Henry Rollins Doesn't Smoke Marijuana. But He Has No Problem With It

By Henry Rollins Thu., Jan. 3 2013 at 3:30 AM

[Look for your weekly fix from the one and only Henry Rollins right here on West Coast Sound every Thursday, and come back tomorrow for the awesomely annotated playlist for his Saturday KCRW broadcast.]

If the spread of marriage equality wasn't enough good news for you, recreational use of marijuana by those 21 and older now is legal in the states of Washington and Colorado. So far, they seem to be surviving quite well. Perhaps these two beautiful states have concluded that the war on drugs is, for the most part, a racket, and they want to be on the right side of history as this new century rolls out.

Many of us don't think of marijuana and its psychoactive ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (aka THC), as anything particularly dangerous, at least not more harmful than having too much to drink. The Drug Enforcement Administration sees things quite differently, however.

The DEA, started in 1973 by everyone's favorite, Richard Nixon, has five "schedules" of classification for certain drugs. The higher the number, the less the potential for abuse. Schedule I substances include heroin, LSD, ecstasy and marijuana. That might not mean much to you, but when you drop down to Schedule II, it gets a little harder to wrap your head around, as, amazingly, that's where you find cocaine, meth and oxycodone! By the time you get to Schedule V, it's Robitussin AC and Lyrica. Looks like the DEA has some hatred for the weed.

The DEA answers to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Washington and Colorado's legalization of recreational marijuana use is in opposition to federal law. At the time of this writing, Holder had not weighed in and former DEA heads were urging him to come down on this pronto. This makes for a fascinating bit of state-versus-federal friction.

I don't think the two states can hold up the 10th Amendment to protect them. Holder can't stay quiet on this forever. I can't see his boss, the president, being cool about legalizing marijuana in any state.

It could get very complicated when you consider that jails might have to release convicts who would be innocent retroactively.

But for now, Washington and Colorado potentially can look forward to millions in revenue, and pizza places will be hiring. The gun stores will see sales jump as nervous citizens arm themselves to the teeth in anticipation of placid zombie stoners sitting around, not getting anything done (like Congress), or walking the streets like hordes of Lebowski acolytes ... abiding, man.

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filmmustburn

Galactic Pot Healing direct from the UK:

http://www.discogs.com/seller/Febbre_Oculta

JennieVasquez topcommenter

1 Like

My simple mind can not wrap it's mind around this debate or really care much. This is obviously a very in depth column much of it which went over my head like most things do. As someone who has never smoked marijuana and hasn't had a drink since I was 15, this debate doesn't mean much to me in that I have no use for the item people are debating. I'm kind of weird in that I like to have a clear mind as much as possible and I am one of those people that an emergency can happen at anytime and I want to be 100% alert when it does. With that said, I really don't care what someone wants to do in the privacy of their own home. If pot makes you feel better because you are ill well I can't judge because so far, I've been of good health and do not know what suffering from illness is like. As for recreational use if you want to smoke pot have at it as long as your are responsible. I just ask anyone who does get stoned to do the same thing I ask of drinkers when I ask they not drive drunk, don't drive while high. Many people have proven that they can't hold their liquor and that they are not responsible enough to not drive drunk. I ask of the pot smokers to not hit to road while high because even one death as a result of someone driving high is one too many. Outside of that do whatever you want as long as you aren't hurting anyone.

de1061

Summed up perfectly. You sound much like me; I don't indulge and don't care to.....for others....go ahead if you're not hurting anyone else.

Thomas Robert Guzowski

Absurd that Cocaine is considered a lower category than marijuana. Stupid Nixon.

Moses Ruben Lafia

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Tyree Dawson

but he's doesn't listen to techno and is against it

Gabriel Butler

Okay, good. My last barrier has finally been removed.

MultiDimensional InfiniteConsciousness

1 Like

http://youtu.be/kgCemznb6Lc

Duncan20903

Mr. Rollins should leave the lawyering to the lawyers. The Federal government doesn't have the power to strike down State laws except in limited circumstances. As a California resident he should know that the Compassionate Use Act has been in front of the SCOTUS on 4 separate occasions and is still the law. Mr. Rollins should know the Feds see no difference between medicinal or "recreational" cannabis. Mr. Rollins should know that the Feds have never once initiated any Court action using Federal preemption as an argument to strike down any cannabis law since 1973 when Oregon became the 1st State to decriminalize cannabis. I certainly wonder that, given the boxcar loads of evidence that plainly demonstrates that the Feds don't have the power to strike down these laws, why he thinks that they do have such power.

Mr. Rollins, please don't hold your breath waiting for the Federal cavalry to come over the horizon and strike down these laws. It just isn't going to happen.

See City of Garden Grove v. Felix Kha (certiorari denied 2007) and County of San Diego v San Diego NORML (certiorari denied 2009) to review 2 pathetic attempts by State and local authorities arguing Federal preemption and having their asses handed to them in every Court including the SCOTUS.