How Stupid Can Young People Be? - Spain, Morocco and Marijuana

How Stupid Can Young People Be? - Spain, Morocco and Marijuana

Young people can be real stupid. Mea culpa. In 1967 at the age of 23, I took my first trip to Europe - Spain. My parents and sister lived there in Seville, not far from  Moron Air Base. A Civilian Personnel officer for the Dept. of Defense, my father had decided to take this position and move there being fed up with New York and America in general. He should be living here now, right?

So, off I went on a TWA 747 with 2 bags of marijuana in the front pockets of my jeans. Told you young people can be real stupid. Not only that, I mailed them back APO through the military post office to my P. O. Box address in Winona, Minnesota. You can do that in those days. Still stupid. When I saw the movie ‘Midnight Express’ about a young naive American college kid caught with marijuana in Turkey and his horrible ordeal, I cringed. It could have been me. I thought God was protecting me; He wanted me to be writing these books later in life.  I went to Morocco, just a short trip from Algeciras, a city near Gibraltar. College students went there to cop some hashish in Marrakesh. I didn’t; just wanted to see Morocco. Hashish is the drug of choice in Europe as compared to Marijuana in America.

I met a gentleman in the street who looked like a businessman. He recognized me as a young Spanish fellow, and very surprised to find I was American. He spoke English, Spanish, Arabic and who knows what else. So many people in this part of the world speak many languages. After a short conversation and realizing I was an American graduate school student, he figured I was probably about all the other naive Americans looking for some drugs. He then pointed out to me the fellows sitting in the streets up against the buildings. They were disheveled, dirty, hands shaking, and obviously destitute. “See that?” he said. “Hashish! Losers!” He continued, “ Drugs have been in this part of the world for thousands of years. You Americans have just discovered it. It is no good for you and only for losers.” I got the message. I did stop with the recreational drugs shortly after that as an attribution to growing up, especially after starting to teach in the Minneapolis schools. Have had mixed feelings about drugs ever since. Well, it is for youngsters, I’d say to myself, let them experiment and have fun. No longer do I believe that. Drugs are no good, period.  It is un-Christian. Oh, I joke about it. Will feign a hit for a laugh once in awhile. I’m no square is the message. But really, drugs are no good.

Galatians 5:21 “Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things

like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those

who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your

adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion,

seeking someone to devour.”

My understanding is that marijuana and hashish are a lot stronger today than yesteryear. And with it comes more incidences of related drug use, poor academic and job performance, and cognitive deficits. Plus excessive use can lead to hereditary defects, immune system defects, loosening of inhibitions and anti-social behaviors. All scientifically proven. Strong doses and prolonged use can lead to psychosis. I know an 82 year old life long marijuana user whose doctors keep telling him to stop using it as they claim it is the cause of his addiction, psychosis and need for prescriptions. “Nonsense,” he says. “I’m OK; I’ve been using marijuana all my life.” Exactly -case closed.  BTW, shame to the medical profession and professionals who do not speak up against it.  

Are our bodies and minds our own to abuse as we please? Can we face our future without intoxications? Are there other ways than drugs to help develop our character and human potential? Dr. Gregory Bottaro in his book“The Mindful Catholic”, calls all to grow in personal awareness and self -discipline through three actions: being sober, alert and mindful. He calls it mindfulness, the need to spend each and every day being aware of the present moment and accepting it. Mindfulness is a practical approach to trust God so as to feel the safety and security God intends for us. I look at it this way. You pray the Lord’s Prayer and you will be as high as you could ever be. Marijuana only distorts thinking. God intends for us to be mindful by taking responsibility for ourselves. By being mindful, we master our emotions rather than being mastered by them. By being mindful, we live by faith rather than by fear and anxiety. Mindfulness also allows us to be more decisive in our lives, standing for our convictions. Finally, when mindful we become individuals who look for growth challenges, and to become better versions of ourselves. I call this maturity and character development. Drugs have nothing to do with maturity and character development; it is adolescent.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Do you not know that you are

God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone

destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's

temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he

cares for you.”

Not marijuana.

Sources:

Baglino, Michael J. The Dr. B. Reader on the Ologies: Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology. New York: Penguin Writers, 2023.