High Times on Capitol Hill

Eleven congressional pages were fired after admitting to smoking marijuana at an April 27 party in Washington, DC, then smuggling the drugs back to the House dorm on Capitol Hill.

Authorities confronted the 11 pages on Monday, April 29, after receiving a tip from another member of the program. The accused admitted guilt and were promptly dropped from the program.

While top legislators expressed shame and embarrassment at the incident, several other of our future leaders seem comfortable with the idea. "It's [marijuana] no big deal. I mean, who hasn't--Democrat or Republican--who hasn't had the occasional recreational joint? If they knew the truth, they would have to fire most of us," a female page remarked to me. She added that most of her peers were sympathetic to the offenders. A morning email circulated around the senate referred derisively to the woman who reported the drug activity, labeling her a "snitch."

Such remarks belie a growing naiveté about the dangers of drug use. According to a Partnership for a Drug-Free America survey, there has been a 20% decrease over the past ten years in the number of teens who regard marijuana as "harmful." The finding mirrors a dramatic increase in illicit drug use amongst teens since 1992.

That year, President Clinton took office amidst claims that he experimented with marijuana in college. "I didn't inhale" said the president, who later added, "I wish I had inhaled," during an appearance on MTV. The pop-culture president giggled. Young people applauded.

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