Are potheads now a protected class?.That seems to be the gist of reaction to a notice posted recently at several locations of the YMCA of Greater Springfield..In any other age of American history, the news stories appearing all over the place would focus on how parents are arriving at the Y reeking of marijuana when they drop off their kids or pick them up. That's what the notice says, and no one has come forward publicly to say it isn't true..But no, the stories are all about how the Y official who wrote the notice is apologizing for it..To be sure, the notice is heavy-handed. It threatens, for instance, contacting the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, which ought to be a last resort in almost any imaginable circumstance. Starting a process that could end with the government taking away kids from their parents is never a good idea unless the situation is dire..Parents might find the notice's recommendation to perform a "Smell Check" before coming to the Y insulting. But then, if you smell like marijuana when you arrive to pick up your kids from swimming lessons or playing basketball, maybe a little insult might wake you up..And yet ….Check out the reaction of the president of the YMCA of Greater Springfield to the marijuana posting, as reported by The Boston Globe: "It's really not a good representation of who we are.".From context, he appears to be recoiling from the idea of appearing to say something negative about marijuana..From his vehemence ("I was fuming …"), you'd almost think his colleague at the Y who wrote the notice had cast aspersions on someone's race or national origin..But smoking weed is a long way from an immutable characteristic. It's also not a positive or neutral thing..Even those who are fond of the adults-will-be-adults argument ought to acknowledge the obvious when it comes to youngsters..Is using marijuana recreationally around kids ever a good idea?.Why wouldn't the YMCA, which serves lots of kids, want to discourage anybody from coming into its facilities smelling like marijuana?.Using marijuana to get high is now legal in Massachusetts, as is buying and selling it for that purpose. That doesn't make it right..Marijuana impairs performance and judgment and destroys memory. Anyone associated with kids ought to be discouraging it..The Y's original notice ought to be rephrased and reposted.
Are potheads now a protected class?.That seems to be the gist of reaction to a notice posted recently at several locations of the YMCA of Greater Springfield..In any other age of American history, the news stories appearing all over the place would focus on how parents are arriving at the Y reeking of marijuana when they drop off their kids or pick them up. That's what the notice says, and no one has come forward publicly to say it isn't true..But no, the stories are all about how the Y official who wrote the notice is apologizing for it..To be sure, the notice is heavy-handed. It threatens, for instance, contacting the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, which ought to be a last resort in almost any imaginable circumstance. Starting a process that could end with the government taking away kids from their parents is never a good idea unless the situation is dire..Parents might find the notice's recommendation to perform a "Smell Check" before coming to the Y insulting. But then, if you smell like marijuana when you arrive to pick up your kids from swimming lessons or playing basketball, maybe a little insult might wake you up..And yet ….Check out the reaction of the president of the YMCA of Greater Springfield to the marijuana posting, as reported by The Boston Globe: "It's really not a good representation of who we are.".From context, he appears to be recoiling from the idea of appearing to say something negative about marijuana..From his vehemence ("I was fuming …"), you'd almost think his colleague at the Y who wrote the notice had cast aspersions on someone's race or national origin..But smoking weed is a long way from an immutable characteristic. It's also not a positive or neutral thing..Even those who are fond of the adults-will-be-adults argument ought to acknowledge the obvious when it comes to youngsters..Is using marijuana recreationally around kids ever a good idea?.Why wouldn't the YMCA, which serves lots of kids, want to discourage anybody from coming into its facilities smelling like marijuana?.Using marijuana to get high is now legal in Massachusetts, as is buying and selling it for that purpose. That doesn't make it right..Marijuana impairs performance and judgment and destroys memory. Anyone associated with kids ought to be discouraging it..The Y's original notice ought to be rephrased and reposted.
