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Is Doing Bong Hits When You're A 23-Year-Old Swimming Legend Really "Regrettable" Behavior?
So
Michael Phelps, the superstar swimmer who snagged a record batch of
gold medals in last year's Olympics, has now been caught on camera
smoking dope and is in the midst of doing a ritual P.R.
self-immolation (see headline from tabloid to the right). Here's
his apology:
"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," Phelps said in a statement released by Octagon, his management firm, and posted on his Facebook site. "I'm 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public—it will not happen again."
The Los Angeles Times' account of the situation includes this great paragraph:
Phelps has never failed a drug test during his career and was one of several American athletes who volunteered to undergo additional testing to dispel any suggestions that he might be benefiting from performance-enhancing drugs....
Marijuana, though not considered performance-enhancing, was added to the International Olympic Committee's list of banned substances after the 1998 Olympics. Its use among Olympic athletes became a matter of public debate after Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati tested positive after winning a gold medal in Nagano, Japan, in 1998. Rebagliati was initially stripped of his medal, but in the end kept it because marijuana was, at the time, not on the list.
More here. So (as anyone who ever smoked pot could tell you) marijuana is not performance-enhancing in the way that steroids or human-growith hormone or whatever may be. But the IOC banned it because of...bad publicity essentially (and by the way, Phelps shouldn't face sanctions since it's only a problem if you test positive during competition periods).
Let's be clear: What Phelps did might have been illegal, but it's not wrong in any real sense of the word. He's arguably the greatest living athlete in the world today and I suspect he takes care of his body (and mind) pretty well. Nobody really cares about this sort of thing (folks quoted in the LA Times' story note this will have little to no effect on his sponsorship deals).
The only regrettable behavior and bad judgment the incident highlights is the stupidity of the ongoing war on drugs, which criminalizes a plant that almost half of Americans 12 years and older (including the current president) have tried at one point or another in their lives.
The drug war is not simply a minor issue in America. It is a ubiquitous feature of our lives and the perniciousness of its negative effects on politics, culture, and more can't be measured simply in dollars spent (though that's a good start). It is what I call a "structuring event" in American life, forcing all sorts of activity—from education and athletics, from law enforcement to foreign policy—to pay hypocritical and misdirected lip service to a Just Say No mentality. (More on that here.)
If anything comes of the Phelps incident, let's hope it's a more thoughtful drug policy and not just another wave of anti-drug hysteria.
Reason on drug policy. From the latest issue, Jacob Sullum on how the crusade against drug paraphernalia punishes controversial speech.
|2.2.09 @ 9:28AM|#
Yes. It will cost him endorsement $$$ from chicken-livered CEO's who will be afraid of the association with a "druggie".
BDB|2.2.09 @ 9:30AM|#
Sadly this will probably ruin his endorsement deals.
It's never the marijuana that's the problem, its society's
hysterical reaction to marijuana use (it can keep you out of a job,
etc).
The Angry Optimist|2.2.09 @ 9:32AM|#
which criminalizes a plant that almost half of Americans 12
years and older (including the current president)
Shit, including the current President, the last one and the one
before him. Presidents for a twenty-year period all have done it.
Amazing.
BDB|2.2.09 @ 9:35AM|#
Not to mention both the current President and the last President used not only marijuana, but cocaine.
|2.2.09 @ 9:37AM|#
Too bad he didn't have the stones to say what he did was harmless and should be of concern to no one. I understand why he didn't if he thought he'd lose a lot of money, but it's still too bad.
|2.2.09 @ 9:38AM|#
folks quoted in the LA Times' story note this will have
little to no effect on his sponsorship deal
I can't believe that. That's the only real consequence, and the
only reason to make with the mia culpa.
Actually I'm rather pissed off at Phelps. The Snowboarder stood his
ground. As have a few entertainers. Montel has been a great Med Pot
spokesman. Sooner or later there's got to be a tipping point when
monumental stupidity of "pot is bad" comes tumbling down. But every
time some Phelps tows the lion for the Drug War it postpones the
revolution.
Reinmoose|2.2.09 @ 9:39AM|#
Who wants to take bets on what the first organization is going
to be to call for him to be stripped of his medals? Has this
already happened?
I'm going to put money down on MADD
phalkor |2.2.09 @ 9:39AM|#
and Santonio Holmes, who won last night's game on the tips of his toes, was busted smoking a blunt in downtown Pittsburgh this season. Pot sn't such a big deal, except when it is. This will likely blow over quickly and be ignored, what other swimmers are as recognizable as Phelps?
BDB|2.2.09 @ 9:40AM|#
Warren, I'm not sure I wouldn't do anything differently if I were him. Would you really flush tens of millions of dollars down the toilet to make a political point?
Fluffy|2.2.09 @ 9:42AM|#
The funny thing is that the ONLY, and I mean the ONLY, argument
anyone ever offers against marijuana or any drug is
consequentialist in nature: "If you smoke marijuana, bad things
will happen to you."
Apparently those bad things include being the world's greatest
athlete and the President of the United States.
BDB|2.2.09 @ 9:44AM|#
But Fluffy! You might move onto harder drugs like cocaine, which means you might end up...as President of the United States.
moderate libertarian ethicist|2.2.09 @ 9:45AM|#
I understand his response, but I really wish he had taken a stand. He probably would lose money (drugs are bad, mmkay?) but he would be doing a very noble thing.
matt2|2.2.09 @ 9:47AM|#
"tows the lion" is awesome and should replace all correct usage of that phrase in the future.
Geoff Nathan|2.2.09 @ 9:52AM|#
But every time some Phelps tows the lion
for the Drug War it postpones the revolution.
I'm assuming this expression is intended to be ironic. In the
linguist biz we call this an 'eggcorn'.
Just me being a prescriptivist for a change...
|2.2.09 @ 9:53AM|#
Look what happened to the Dell commercial kid. "Dude, you're
losing your job."
CEOs who probably smoked in HS and/or college are just as
hypocritical as parents and elected officials when it comes to
pot.
Reinmoose|2.2.09 @ 9:53AM|#
Fluffy, BDB -
You just don't understand. Obama had to beat the addictive powers
of marijuana in order to become POTUS. This is probably the first
time Phelps tried pot, and therefore he will continue to abuse
drugs in a downward spiral unless he seeks treatment (incl.
society's forgiveness) immediately!! Fortunately this young man
knows what he did was wrong. If he didn't, he may never seek the
necessary treatment to beat this thing that has taken so many young
victims!!!
[vomits]
Elemenope|2.2.09 @ 9:54AM|#
Clearly, Marijuana ruined his life.
On a different note, the notion that Marijuana is not
performance-enhancing may not be strictly true. I think it was Carl
Sagan who hypothesized that MJ was originally cultivated as a drug
to aid hunters in staying in one position for long periods of time,
helping them to remain motionless while stalking prey.
The Angry Optimist|2.2.09 @ 9:54AM|#
It is actually our responsibility, as the most philosophically informed individuals who interact in the real world, to spin this news item as best we can. I cannot expect Phelps to fall on his sword for this, but I do expect everyone here yapping to write up a brief paragraph to those who are on the bubble about this shit and show that marijuana is not that bad. Hell, at least talk about it when you go out to the bar this weekend...or over the dinner table...something!
gittles|2.2.09 @ 9:56AM|#
I'm pissed phelps didn't go on tv and say
"Yes, i smoked marijuana. It didnt screw up my life, in fact, i'm
one of the best athletes in the world even though i smoke
marijuana. The only thing that has hurt me from marijuana is this
witch hunt, F*&% you, i'm going to have sex with my stripper
girlfriend"
Juanita|2.2.09 @ 9:59AM|#
He should be stripped of his medals to show the children there are consequences to using drugs.
TallDave|2.2.09 @ 10:00AM|#
Meanwhile, in totally unimportant news of zero interest to
libertarians, Iraq held yet
another boring election.
Some partial and unofficial results leaked to Iraqi media
suggest the public turned away from religious parties widely blamed
for stoking sectarian tension.
Well, there goes that "theocracy." How sad, another defeatist meme
dies.
And now, back to the hugely important news of a 23-year-old smoking
a bong.
|2.2.09 @ 10:05AM|#
I think it was Carl Sagan who hypothesized that MJ was
originally cultivated as a drug to aid hunters in staying in one
position for long periods of time, helping them to remain
motionless while stalking prey.
Carl Sagan hypothesized a lot of things. Carl was an interesting
guy, but he was hella wrong about nuclear winter, etc. In
Dragons of Eden he hypothesized that human evolution would
be limited by cranial expansion and vaginal width capacity. I think
Carl may have enjoyed the chronic himself. NTTAWWT.
Anyway, Phelps has clearly been scarred by MJ use. He's part fish.
He learned it by watching Aquaman!!!
|2.2.09 @ 10:05AM|#
Phelps will never be able to put this sad episode behind him
until he appears on television with "Doctor" Phil, and begs for the
forgiveness of the nation.
*I, of course, would like to see "Doctor" Phil wrapped in chains,
behind a Land Rover, being towed through the lions, at some outdoor
safari park.
|2.2.09 @ 10:08AM|#
While it has the momentum, Big Marijauna should go on a PR offensive. It could run an ad bragging about the greatness it inspires. I can see a character, call him Big Buddy, asking if we saw the catch last night? yep, he's been smoking me, See that swimmer win eight gold medals? yep, he smokes me too.
jb|2.2.09 @ 10:09AM|#
"(and by the way, Phelps shouldn't face sanctions since it's
only a problem if you test positive during competition
periods)."
I know you wrote "should," but I think he *will* face
sanctions.
WADA administers "out of competition" controls to athletes all the
time. Michael Rasmussen (sp?) was kicked out of the Tour de France
when it was revealed he had lied about his off-season whereabouts
(said he was in Mexico, when he was in Italy) supposedly to get
around those additional tests.
The justification WADA gives is that many athletes will use
performance-enhancing drugs during training to help them build
performance potential, and then wean off the drugs before
competition. There is also no subcategories of "recreational drugs"
and "performance-enhancing drugs." It's just "banned substances."
People get thrown out of the Olympics all the time (and suspended
from the NFL this season) not for taking HGH or its ilk, but for
taking legitimate medicines that could possible have the effect of
maybe masking some performance-enhancing drug.
While I wouldn't imagine that cannabis is on WADA's banned
substance (the article says USOC), WADA does respect and enforce
national affiliate organization's protocols (and respects their
appeals processes).
|2.2.09 @ 10:12AM|#
With the billions poured into border security ant the ubiquitous
raids on domestic growers, he must have paid an arm and a leg for
that
weed from the devil's garden.
Oh,
wait...
Taktix®|2.2.09 @ 10:14AM|#
I'm 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in
the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a
manner that people have come to expect from me.
Phelps worded his "apology" in an intersting manner. He didn't say
he thought it was wrong, he said it was wrong in the eyes of people
who expect Phelps not to do such a horrid thing.
Combine that with his mention of his "success in the pool" and this
apology to me translates to "Sorry you don't expect this from me,
but I just won eight gold medals, and pot or not, I'm still a
symbol of healthy behavior."
|2.2.09 @ 10:16AM|#
From the Virginia Pilot article is this quote:
"In court, as he had testified earlier, Frederick admitted that he
lied to the detectives that night about his marijuana-growing
operation and failed to tell them that some plants had been stolen
days earlier. Frederick also said he saw a face and then a hand
reach through the hole in his front door."
The author does not elaborate on the lie. What did Frederick lie
about? Did he actually sell MJ? Were some MJ plants stolen?
I missed any previous mention of him actually having or growing MJ
plant.
|2.2.09 @ 10:16AM|#
Juanita | February 2, 2009, 9:59am | #
Juanita | February 2, 2009, 10:04am | #
I'm am not amused asshole. How dare you make some a lame impression
of the siren of the intertubez?
No poetry for you.
|2.2.09 @ 10:19AM|#
The only regrettable behavior and bad judgment the incident
highlights
is on the part of the idiot who took his picture and sold it to a
tabloid. If I had Phelps' millions, and I knew who this idiot was,
I would arrange a "meeting" with some "friends" of mine who could
go into some detail about why invading another's personal space is
not such a red-hot idea.
Taktix®|2.2.09 @ 10:19AM|#
On a different note, the notion that Marijuana is not
performance-enhancing may not be strictly true. I think it was Carl
Sagan who hypothesized that MJ was originally cultivated as a drug
to aid hunters in staying in one position for long periods of time,
helping them to remain motionless while stalking prey.
I would call MJ a performance-enhancing drug if I were entering the
Xbox championships or something, but otherwise, not so much...
Reinmoose|2.2.09 @ 10:23AM|#
If I was the person who had the picture, who do I think would
pay me more for it? The media, or Phelps?
Which makes me wonder how much this guy got paid for his picture.
If he didn't get paid for it, then he's really stupid.
|2.2.09 @ 10:26AM|#
Maybe this was intentional. Maybe Phelps is really a pro-drug
advocate and the pictures were given to media on purpose, all part
of his master plan.
Then again, I don't think he's that smart.
Elemenope|2.2.09 @ 10:26AM|#
Carl Sagan hypothesized a lot of things. Carl was an
interesting guy, but he was hella wrong about nuclear winter, etc.
In Dragons of Eden he hypothesized that human evolution would be
limited by cranial expansion and vaginal width capacity. I think
Carl may have enjoyed the chronic himself. NTTAWWT.
He definitely loved to smoke, he wrote an essay about the
experience and why he continued to do so. (I think that essay was
when he introduced his "hypothesis"). My point is, a large number
of people in intellectual fields report positive effect on mood,
thought processes, etc., and we know it has muscle relaxant
properties, so it is not unreasonable to think that it may be
beneficial in some skills-based or physical activity (which have a
heavy psychological component; ask any athlete).
Meanwhile, in totally unimportant news of zero interest to
libertarians, Iraq held yet another boring election.
TallDave, the only thing that people object to is the cost of
getting here. To do so, we had to abandon our principles, as well
as those of international law and treaty, and shred diplomatic
credibility, and kill many thousands of people. The tens of
thousands of Iraqis that have died can't vote either.
And, we aren't willing to do it for everyone who needs it, so all
your reasons really strike me as opportunistic garbage. If they
were true, we'd be knocking over dictators left and right.
|2.2.09 @ 10:31AM|#
What the hell was Phelps supposed to do? He showed up at a party, and somebody said he wasn't very fast at bong swats. What was he supposed to do?!
|2.2.09 @ 10:42AM|#
Meanwhile, in totally unimportant news of zero interest to
libertarians, Iraq held yet another boring election.
With a mere 140,000 U.S. troops on the ground. Color me totally
fucking unimpressed with the Mesopotamian transitiion to secular
representative government with basic freedoms guaranteed to
all.
Call me when they do it on their own.
|2.2.09 @ 10:42AM|#
What the hell was Phelps supposed to do? He showed up at a
party, and somebody said he wasn't very fast at bong swats. What
was he supposed to do?!
When someone challenges you to kill the party bowl, you go for it.
Otherwise, no pussy for you that night. What do people expect him
to have done? His lung capacity is greater than a pearl diver's--he
can get it done.
so it is not unreasonable to think that it may be beneficial in
some skills-based or physical activity
I am unbeatable at chess when baked. Skills-based, indeed.
ToolDave|2.2.09 @ 10:43AM|#
Please ignore that three Sunni candidates were assassinated in
advance of the election.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/2009129175338701596.html
|2.2.09 @ 10:50AM|#
Even if it were legal, the IOC would still ban it because you
can use it to relieve pain. Over-the-counter painkillers are banned
substances in Olympic competition, so I doubt they'd be much cooler
with pot.
That aside, as I've heard it from others, swimmers tend to be a
hard-partying lot, but they're back in the pool at 5AM. Besides,
ask his competition... I bet they'd rather Phelps be in the pool
stoned than clean.
|2.2.09 @ 10:55AM|#
"""With a mere 140,000 U.S. troops on the ground. Color me
totally fucking unimpressed with the Mesopotamian transitiion to
secular representative government with basic freedoms guaranteed to
all.
Call me when they do it on their own.""""
Agreed.
|2.2.09 @ 10:59AM|#
I smoke pot just like all of you. The only difference is that
when I'm done I win gold medals.
Oh, and this thread needs more cowbell.
Mad Max|2.2.09 @ 11:14AM|#
'I think it was Carl Sagan who hypothesized that MJ was
originally cultivated as a drug to aid hunters in staying in one
position for long periods of time, helping them to remain
motionless while stalking prey.'
OOG: You're right, this stuff really works! I was able to stay
motionless for hours. The animals were going right past me.
GRONK: Did you catch anything?
OOG: Dude, I got the standing-motionless part, how can you expect
me to remember every other detail of what I was supposed to be
doing?
|2.2.09 @ 11:21AM|#
The Mainstream Media has already written more about Michael Phelps' bong hits than they ever mentioned about Barack Obama snorting cocaine.
|2.2.09 @ 11:28AM|#
i have not lost or drawn a chess game offline in the 7.5 years
since i moved to oregon. i am unbeatable baked, unbaked or
half-baked.
i have also never lost a go game to a non-asian in my life.
Elemenope|2.2.09 @ 11:55AM|#
i have also never lost a go game to a non-asian in my
life.
What, do Asians have special "Go" powers?
|2.2.09 @ 12:13PM|#
Shouldn't the drug warriors be the ones all embarrassed and
apologetic over this photo? Something like ...
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30072
Atanarjuat|2.2.09 @ 12:15PM|#
'I think it was Carl Sagan who hypothesized that MJ was originally cultivated as a drug to aid hunters in staying in one position for long periods of time, helping them to remain motionless while stalking prey.'
It seems like a bad hunting strategy to make one's scent even
stronger. Maybe it helps to mask your scent like those bottles of
deer piss. Either way, I can guarantee that this strategy is still
in use today.
Ska|2.2.09 @ 12:24PM|#
What, do Asians have special "Go" powers?
The rest of the world thinks so - a 9 dan rank by the AGA (as well
as the British equivalent) is treated as an 8 dan in Japan and
China.
|2.2.09 @ 12:27PM|#
Either way, I can guarantee that this strategy is still in
use today.
Considering how fast a ranger will pull your hunting license for
being drunk in your tree stand, getting baked seems like a smarter
policy anyway.
|2.2.09 @ 12:28PM|#
Should have used this Apple Pipe:
http://reason.com/blog/show/131327.html
Then when the photo surfaced he could say, "No, that's just a
picture of me eating an apple."
Elemenope|2.2.09 @ 12:33PM|#
The rest of the world thinks so - a 9 dan rank by the AGA
(as well as the British equivalent) is treated as an 8 dan in Japan
and China.
According to wiki this is more to do with there not being a widely
accepted standard rating system to apply the ranks.
Considering how fast a ranger will pull your hunting license
for being drunk in your tree stand, getting baked seems like a
smarter policy anyway.
Considering the one time my brother got busted for pot it was by a
ranger, apparently they don't have much tolerance for it either.
Probably some Smokey the Bear bullshit.
Ska|2.2.09 @ 12:40PM|#
According to wiki this is more to do with there not being a
widely accepted standard rating system to apply the
ranks.
That makes more sense than "special Asian powers" but it just isn't
as glamorous. And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it
wasn't.....
squarooticus|2.2.09 @ 1:17PM|#
Look what happened to the Dell commercial kid. "Dude, you're losing your job."
No, no, no... if you're going to refer to that, at least get the
joke right. It's, "Dude, you're gettin' a cell!"
|2.2.09 @ 1:48PM|#
"I promise my fans and the public-it will not happen
again."
and the translation is:
"I promise my fans and the public that I will never allow photos of
this most enjoyable activity to be taken."
|2.2.09 @ 1:48PM|#
squarooticus | February 2, 2009, 1:17pm | #
Look what happened to the Dell commercial kid. "Dude, you're losing
your job."
No, no, no... if you're going to refer to that, at least get the
joke right. It's, "Dude, you're gettin' a cell!"
According to my home version of $25,000 Pyramid, "That's Something
the Cops Would Say," not the heads of Dell and the ad agency he
worked for. Not sure what they expected, though. Besides being an
actor by trade, he basically represented pot smoking PC users in
his role.
Anyone figure out yet what country on Earth we can live in freely
and still get NFL Sunday Ticket?
Angie|2.2.09 @ 4:25PM|#
Let's be clear on this tho, what one wants to do to their body is one thing, but we are talking bout someone that many children look up to. And people here are saying he should take a stand and say drugs are ok? I dont' think so. Parents are trying to raise their children right, and the last thing they need is some role model standing up and saying drugs are ok. No thank you.
|2.2.09 @ 8:44PM|#
Cannabis is a performance enhancer in slow-fire precision shooting. In small quantities it reduces finger tremors.
|2.2.09 @ 11:34PM|#
If anything comes of the Phelps incident, let's hope it's a
more thoughtful drug policy and not just another wave of anti-drug
hysteria.
Well, we know what Nick's been smoking.
|2.2.09 @ 11:52PM|#
Parents are trying to raise their children right, and the
last thing they need is some role model standing up and saying
drugs are ok.
Yeah, I had the damnedest time explaining to my 19 y.o. son why
he'd get in more trouble with a 12-pack of Miller in his car than a
baggie of Mendocino's finest.
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