You're kiddin' right...

right??

This morning I was sitting amongst the commuters at the light on our daily trek to school. As I turned to talk to Nikela, I caught a women's movement a couple lanes over. She had a lighter in her hand, but she bent very low and then sat up. This behavior struck me as odd, so I watched her. First she twirled a few strands of her curly ponytail. She was driving a small SUV. A large ring flashed on her left hand. She was hugging middle age. Suddenly, she brought the lighter up again, and this time she brought the gold pipe to her mouth not quite as discreetly as before. I gasped in horror.

Intrigued by my distraction, Nikela followed my gaze and watched as the woman took a third hit before roaring through the light.

Seriously?? At 6:30 AM my daughter witnesses a woman smoking pot on her daily commute to work? And I am driving on the same road putting my daughter's life at increased risk??

I merge on the interstate a bit horrified. While the presence of marijuana abounds here from the wafting smoke in parks and grocery store parking lots to the plants that are everywhere...even on the job sight...even in fields that are guarded by young boys that are gunned down during the raids, the proponents of Proposition 19 assure folks in their literature that marijuana users are responsible...unlike all the other legal and illegal drug users out there.

While I am quick to point out the inherent flaws in their arguments, I really wanted to believe that this level of irresponsibility didn't exist.

Proposition 19 is beginning to look a lot like a loophole for drug users to me. Intolerant of their decision to smoke? Definitely. Particularly as the current trend is to lace marijuana with other drugs. Americans are fearful of being labelled intolerant; however, giving my tolerance to drug users is giving them power and leaves me scuttling past the park gripping the hands of my children hoping we arrive home safely. The recent massacre in Mexico at the hands of the drug cartel was terrifying. I want my power back to be a morally responsible citizen. I do not want to be terrified of the repercussions of my intolerance for their intolerable behavior choices made under the influence.