Our Backwards Society

Nigella Lawson. Does that name ring a bell with anyone? I have to be honest, until this morning I had no idea who she was either. Never heard the name before. This morning however I read the name on the @Todayshow twitter timeline. They did a report on her because apparently she was banned from flying from London to the US by the Department of Homeland Security. Why did this happen? Was it because she posed a threat to the country? Was she some sort of security risk? Was she accused or convicted of some heinous crime? Actually, none of the above are true. So what did she do wrong that would be a justifiable reason to keep her from being allowed into our country? She admitted in the past to using marijuana and cocaine.

There are probably a hundred or more reasons why this should not even have been possible. Is this happening because someone who has the power to make this restriction possible does not like her? Is it because there is some other rule or law that we, the people are not aware of? How could someone who simply admits to smoking marijuana in the past even be considered dangerous when we have multiple states in the country who allow it both medically and recreationally? It should be obvious to many people within our land that we have various interpretations of what our laws mean and who or what they protect.

There are a lot of things in this world that are wrong with how we live and who we listen to. In many ways the information that we have is tainted. This is true in a very large variety of industries, but I will start with the medical industry because it covers a variety of topics itself. Take for instance e the way that we as a society look at marijuana. Here is something that we have for many years treated as a very dangerous drug when in actuality it is not that dangerous at all. By comparison, caffeine is almost as bad for you as marijuana yet one is considered illegal.

As a matter of fact, let's take a look at the caffeine situation as I call it. I have been perplexed by this for some time now and here is why. We advertise caffeine as a "pick me up". As something that can get you "going" when you are tired or worn out or just otherwise need a boost of some kind. This same methodology has been used for the energy drinks that have hit the market over the last few years as well. When the energy drinks first came onto the scene people were a bit unsure what to make of them. Over the years they have been accepted and the market has even grown tremendously. What do we owe this growth to?

Cocaine was, as most of you should know, legal for some time and even included in soft drinks. Pharmacies sold it and doctors prescribed it commonly. It was used by a great number of people. Then when the government stepped in and decided to make it illegal that all changed. I guess rightfully so. I mean cocaine is a very dangerous drug right? People can and have died from using and basically abusing the drug. So, our government doing what they do best stepped in and said essentially that for the good of the people this drug will no longer be used medically and is illegal in every sense of the word.

So that brings us back to caffeine. Look at the similarities between the two. I wont go through the long list because I'm sure you can use your imagination and figure out how these two drugs are similar. But I will say that they are both stimulants and they both give you a "boost". Now we use caffeine every day. We get a dose of it in our coffee, in certain other drinks, and even in medicine. Bayer aspirin (among others) have amounts of caffeine mixed in with the other active ingredients in their drugs. Ok so where is the problem? The problem in my mind is how we push or advertise the drug and how it then is looked at in our perceptions. 

We advertise caffeine as something to give you a boost. We are basically saying in not so many words that if you want a chemical or artificial pick me up because you are too tired to face the day then drink some coffee. If you need to get up and moving quicker take an energy shot. Give yourself a dose of an artificial stimulant in order to get the desired effect that you are looking for. This is in my mind pretty damn close to how people looked at cocaine in the past and still do. As a way to get a "boost". Now of course the recreational use of the drug is seen differently. I get that. But where is the difference in the marketing of caffeine or other energy inducing drugs that are legal and cocaine? See this is the gray area in our society that we all neglect to face. 

I took a huge detour from the original topic of conversation in this essay. Nigella Lawson and her issues getting into the US. Our views on drugs in this country are so skewed that it is almost laughable. As a matter of fact I am pretty sure most other countries do laugh at us for the way we view most drugs, marijuana especially. This is a drug that is now finally getting some long overdue respect among not just the medical community but in society as well. Most people you know have probably tried it and if they have they might even still be regular smokers. Of course there are a great many scenarios in which smoking marijuana is not advisable. Take trying to find a job for instance. How does smoking a joint in the privacy of your own home get to be a determining factor in whether or not you should be able to hold a job? This makes no sense yet employers continue to fire people for marijuana use. 

There are a lot of things that we need to deal with in our country and I'm sure least of which is any of the topics in this essay. At least that is moist likely the opinion of those opposed to marijuana use. Either way it is something that we need to continue to fight for because there are people who could benefit greatly from its use and the there are those who just want to wind down after a long day. The reasons are many and they are not for me to judge. Point is, it should not be illegal and the day that it becomes legal throughout the country is the day we will have taken a great step forward as a society.