It’s odd that a column saying it’s a “pity” Michael Phelps didn’t have the courage to stand up and defend his marijuana use is not even close to the most controversial thing Forbes magazine has offered in the past 24 hours.
That honor would of course go to yesterday’s piece rating Chicago as America’s third-most miserable city.
But… it certainly is an interesting take.
Olympic champion Michael Phelps is in good company as a world-class athlete who uses marijuana. It’s a pity that he couldn’t have been brave enough to stand up for his relationship with the world’s most wonderful plant, instead of half-heartedly apologizing in an effort to salvage his sponsorship contracts.
This opinion is brought to you by Dana Larsen, who seems to think a little toking before ballgames would be a great benefit to athletes.
Like a stoned jazz musician adding more complexity and beats to a song, time slowdown might allow an athlete to more rapidly evaluate different options, more quickly consider moves and maneuvers against competing players. Most marijuana research is done to show some sort of harm from the use of this plant, but not enough is being done to understand how cannabis can actually enhance and improve human abilities. Discovering how toking up possibly helps the world’s greatest athletes to better their performance could also teach us how this plant can better serve us all.
Now, it should be noted that Larsen is is the founder of the Vancouver Medical Cannabis Dispensary and the author of Hairy Pothead and the Marijuana Stone. So, he may have an agenda. But, on the other hand, the comments we’ve received regarding Phelps’ pot use have been overwhelmingly defensive of his habit.
So, is Larsen on to anything here or he just blowing smoke?
Pot-Smoking Phelps Isn’t Alone Among Athletes (Forbes)
