Al Martinez: Do we need one more drug to shield us from reality? — L.A. Daily News
I predict that by the end of the year the sale of marijuana will become so common in L.A. that Mom will be able to say, “Timmy, run down to Vons and get me a quart of milk, a loaf of sourdough bread, a pound of tomatoes and two ounces of pot.” […]
Kids who don’t already have the habit will pick it up from their friends and parents and before you know it every third person in L.A. will be wearing a dim smile and calling everyone Dude; beggars will carry signs that say “Will work for Weed.”
Ah, yes, the fantasy that liberalization of pot will somehow require everyone to spend their lives completely stoned, wearing a “dim smile and calling everyone Dude.”
At least Martinez is honest about his prejudices.
Marijuana has never been my drug of choice even though the very air reeked of burning hemp during the 1960s when I was covering the student uprisings in Berkeley. You could get stoned by just breathing. I was a martini man then and I’m a martini man now and I rarely smile, dimly or otherwise, and I call no one Dude. […]
I don’t believe you necessarily go from one or two hits to becoming a serial killer. But I do wonder if our culture, already a little screwy, needs one more drug to shield it from the realities of the world we should be moving to face head-on before it’s too late. To cure or relieve pain, sure. But where there’s money to be made, I can’t help but believe that the whole humanitarian process is going to be ridden like a drunken horse over the wishes of the people and we’ll all go to hell smiling dimly and calling everyone Dude.
Translation: I have my own extremely limited view of potheads that has little connection to reality. I also already have my own drug of choice that doesn’t really make me happy, and I’m sure as hell not interested in letting anyone else have a good time.
It’s sad, really. Fear of smiling, fear of something out there that his martini doesn’t understand, fear of using the word “Dude.”
Apparently, he finds the prospect so terrifying he considers it well worthwhile to kill people to prevent it.
I find it notably curious that he thinks the humanitarian process is going to trample the wishes of “the people”, as if it wasn’t the highly popular result of a statewide referendum. Did it just sound to petty to complain that the humanitarian process was trampling his wishes.
mr. Martinez’ piece is a perfect example of that which many of us have long pointed out – this is a culture war, based solely on bigotry. From those roots this prohibition was born and it’s fruit bears the same stink.
… as exhibited by this uptight, intellectually flaccid prick’s opinion.
I’ve seen the “adding another drug” argument so many times. They act as if it doesn’t exist now. The only difference would be that it would be used publicly instead of more privately as it is now.
“Do we need one more drug to shield us from reality?”
Frankly: Yes.
My first impression on reading that piece of garbage was that it just had to be a troll. I googled Martinez and now I’m not so sure.
Could a person really get that fucked-up?
Where do all of these prohibitionists of the apocolypse come from? Always talking about the world going to hell and such. Crackpots, all of em.
“I rarely smile, dimly or otherwise”
DUDE! I feel so sorry for you! How miserable your life must be!
I think we have nailed the crux of the opposition, it isn’t that they are against drugs, just drugs that make you happy.
It must really suck to be one of these people.
as long as the stereotypes remain virtually unchallenged, we can expect (and frankly, deserve) more of the same.
yo NORML — 40 years of effort on your part, and this is where we are?
What an utter twit!
Well at lest we don’t run about saying “Ni” to defenseless old women. What times are these?
Yeah…and the prohibitionists’ ‘science’ is about as useful as ‘Sir Bedevere’ and his scale. Hardly a ‘fair toss’.
This just goes to show the control-freak prohibs of today are no different from their alcohol-phobic forebears.
‘Killjoys’ doesn’t describe them forcefully enough.
Dude…what a dick.
Why, I for one agree with this civilized martini sipping bloke!
All the deaths and violence that have occurred are for the greater good. The greater good that will make sure less people use the word Dude, or for that matter, make sure that less and less people smile, dimly or otherwise.
I think the latter goal is coming along pretty well.