Pot

I confess. I have never smoked a joint - or whatever they are being called these days. For that matter, I have never smoked a cigarette. Not once.

Doesn't mean I never smoked tobacco. I used to smoke a pipe and an occasional cigar. Gave that up thirty-five years ago. The smoke irritated my eyes and didn't do much good for my chronic sea sickness. Not great for a ship captain.

I always thought alcohol was the most dangerous drug. But I drink alcoholic beverages.

I did my best to keep alcohol off my ship. And marijuana. And other illegal drugs.

In my years at sea, I never saw a sailor who was unable to perform his duties because he smoked marijuana on liberty. But there were many times I saw sailors unable to get the ship underway because they were drunk when they got back to the ship.

I went to college in a state with statewide prohibition on the sale of distilled beverages. But very cleverly, the state had a tax on illegally sold beverages. That's called having your cake and eating it, too.

Interesting article in today's New York Times about marijuana laws. It seems the states of Washington, Oregon and Colorado have provisions on their November 6 ballots to legalize marijuana. The one in Washington might even pass.

Lawmen are among the supporters of legalization.

It's worth a look.