The man who smokes Uncle Sam's joints

I just stumbled across this interesting interview with Irv Rosenfeld (via the Washington Post’s webcast, The Fold). Rosenfeld has been receiving 300 joints, courtesy of the federal government, every twenty-five days since November 1982. He was, if I remember correctly, one of the first medicinal marijuana patients in the country. Here is the link to the video’s main page.

In my late-teens and early-twenties, I smoked marijuana. I do not smoke it anymore because after a certain point it often made my heart race, which is very uncool. I also do not like the fact one never knows exactly who grew it, where it came from, or how it was grown. Eighths do not have labels listing the grower, the particulars regarding its growth, or a phone number for customer service. (Officials in Colorado and Washington, where cannabis was legalized, are now developing ways to do just that: regulate its grown and distribution so consumers are educated and safe.) Plus, acquiring it is a hassle that often means contacting shady and unsavory characters. Nonetheless, I liked getting stoned. I enjoyed the calming, mellow buzz it offered and how it seemed to slow time, enhance hilarity, and heighten artistic appreciation.

Needless to say, I have no problem with people using marijuana responsibly, recreationally or medicinally (as long as they do not drive). I think its prohibition should be lifted and the power of regulation be devolved to the states, much like the Twenty-first Amendment did for alcohol. Rosenfeld’s interview only supported those convictions.

However, what I found most thought-provoking about Rosenfeld’s interview were his thoughts on the pharmaceutical industry. He thinks “big pharma” is one of the main opponents of medicinal and legalized marijuana. And why should it not be, especially if its profits are jeopardized by a plant anyone could grow? Rosenfeld seems to think he is a living example of medicinal marijuana’s benefits: a man who seems to have no use for pharmaceuticals and has been able to support himself despite his disability.

Rosenfeld’s case may be exceptional, and there may be other factors involved in his success, but I think his experience should be considered as Americans continue to ponder marijuana.