Michael Phelps experimented with marijuana, based on his apology, he didn’t like it, but apparently, he did inhale.  Despite initial critical coverage of Phelps, the backlash against has spawned a modest defense that he’s a 23 year old kid, apt to do dumb things.

But who’s to say that taking hits from the bong is a negative thing?  Government says so.  Our parental units, who may or may not have smoked pot, are apt to say so.  You  may even say so, if you have assumed the mantle of parent.  But that’s not why Michael Phelps says smoking pot was a regrettable decision.

He’s hoping to salvage a now jeopardized career pitching assorted products in the afterglow of his remarkable summer in the pool.  And in doing so he needs to pay fealty to the accepted notions that pot smoking is bad.  But our current and previous two Presidents have had run-ins with reefer.  So why is this notion still prevalent in the early 21^st Century?

It sells papers.

Ask three friends, do they really care that Michael Phelps sucked on a bong?  And if they do, there explanation of why is doubtful to include even the fuzzy notion that his personal behavior materially damaged them.  Does it make for a sometimes awkward conversation between parents and kids?  Sure, but sorry folks, that’s part of being a parent.

I’ll have to get out of my comfort zone someday to explain alcohol, sex, and other adult behaviors to my children. And while it’s uncomfortable, I have a healthy enough case of narcissistic personality disorder to believe that I’m the best person to explain these things to my spawn.

The question I am left to ask is “why do so many parents feel the need to subordinate this tremendous responsibility that is also a tremendous opportunity to non-parental entities like government and the media?”

Worth reading, Reason’s coverage.  Though I have one caveat with Nick Gillespie’s comment:

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 media’s malfeasance in promoting such nonsense is also indicative of bad judgment and regrettable behavior.  Stories such as Phelps’s prompt a round of coverage by media entities eager to seize on their readers curiosity about famous folks.  Post it online, get eyeballs looking at your website, charge more for ads.  But the model fails to report anything and capitalizes solely on voyeuristic impulses.  Is it news?  Of course not.  But you knew that already.