I won't use marijuana with you, but I'll still be your friend

By the time this column hits newsstands or your mailbox, I will have celebrated my 32nd birthday.

Turning 32 years old isn’t as grand as hitting the 16-, 18-, 21-, or 30-year-old milestones, but I like to think of every birthday as a special occasion to celebrate with friends over some good food and adult beverages. It’s also a time where I like to reflect on the changes — good and bad — that have come my way over the years and look back at how my perception has changed on certain issues. As the late, great Muhammad Ali said “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

This brings me to the matter of marijuana, specifically the people who like to use it.

For the record, I don’t use cannabis recreationally. However, I also don’t view it as the evil monster that people — one being U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions — make it out to be.

Like many elementary school children, I was exposed to TV shows, PSAs and educational videos where the message focusing on educating youngsters like myself, on the dangers of drug use at a young age. I took the D.A.R.E. pledge in fifth-grade and signed that contract, vowing never to abuse drugs while I was in school — and I kept that promise.

As I got older and entered the workforce, and later college, I thought people who used marijuana and talked about “how good it was,” were losers for using the drug, even though they were making more money than me and getting better grades.

Then I became friends with people who liked to use marijuana. On some occasions, my friends would offer to share their pot with me. After I declined their offer, we went back to our conversation. My friends never pressured me to do drugs with them.

You’re probably thinking “Well Al, you must hang out with some shady characters if all they did was smoke pot.” My circle of friends weren’t saints by any means, but they were also not the stereotypical marijuana user.

Some of those people are contributing members of society who have fulltime jobs and only use marijuana for recreational purposes.

Others have families and are devoted parents to their children. They make sure never to use marijuana in front of their kids, but they also educate them on the dangers of drug use.

After Initiative 502 passed in 2012, I learned that more people I knew — friends and acquaintances — are cannabis users.

I have also met people who at one time used marijuana and later quit, for various reasons, but they don’t demonize the drug.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet people involved with the manufacturing and selling of marijuana, all of whom are nice folks who want to make a safe and quality product, and in some cases give back to the community. And if you ever have the opportunity to tour a production facility or enter a retail store, even if it’s just to look, you’ll probably learn a few things — such as the strict regulations the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board imposes on the growers, producers and retailers.

For example, contrary to what Sessions may think, you’re not going to see marijuana “being sold at every grocery store.” State law prohibits recreational marijuana outlets from locating within 1,000 feet of sensitive use areas. This includes daycare centers, bus stops, schools, parks and game arcades.

I’m not advocating for everyone to take out their pipes, marijuana and smoke on the sidewalk. People should use it responsibly in their own homes, and not at work or in public — just like if they were consuming alcohol. That also means not driving after using cannabis and keeping it away from people under 21, particularly children, unless they need it for medicinal purposes. And yes, I know people who use medical marijuana and it has helped them with their health issues.

I’m not trying to sway people into believing that marijuana is this great thing that everyone needs to enjoy. If you hate it — for whatever reason — that is your prerogative. I’m just saying that my experiences have led me to believe that not everyone who smokes or ingests the drug is a bad person.

Are there some bad eggs? Sure, but that doesn’t mean you need to view every person who uses cannabis with the same lenses.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].