Only about 10% of high school students and 20% of college students admit to smoking marijuana in the last 30 days, but good statistics on teenage marijuana use are difficult to come by. Teenagers aren’t going to be forthcoming about a practice that remains illegal in the great majority of states around the country. And while Malia was doing something fairly typical for young people, one thing that was atypical for the average person smoking weed was her lack of risk. While it’s certainly unpleasant to have her video shared, no one is going to be arresting the president’s daughter for smoking pot. Yet that’s something that happens to many people every day all over the country.
The concert Malia was attending was in Chicago. A few years ago, Chicago loosened up its fairly strict marijuana laws. Now possession of a small amount of marijuana gets you a ticket instead of an arrest, but the fine is several hundred dollars. Smoking in public, however, is a different offense and can easily lead to arrest. No one is arguing that Malia should be arrested for her smoking (if she was) — but then why should anyone be arrested for it? The rules should apply to everyone, including the president’s family, in the same way. And it’s the rules themselves that need changing. A Federal ban on marijuana remains in place, even in states that have legalized it. If the president’s Harvard-bound daughter is smoking marijuana without repercussions, perhaps other people should have the same benefit.
Malia’s seeming indiscretion was revealed during the same week that Michael Phelps took home his 22nd gold medal. Phelps had also been caught smoking pot on video in 2009. It does not seem to have hindered his success.