hear, hear

A Caveat About My Support for Marijuana Legalization : Mike the Mad Biologist:

While I think the pros of legalization outweigh the cons (although I have no respect for those who pretend there are no downsides), there is one serious problem related to implementation. I've lived in apartments for much of my life, and living next to a cigarette smoker is awful. In my current building, before it became smoking-free, when the smoker (and his visiting friends) fired up, my living room smelled like smoke. Visitors thought I had started smoking. If I left a coat out overnight, it smelled like smoke. It was disgusting to eat while they were smoking. When I visited went out after being in the living room if Smokey and His Bandits had been around, I smelled like a smoker.

And that's before we get to the second-hand smoke health issue.

Which brings me to pot. As I noted, I am blessed (or cursed) with a good sense of smell. I really don't want to smell someone else's pot. I don't want my clothes (or hair) to smell like someone else's pot. That being said, I really don't mind if someone lights up outside, or in their own private, detached backyard (when the weather is nice, there's usually a couple different people smoking a joint in Commonwealth Park--more often than not, they're in business suits).

So, if Massachusetts legalizes marijuana, I want to see some very strict smoking guidelines for both tobacco and marijuana. Otherwise, I'm not for lifting the ban. As I say often around these parts, people have to like this crap--and I can say that smelling like a joint will be as distasteful as a cigarette.

I'm fortunate in that I can afford to find a non-smoking building, but many people can't afford it. Without some hardass smoking regulations, I'm not in favor of lifting the ban.