Ok, I just have to ask...

Really?

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/02/05/ke ... index.html



Seriously? I've never been a dope smoker. Just not my thing, but I've certainly been around my fair share of them. PARTICULARLY in the UK. heh.

Phelps is an amazing athlete. This whole thing just seems like such an overreaction on the scale of Janet's nipple to me. Particularly when you know that most of the people that are probably screaming the loudest have had a joint in their mouth at SOME point in their life.

Am I that different from the rest of America on this topic? What are your thoughts?

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My thoughts since this happened were that the dude got a fuck ton of gold medals, he was not competing when the picture was taken, give him a fucking break. He should have come out and said, "So the fuck what?"

Now this is just stupid. Oh noes, the little kiddies will smoke pot now! Really, if you do everything your 'hero' does you are no longer using him an inspiration, you are being a stupid sheep. And parents have the responsibility to take care of that. But no, the lesson has to be taught by reprimanding him.

I have to say though, what idiot allows themselves smoking off a bong? Especially if you are someone like Phelps. I have to blame him here a bit too, not for smoking, I've done it myself, and most of my friends do, but for being so foolish.

You know, it just goes to show that smoking pot doesn't make you an automatic loser. This guy is one of the greatest Olympians of all time, and he's toking. You know why there's a huge fallout? Because all the assholes who insist that this particular drug is some monstrous evil look like schmucks whenever a successful person is discovered to have used it.

And I'm not even remotely a pothead. Tried it once about 7 years ago and haven't been interested since.

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Heh, even better? A South Carolina sheriff is investigating to see if Phelps smoked in his county. If he did...he's going to charge him.

USA Swimming admits he didn't violate a rule, yet they still suspend him? Pretty bogus.

(But, yeah, Phelps was pretty dumb for letting people take pictures of him while doing it.)

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I would have liked it much better if Phelps hadn't apologized.

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Smoking pot impairs your judgment.

I guess puritanical America really doesn't like sex/drugs in their athletics. That would explain the reaction to Janet Jackson's nipple and Michelle Phelps bong both being comparably over-reacted to.

lol I meant Michael Phelps

Me too, but I guess he saw he had a lot to lose if he didn't. Sucks he still did.

Actually he didn't, at least on the Kellogg's sponsorship. They didn't renew the Olympic team one, they probably weren't going to renew his anyway. This just allows them some free 'high horse' publicity. Fortunately some articles were essentially pointing that out and calling bullshit, albet subtly.

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Boy doesn't do things by halves, looks like a fairly hardcore bong to me.

Is it really that more prevalent here Rugen? I assumed that usage in the US was fairly similar.

What pisses me off the most about the whole dope debate is that they won't use it for medical purposes but morphine and cocaine derivatives are fair game. When MS sufferers the world over say it's the best thing for their pain, I find it almost barbaric that they are denied that relief. I've yet to hear a compelling argument on why that's the case.

One of my bitches is that I have a heavy vicodin prescription, and with my medical problem I can walk into the ER and get morphine...well pretty much to the max. level they can give you (though fortunately I've only ever needed that much 2x).

And yet because of the federal govt I can't use medicinal marijuana

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I really don't see the big deal, myself. Pot is on the same level as booze, IMHO. I don't really use either, and you shouldn't go to work or drive a car under the influence of either. Beyond that, if you can pay your bills on time and you aren't abusing your family or making a nuisance in public, it isn't anyone else's business.

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Hope is the new black.

holy shit a 23 year old turns out to be a college kid

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A swimmer smoking pot? omgz!

Seriously do any of you know of a swim team that isn't full of partiers?

Dude's a SWIMMER who made $10 million in one year. I'm sure he's not too terribly broken up about a 3 month vacat...er... ban.

But yea, the whole thing is stupid.

I don't know, I think this is the media just overblowing things because it's something to sell newspapers and raise page hits. Everyone around me, and apparently everyone here, just doesn't give a shit.

It's pretty typical of our society. We love to crucify people who get caught doing things, even when we know it's not that bad and even when we know that we're doing the same thing in secret.

I have to say, in the last year here, I have met more people over 25-30 who straight up admit to current usage and/or just blatantly use in a relatively public way, than I ever saw in the states. Most people I know in the states will readily admit that they used it in college, but do not currently (or do not advertise their current usage).

Like I said, I don't actually care myself. It just surprised me how open people are about it here. Perhaps it is just a perception thing related to the level of law crackdown on the drug in question in the two countries.

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Just blown out of the water because he is a star.

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I think the best comment I heard was from Conan O'brien. The gist was that whoever gave Phelps the bong should have known better than to give it to a man with "lungs the size of a dolphin".

If Phelps was a regular smoker while growing up and during training he wouldn't be an olympic athlete. He has incredible lungs and they would still be impressive but not as impressive if he was regularly inhaling smoke into them. He should be able to put whatever he wants into his body (anyone should) but he should have been smart enough to not smoke pot around a bunch of people he didn't know when everyone has a camera phone these days.

The reason people get so up in arms when a well known successful person is caught doing drugs is because it proves that they don't automatically ruin your life if you do use them. Personally I find the whole war on drugs situation to be ironic. How much of their funding comes from taxes garnered from companies that produce alcohol(ethanol), tobacco(nicotine), caffeine or any other of the numerous 'mind altering substances' that people are able to legally pump themselves full of until they pop.

It is about time we get past this prohibition nonsense and I think Obama is moving in the right direction on that http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/05/dea-led-by-bush-continues-pot-raids/ even though it isn't his highest priority right now.

And if you are wondering I have never smoked pot or used any other illegal drugs.