The Coming Storm: Whose Rights Win out in the Legalization of Marijuana

And this storm will be one that might end up in a court case at some point. We "Innocent and Pure" (some sarcasm intended) are already being put upon and pushed down, our rights trod upon by those who have decided to play havoc with their bodies and smoke and use tobacco products. These people have little to no regard for themselves, their health, and for the most part have even less for those who surround them. It is my opinion that tobacco smokers are among the most selfish persons on the planet. They will even lock their child in a car with the windows rolled up and smoke, thereby forcing that innocent child to smoke right along with them, and they do not care one iota. Can you be any more selfish than that?

But another social infringement is coming; it is on the horizon and pushed by another group who mostly include tobacco users, but not only these individuals. It also includes youth in our country, professionals, people from every walk of life. And it includes a group of people who up until this point have been on the wrong side of the law, thus making them criminals committing criminal activities.

Marijuana users, abusers, druggies.

I understand that they say pot is no worse than alcohol, and to an extent they are correct. But, you really do not want me to get started on alcohol either. Rarely has something such as this created such discord, problems and destruction as alcohol, yet remained legal due in no small part to its tentacles and payoffs to people in high places. Tobacco is counted in this group as well. No matter how much damage is done to people in America, how much efficiency is lost in businesses by their continuous "smoke breaks:, no matter how many billions of dollars are spent on health costs due to their poor health and the chaos they seed around them, our lawmakers refuse to address the havoc being spread by these groups of people.

And now we are going to add drug users to the mix.

I ask you: Why? Why are the rights of people who repeatedly trample those who do not share their belief system allowed to infringe and supplant those of people who do not desire to be associated with them?

To wit, where we recently moved to the law flatly states that cigarette smoke is not a reason to file criminal charges against those who are doing it right outside your domicile doors and windows, thus forcing you to either inhale it or maintain a closed environment within your home. To be a prisoner in effect. Basically, they have the right to force you into a hidden existence, hiding within your home to avoid what they so freely send out on the winds: you have no right to privacy of the air, to have the freedom to draw a breath of fresh air. None. No expectations, no rights, none. Their right to smoke outweighs my right to breathe without smelling their death.

That is not right.

And now, with my state having passed a law making marijuana legal in some form (medical at present but the possibility of recreational is not to be discounted in the near future) my right to not inhale their drugs is now being discounted once more. I do not have the right to contact the law and expect anything to be done about it; nothing!

"Colorado Constitution: Under riparian law, only owners of property bordering the stream may divert water. A diverter must return the water to the stream essentially undiminished in quantity and unaffected in quality, because riparian land owners up and down the stream enjoy an equal right to the stream's flow."

So in the great state of Colorado, if you own the land along a river and bring it onto your land to irrigate crops or create a water source for your livestock to drink from, you are required by law to return the water essentially undiminished and unaffected to the stream you took it from. This from the state which encourages people to smoke dope in the open and without seemingly restraining them from affecting others downwind. This seems kind of strange, doesn't it? Protect the water but not the air we breathe?

What about the people downwind who are adversely affected by marijuana smoke? What about those who do not want to smell it, or have it enter their domicile?

And this is exactly what is going on in my home state of Missouri right now. They do not care who they affect downwind, who they flaunt their choice of lifestyle on, who they adversely affect because they want what they want and damn you for inhibiting them in their choices!

What about MY choice? My choice to NOT be affected, to not have to remain inside? Hell, even when we are inside we are being affected by it. It comes through the walls, the vents because the builder did not utilize proper duct work to carry air in the return to the air conditioner, rather relying on the air space between the joists and studs to allow the air to move about. So, we literally share the air with our neighbor in this condo we are living in and we cannot change this. And when they "light up" a cigarette or joint next door it infiltrates our home and we are forced to inhale if we desire to breathe.

How right is that?

I have to wonder what their reaction would be if I were to walk up to them and rip a big ol' nasty fart in their face? Or more appropriately, if I were to take a piss or crap in their water supply, just upstream from where they were bending over to get a drink from at the very instant they were doing this? Would they get pissed, incredibly angry for my insensitivity towards them and their need to get a drink of cool refreshing water? Or would they be okay with it, allowing me the same latitude towards them as they are aiming towards me and my family? Do you really think they would understand my right to relieve myself upstream from them in the same manner as they are doing by smoking their tobacco and pot upwind of me and my family?

Do you really think they would be as understanding, granting the same expectations as they themselves are demanding from me so they can practice their disgusting habits within smelling distance of my family. I highly doubt it. Rather they would be blustering, yelling and screaming, cussing and demanding me to halt what I am doing.

Even as they light one up and puff their smoke in my direction.

My rights do not matter; theirs do. And I am sorry to say I feel this is the manner our country is moving more and more each day. Dominate the meek and those who are non-confrontational in order to gain more ground. Force others to bend to your will. The companies who benefit from these vices and the politicians who back them by turning a blind eye towards the innocent while taking bribes from the companies who benefit are simply disgusting parasites on our country and it is time we took our country back, making it a better place to raise our children and live in than it currently is today. If we do not, we are telling our children and grandchildren we do not care a bit about them, we do not give a damn about their well being and health.

That they do not matter.

Can we live with that on our conscience? I can't. Can you?