Hits From The Bong

It’s been over a decade since we last took a toke (and yes, we did inhale – frequently), so let’s hope the statue of limitations on that has run its course.

But that’s our point – why on earth is the possession, consumption or sale of marijuana illegal in the first place?

That debate heated up after pictures of Olympic hero Michael Phelps smoking pot from a bong at the University of South Carolina last November began circulating all over the Internet this weekend.

In case you missed it, here’s the picture …

And here’s an excerpt from the accompanying story:

The 6ft 4ins athlete, in a white T-shirt and navy cap worn back to front, clasped the device in his huge hands and inhaled deeply.

Our source said: “You could tell Michael had smoked before. He grabbed the bong and a lighter and knew exactly what to do.

“He looked just as natural with a bong in his hands as he does swimming in the pool. He was the gold medal winner of bong hits. Michael ended up getting a little paranoid, though, because before too long he looked like he was nervous and ran out of the place.”

What can we say – it happens.

Phelps earlier today acknowledged that the image was authentic.

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” the swimmer said in a statement. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

Meanwhile, Octagon, the company that manages Phelps’ career is being accused of trying to bribe the news outlet that broke the story with advertising courtesy of the swimmer’s many corporate sponsors.

Phelps “indiscretion” has made waves all over the globe – even drowning out the publicity surrounding Super Bowl XLIII on popular search engines like Google News.

Interestingly enough, we were first alerted to the photos via an e-mail alert from a prominent S.C. social conservative activist.

Its subject line?

“Morally deficient, lawbreaking USC-Columbia student house party may destroy Olympian’s career.”

Really?

We don’t think there’s anything “morally deficient” about getting high off of something that grows directly from the earth (i.e. non-fermented), but it’s hard to argue that Phelps isn’t breaking the law.

And certainly Phelps stands to lose some significant cash flow as a result of his decision – probably much more if the bribery accusations against the company repping him turn out to be true.

Our point remains this, though – why should he?

Clearly smoking pot is a health risk, but so is smoking and drinking alcohol in excess. And we have to say, based on our experience, people who are drunk on alcohol are much more likely to engage in destructive behavior than potheads, who are really only hurting themselves.

Anyway, as always, we look forward to your thoughts …

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