Who found himself in a pot-related squabble worth the size of Mount Rushmore! Here is a kid, yes a kid let’s not forget he is only 23 years old except that he has this huge saddle of responsibility dumped on his back just because he excelled on what he does best. A kid with everything going for him, so they say, who cannot partake in one of the “joys” of college campus; suddenly he is a hero, a role model kids can look up to. Ok, whatever you say. I wonder what happened to your own daddy!

C’mon, let’s face it, it is just pot people, no biggy; nothing major I assume; just some kid trying to have a good time with his homies (so called) or at least he assumed they were, packed with cell phones and cameras (signs of the time we live in; a regrettable atmosphere to say the least.). I mean whatever happened to “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”? Whatever happened to when celebrities were able to gracefully take pictures without worries or reprisals that their most compromising poses would appear on any of the handful gossip (legit they are still not to me) websites?

The new celebrities became slaves of the new age we have created. We tag along like mummified corpuses obsessed with anything celebrity.   They can do no wrong but we keep forgetting that they are humans as we. If I were a celebrity thank God I am not, I would be considered a mock like Jessica Alba. She hardly smiles (well, she is doing it a lot lately ever since the birth of her child), indicative that perhaps, she is not amused neither enjoys being the “cover girl”. I bet Michael can’t even clean his lips with his underwear; someone will hear about it. Let the guy have some fun.

What is the commotion? My old suitemate, along with the basketball players, used to do it all the time. Granted, she was suspended for bad grades after two semesters – I wonder where she is now – but the parties were endless. All I heard across the room were a bunch of happy people. The fact of the matter is marijuana should not be allowed in college campus period but it is, and unless college administrators intend to rid the dorms of the bad behavior, it will always be there.

On the other hand, he should have known better that there is always danger lurking and its consequences. Then again when you are that young, your judgment is hampered by your infantilism. We don’t have to pretend that we are grown at that age because we aren’t.

Now, his once youth indiscretion has tarnished his reputation and turned into a situation not to take lightly; you are no longer a young kid but an adult who no longer holds the envelope of excuses my friend! You by design became a role model by default after winning eight gold medals. You now rub elbows with the big leagues and since you have been placed in that pedestal, you are regarded as God and can no longer afford hiccups. By virtue you became this big person and a paradigm for young people – as if they did not have anyone in their family (then again who wants to be like a screw up member of the family?). You are just a kid (who can procreate, so ???). You now walk on high waters, everyone worships you and your dog, bend in and out for your graces but as you have learned, the minute you sneeze, oh Lord, you are dead. You become one appalling individual, persona non grata with callous and cynical characters disregarding you as a human being prune to mistakes. So, here you have; welcome to fame and fortune, the life of a celebrity; hopefully you learned your lesson.

Funny, my girlfriend told me the other day that her grandfather is using medicinal marijuana to help him cope with his disease. At first I found myself laughing uncontrollably than the seriousness of the issue settled in immediately.  But the whole scenario is amusing. I pictured the elder man sitting in his porch, rocking his chair and enjoying his joint… No, my friend’s granddad is pretty sick so, he is not rocking anything but according to her, he did a one eighty ever since he started using. So, buzz off; take one for the herb.

Yet, how hypocritical! There are countless of other 23 years old, just like Michael who are no longer considered kids but adults who are not only paying the price of humiliation but incarcerated just for marijuana violations. They are not getting a pass; they are not going to treatment but to jail instead not because of their second but their first indiscretions. Would he be getting the same treatment if he was Hussein Bolton of Jamaica? I wonder! Perhaps, it would have been a different story altogether; a not so settled media uproar that would have broken and shaken the world; a not so tamed scandal that would have left some to mutter that they are not surprised.  C’mon, if you are you or me and if the police stops us and finds a little joint in the car, we are dead! We are apprehended, handcuffed and thrown in the slammer to rotten unless we are able to afford a good lawyer.

The thing is he was not be forced to give up his medal, the Olympic committee just handed him his so deserving (slap) punishment– three months suspension and only lost a few endorsements. While others were indicted, he has gotten a free pass. Second chances are hard to come by so he better take advantage of it. The fact of the matter is that weed is an illegal substance; there is no question about it. I am pretty sure Michael Phelps has learned his lesson; I mean, after this and the DUI, there better not be a next! He has done the two heinous tolerable by court of public opinion; one more and he is dead. Capiche?!