analog

First of all, if I ever had a kid, I'd be fucking 110% POSITIVE, NO QUESTION sure about the responsibility of the "teenager" I let watch my kid. Smoking pot has nothing to do with irresponsibility. People who are irresponsible will be so, whether they are under the influence or not. If you have a job to do, then you don't do things which will prevent the faithful and precise execution of your job, and if that means you can't watch TV, or eat, or surf the internet, or smoke pot, then that is your responsibility to realize the situation and make an intelligent decision. If, however, smoking pot or watching TV DO NOT prevent you from fufilling this commitment, then it doesn't matter.

Also, as a side note, let's not forget that proper safety precautions when you have a pool have to be observed to be sure a child cannot GET TO the pool without an adult, and therefore this argument SHOULD be null and void. But let's not admit we didn't safeguard our kid from an obvious danger, let's blame the babysitter. That's easier, and I don't have to face the fact i'm a bad parent for hiring an irresponsible person to care for my child in an environment i've not properly secured to begin with. Yes. *sigh* That does feel good.

I know many stoners- i mean total stoner POTHEADS, and not a damn one of them loses any of their "responsibility" when they smoke. They all know you cannot smoke and drive. They all know you cannot smoke if you have something important to do which requires sobriety, even if it's not until the next day or however long is necessary. RESPONSIBILITY. Of the ones that aren't already in high-paying professional careers, the others are mostly doing very well in college. The few who aren't in one of those categories are fuck-ups, and always have been well before starting to smoke pot, and always will be regardless of the amount they smoke.

I use it mostly to successfully (and I say this because no prescription drug i've ever tried has done any kind of "good" job, besides giving me horrible side-effects) get rid of mentally-crippling anxiety attacks. You know that tight-chest, mind-swimming feeling you get during an anxiety attack? Mine would last for days at a time, from when I woke up to when I slept, if I got to sleep. Gee, I wonder why I had horrible insomnia all my young life since as early as my memories can reach?

Donuts aren't good for you. Over 33% of American adults and 25% of American children are classified as "obese" (read it in Time magazine, for a reference). Cigarettes are bad for you. How many people die each year from lung cancer, and other cancers associated with the use of tobacco products? They're also addictive. Alcohol also kills brain cells, kills your liver over time when used in excess, and can be addictive to the point of causing it's own disease, alcoholism.

So who the fuck cares what marijuana does to me? YOU are not smoking it, I AM.

EDIT: And those anti-pot, "it's not as harmless as we all thought" commercials make me physically ill. The one with the girl and the pool made me gag the first time I watched it. What a horrible, disgusting tactic- especially considering they're all bullshit. Every time I see one, I want to scream.