction, 
there are millions of others who use drugs recreationally, and 
responsibly. Phelps and Holmes are two high-profile examples of 
people who use drugs recreationally and suffer no adverse effects -- 
other than exposing themselves to criminal sanctions due to drug 
prohibition. Recreational drug use should not be used to demonize individuals.

One thing is for certain: Michael Phelps is still a hero to America, 
and his career should not go up in smoke because of a single mistake. 
Santonio Holmes' Super Bowl heroics are a testament to this.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake