Phelps: One Toke Over The Line!

Posted by Frankly Francis on February 16, 2009 under In The News | 9 Comments to Read

I feel compelled to comment upon the notorious dope smoking photo of US Mega Olympic Champion Michael Phelps – As a society, we seriously need to grow up.

Perhaps Michael Phelps smokes marijuana, perhaps he does not – I don’t care either way.  We do have a picture of him hitting a bong, which he apparently does not deny.

Michael Phelps Doing What He Does Best

Michael Phelps Doing What He Does Best

If it’s true, then we would all have to face the fact that you can win more gold medals in Olympic history and still smoke grass.

Is our civilization crumbling?  Is the sky falling?  Are we all lost?

When I was much younger, I realized that sooner or later, we would be able to rationally think through our position on marijuana and then re-legalize it.  I still feel that way, but had no idea that the “later” would be so much later.

Barney Fife

And to the Barney Fife Sheriff down there that has spent unbelievable amounts of money and manpower to get to the bottom of this heinous crime, I am truly glad that you are not my Sheriff.  I suspect that the victims of rape, murder, assault & robbery in your jurisdiction wish that they had received the same amount of dedication of time and resources as the Michael Phelps photograph.

Frankly,

Francis

  • yourfriendandy said,

    NIce article here Uncle Fran. I felt compelled to comment on this situation as well, writing an article on it. For whatever reason though, I decided not to publish it.

    To be honest, I have conflicting thoughts on the issue. Essentially they boil down to three main thoughts: 1) Hell yeah Mike Phelps! You do what you want, man!! 2) How can someone be prosecuted based on a photo? For all we know, he could have been smoking cat nip… 3) I hate it when celebrities get special treatment.

    Anyway, thanks for not being afraid to raise the flag in the name of ‘freedom of choice’ here in America.

  • Chris Kinkade said,

    Oh man do I agree with you. Like Bill Maher said, “Hey he smokes weed and he’s at the top of his game.” Like so many weed heads are!

    I think we should boycott Kelloggs for dropping him. What idiots.

  • Steve Headrick said,

    Convict on a photo in these days of Photoshop?
    Investigate this case for a month to POSSIBLY
    reap a fine and a misdemeanor charge? (good luck actually PROSECUTING this one!) This is such a huge waste of taxpayers’ money that the SHERRIFF should be prosecuted! Who cares if ANYBODY is shown in a picture
    holding paraphernalia like this? Maybe this Buford Pusser wannabee should go onto MySpace, and start trying to arrest all the kids from his jurisdiction who have videos of themselves doing the same thing? A total waste of time …. So Sad on SO many levels!

    As a former ‘Honor’ student, (“Yes, Your Honor, No Your Honor. No Contest, Your Honor”) I don’t think I’ve EVER seen someone SO confused about the laws they are supposed to be upholding and enforcing, let alone not even have a basic understanding of these laws, or the priorities that have been set in place for alotting manpower and resources for them. Can you impeach a sherriff? ….

    Michael Phelps is a role-model who slipped up, again* …
    I don’t think a crucifiction is in order … Do you?

    *His DUI bust in 2004 – “I made a mistake” part 1

  • Steve Headrick said,

    And the latest in the ‘case’ ….

    Sheriff: No charges for Phelps in bong photo
    February 16, 2009, 6:53 PM EST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) –

    A South Carolina sheriff decided Monday after a highly publicized investigation that he simply didn’t have enough physical evidence to charge the 14-time gold medalist.

    “We had a photo and we had him saying he was sorry for his inappropriate behavior. That behavior could’ve been going to a party,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said.

    “He never said, ‘I smoked marijuana.’ He never confessed that,” the sheriff said.

    The photo showed Phelps smoking from a marijuana pipe at a party in November when he visited the University of South Carolina.

    Lott said authorities seized the marijuana water pipe, known as a bong, in the photo during the investigation but couldn’t prove Phelps had smoked from it.

    Holding a bong is not a crime, he said.

    “They’re sold in stores. We’re kind of sending a double message,” Lott said. “You can buy rolling papers at any convenience store in the world, but we’re telling kids not to smoke dope.”

    And while the swimmer won’t face any charge, eight people were arrested during the investigation when a small amount of marijuana was found in raids on two homes. The bong was found in a car.

    Seven people have been charged with simple possession of marijuana, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail or a $575 fine. Another person was arrested for driving under suspension.

    The sheriff, known for his tough stance on drug crimes, said ignoring the photo would have sent a message of tolerance.

    Phelps’ “bad decision and the highly published photo placed me and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in a no-win situation. Ignore it and be criticized or address it and be criticized. I chose to do what was right,” said Lott, a Democrat who was first elected in 1996.

    Lott rose from patrol officer to captain of the narcotics division in the early 1990s. He was well-known in the county for wearing stylish suits like the drug agents on “Miami Vice” and driving a Porsche seized from a drug dealer.

    The sheriff said the investigation involved two narcotics officers that logged 25 hours over about a week. He said the house where the November party took place and another suburban home near Columbia had previously been investigated for drugs.

    His investigation was criticized in newspaper editorials, on talk shows and by defense attorneys who questioned whether the sheriff was being overzealous because of Phelps’ celebrity status.

    Even if the sheriff had the evidence needed, he acknowledged he could not force Phelps to return to South Carolina to face a misdemeanor possession charge.

    One of the attorneys representing the three students arrested said the accused were all in their early 20s. Attorney Dick Harpootlian said the police kicked in the doors with guns drawn during the raids and found less than a cigarette’s worth of marijuana in the house where the party was held. The other raid netted about four or five cigarettes worth, Harpootlian said.

    The lawyer expects his clients to either have the charge dismissed or for them to get a conditional discharge, which allows an offender to avoid punishment as long as they comply with certain conditions for six months and stay out of trouble.

    “We hope these kids are treated the same as any other kids,” he said.

  • Marshall said,

    I don’t know about legalizing it!

    I personally don’t see anything wrong with trying weed..
    But making a big case or putting Phelps in jail or even charging him is BS!
    I say sell it in Pharms – tax it like cigars and be done with it! NYS could use the money!
    Maybe use the tax money to build prisons for the Pols!

  • User Loser said,

    You really know that some people priorities are completely upside down. There are people looting the treasury there are all these senseless wars. And all this crap about drugs keeps popping up and all this gay crap. Society has a lot of things to worry about before you get to drugs. The funniest part is that it’s the legal drugs that do the most harm. More people die from prescription drugs that Schedule 1 drugs…So maybe the pushers we should worry about are those damn doctors.

  • Justin S. said,

    I’m absolutely appalled that such a hero would stoop so low as to experiment with marijuana! What a crock…

    I don’t blame Phelps for pulling the old Clintonesque “I did not inhale” routine considering the position he is in, and the laughable reefer madness light in which pot is looked upon by ultra-conservative clowns and the ignorant masses…but just think what a wonderful unofficial spokesperson for Cannabis that Phelps could make…especially if he brings home even more gold in 2012.

    One of the comments above suggests a boycott of Kellog’s. Not a bad idea…their Raisin Bran turns to mush too quickly anyway.

  • David said,

    my concern is how does it go from a picture on line to Cops showing up at your house… ???

  • fahrrad said,

    Dies ist ein gro