Michael Phelps, hypocrisy and American Drug Policy

Michael Phelps, hypocrisy and American Drug Policy

www.huffingtonpost.com

Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps was recently photographed using a marijuana bong at the home of a friend. The photographic evidence made a denial impossible, which led to release of the following statement today:

"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. 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."


Not too long ago, Chris Matthews reviewed transitioning public attitudes towards marijuana by reviewing the statements of past presidential candidates about their own drug use, from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama:

(visit the link for the full news article)



mod edit, spelling in title

[edit on 9-2-2009 by DontTreadOnMe]

Sorry if there's already a thread on this. I'm becoming more and more jaded as I watch officials and celebrities become immune to the laws that are enforced daily on normal working taxpayers!

When I was arrested and put in jail for driving with a suspended license, I wasn't given the opportunity to say, "Woops, sorry, I did a bad thing."

When normal, everyday teens are caught with pot, they go to jail, they're lives are ruined, and no one listens when they say, "This was an error in judgement, I won't ever do it again."

Get a grip people. Being famous and rich does not exclude you from the same rules and laws the rest of us are sweating out.

Is this a message of sorts? Are they trying to tell us that we subject to the laws only if our income and social status is below that which is agreeable to the masses who think reality TV and sports TV are the stuff life is made of?

Talk to me. Help me understand this. Help me not want to go out and commit a crime simply because they are all doing it and getting away with it, so why can't I? Help me understand that our government is stealing from us daily and if that isn't insult enough, a guy who happens to be a good swimmer can get away scott free from a crime that I would spend years in jail if I committed it?

www.huffingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

ahhh the age of "Double Standard"

I guess it turns out the world isnt like Disney Land...



Now I will never be a teen model

Double standards is right... if he gets off on this then we all should get a freebie on our first charge thats related to what he did.

Though that being said, I don't think, legally, that they can actually charge him for a pictue of him using a bong... I could be wrong though?

Your issue is because you got got doing something while you were doing it. Not because someone took your picture while you were doing it and THEN you got caught.

I don't disagree when a calebraty gets got doing smack/coke/crank/meth whatever, thats a different story.

Weed should be legal and thats the bottom line!!!!!!!!

If he was smart he would of said it was hooka tobacco in the bong, lol... But ya, even though a picture is worth a thousand words... in this case its not worth a court case cause you have to be caught in the act...

And I second that hoochy! Legalize it!

Athletes are some of the biggest drug abusers. People are actually shocked than an athlete put something "harmful" in his body.

Many current and former NFL players freely admit to abusing pain killers. I remember seeing a piece on ESPN where football players admitted to trading pain killers in the locker room as if they were cupcakes packed in their school lunch. Of course, this is "acceptable" because a "reputable" physician writes prescriptions for these athletes with their best medical interests in mind. These drug are of course perfectly safe, unlike marijuanna which has all sorts ghoulish effects. (See the Movie Reefer Madness for conclusive proof!)

A large percentage of athletes in many sports also use steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. We have all heard of baseball players, football players, Olympic athletes that have been linked to drugs. Of course, this is more "acceptable" than marijuanna because it only involves cheating.

Amazing how the press is fussing over this but gave phreaky phelps a pass on his drunk driving conviction of a few years back. DUI is an extremely violent drug crime and infinitely worse than merely holding a bong!!!

I prefer - "I'm a 23 year old kid who made a dumb mistake" over a Big Brother photo snap at a private party.

I personally am unaware in the last few years of anyone going to jail for just taking a hit off a joint or bong in a photo.

So - in this case if a big deal is made about it - - I'd say someone is using celebrity to make a point - - not the other way around of a celebrity getting preferential treatment.

Honestly; this is the best free press that the cannabis movement needs lol. It's literally on every news network and newspaper, blog...it's freaking EVERYWHERE now.

And we keep hearing people saying 'so what?' which is GREAT! The message is starting to sink in slowly and I'm rather sure it's going to spill over if we keep the fire burning.

Edit*

The Sheriff of that county wants to try to press charges on him by the way lol. I guess the guy wants his 15min of fame by trying to screw Phelps out even more. That I think will break the barrel as all kinds of double standards will be raised if he gets off. I mean it's just a pic and it shouldn't do anything but you know how some freaks are.

[edit on 4-2-2009 by Riviera]

You have to realize this guy trained 12 hours a day for 3 years to go to the Olympics. He's an "American Hero" (I say that loosely) and a role model.

I think he gets a free pass.

He's done more with his life then all the pot heads and drug dealers ever will.

What angers me the most, is that some ahole of a person took his picture and published it , probably for money. That person should get his butt kicked for doing such. People should be able to do what they want to do in privacy as long as they are not harming another person. The War on Drugs is a joke. And, if I was a NFL player, I would probably take pain pills, and anyone else would too as much as they get banged around, flipped and tackled and knocked around. I would like to see someone do it without pain pills.

Originally posted by Tentickles
You have to realize this guy trained 12 hours a day for 3 years to go to the Olympics. He's an "American Hero" (I say that loosely) and a role model.

I think he gets a free pass.

He's done more with his life then all the pot heads and drug dealers ever will.

So, because he can swim well, his life is someone more important?

We are all equal, regardless of our standing in life. The minute you say we aren't is the minute we lose all hope for this country.

Originally posted by Tentickles
You have to realize this guy trained 12 hours a day for 3 years to go to the Olympics. He's an "American Hero" (I say that loosely) and a role model.

I think he gets a free pass.

He's done more with his life then all the pot heads and drug dealers ever will.

You're out of your mind lol.

American Hero = A normal person

Unless he can Literally Walk on water, the guy's just a kid, he shouldn't get in serious trouble since it's just herb, but saying that 'Stars' such as him get a free pass is also bollocks. No double standards, he pays taxes and so do I, he smokes herb and so do I.

Oh, here's a juicy little secret - he trained that hard to win medals and get money, not become a role model or he wouldn't have hit that bong.

Also, don't stereotype because well...then you are just making yourself look retarded. The 'typical' stoner isn't what you might think, as you don't know anything about the subject I'll just leave you to the knowledge that the majority of us are rather successful, not in sports perhaps*Actually add sports, hell look who's the subject of the thread, but in many other fields. Freaking dingleberry.

[edit on 4-2-2009 by Riviera]

[edit on 4-2-2009 by Riviera]

It's only a bong till you add marijuana.
I hate to be the lawyer in this case, but
can they prove there was pot in the bowl?

He got caught with a bong..oh no.

I don't see the big deal in it. If anything it should be legal in the first place.

And it's not like he's killing babies...he's hold a bong for crying out loud.

Don't hate on phelps..who cares about him anyway.


We have MUCH bigger fish to fry!!

reply to post by Tentickles


We all have known people that are losers because they smoke too much pot. We also all know people that are losers because they drink too much or watch too much TV. This is not to say that anybody who has used or uses pot is unaccomplished.

Bill Clinton admitted to using pots. Steve Jobs and Bill Wosniak were known to smoke pot with other Silicon Valley moguls in their hot tub. Many entertainers smoke pot. So do many scientists.

I second that Riviera, and Double... Athletes should not be role models, its been proven time and again that they can and will do stupid things. They're not above the law and should not be given breaks, unless those same breaks are given to us all.

But like I said, its just a pic and he wasn't caught in the act, so legally, nothing can nor should happen. He was to stupid (another reason to not be a rol model) to to say it was hooka tobacco in the bong. Bongs aren't illegal, heck you can buy them at the gas station here, lol.

www.abovetopsecret.com...'

No mention of the billions spent a year to advertise alcohol during sporting/government events?

Celebrities should be exempted from the law, just like police officers, lawyers, judges, wealthy fortune five hundred executives and polititions. Oh yes! I forgot one. Career criminals.

I would have respected Phelps more if he went the other way with it. Perhaps if he said something like, "Come on... Give me a break! It's only a little pot for God's sake. Besides, after whopping the worlds ass by swimming so fast it only stands to slow me down and give them a chance to catch up with me. World: quit bitching, relaX and take a hit.

Just remember we're all human

[edit on 4-2-2009 by MichJJC]