I have received credible information about some judges in these parts being prone to taking children from their families if they find that mom or dad smoke the demon weed.
Perhaps some retro blackrobes believe the 1936 propaganda film (and kitschy cult classic) “Reefer Madness.”
Longtime readers know I’m a conservative when it comes to smoking. You should never put anything in your lungs that doesn’t absolutely need to be there.
Medical marijuana is fine by me. As to all the rest, grandma was right: Don’t smoke. Anything. At freakin’ all. There are already plenty of pollutants in the air from the likes of auto and airplane exhausts, power plants, forest fires and many more.
No matter why you light up, keep the fallout away from others, especially children.
Reefer madness has long cost Nevada adults serious prison time. The amount of long-lasting residual marijuana deemed to cause driving impairment is both miniscule and fluid. There just isn’t very good research equivalent to the .08 (eight-tenths of one percent) blood-level standard of alcohol.
The most mentioned number is two nanograms. “Nano” means “billion” so two nanoseconds comprise two-billionths of one second and two nanograms are two-billionths of a gram. How small is that? Might as well try to answer the ancient religious question about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
So the penalties for the demon weed often lie with the prejudices of judges and prosecutors. That arbitrariness constitutes cartoon justice.
MR. EQUALITY AND JUSTICE IS DEAD. Jake Highton died of a heart attack on August 7.
I recently placed Jake in the Barbwire Molly Ivins Memorial Columniator Hall of Flames, an exclusive club with just two entry requirements. Your writing must have serious impact. And you gotta be dead.
“Only six Nevadans stand immoralized therein,” I wrote last April 4. “It’s time to waive the rules for a lucky seventh, my longtime Sparks Tribune colleague in columny Jake Highton. His widely published and prolific writings pale in comparison to his impact on generations of UNR journalism students. Every one I’ve met or labored alongside remarked upon Jake’s awesome influence.
“So welcome aboard, old son. You’re Lucky No. 7 while still around to enjoy it. We’ll work on the Nevada Press Association HOF right after Don Dondero gets voted in.”
Jake now rides eternally with the Magnificent 7. Long may he run.
YOUR DON THANKS YOU. My sincere gratitude goes to readers who called or wrote the Nevada Press Association Board of Directors ahead of the Aug. 4 hall of fame vote. It’s my sincere hope that erstwhile Tribune and world-famed photographer Don Dondero (1920-2003) finally receives long overdue respect. We’ll know soon if there will be a larger than usual delegation to the NPA state convention next month in Carson City, Dondero’s home town.
I hope so because we have to work for Jake’s installation next year. He will nonetheless be remembered at the event.
You will find selected Highton columns and articles from other publications linked to the expanded online edition of this column at NevadaLabor.com/
Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)
Andrew Barbano is a 48-year Nevadan and editor of NevadaLabor.com. E-mail <barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us> Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Tribune since 1988.
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