I'm afraid that it is such a big deal to some people, that smoking an occasional joint is enough to turn them off. I tend to not hang out or talk to anyone who breaks the law. If I find out someone is doing something criminal, I don't go any further...that is that. I am sure you think he is wonderful, I just don't befriend people like that. And, no, I don't know anyone at my work that does illegal activities. It is very frowned upon...maybe where you are? I am not sure. Again, I would be careful if you know of someone, they might not want the being passed around that the RCMP where you are smoke pot. lol
Please read my post with a little thought and reply when you can. I am always disturbed by views such as yours (and they are common) and do not want to start an argument but REALLY HONESTLY want to UNDERSTAND and get what your point of view is and where it comes from and why you have it.
I understand people being against someone who commits crimes that are immoral in their personal view. But to say you do not associate with ANYONE who has ever done anything criminal is (and PLEASE seriously don't take this personally) a very conditioned mind which gets its morality from the law which I see as an extremely troubling thing.
Your morality should come from a set of principles that you define for yourself and redefine throughout life due to your experiences in my point of view. What is it that makes you give that responsibility over to anyone or anything? That is what I want to understand. At what point do you say "well I CHOOSE not to think for myself to figure out what is right and wrong based on my view of the world and instead I will hand over that huge responsibility to ______" Fill in the blank, in your case the law.
To say you never question the law means that depending on which society you live in or which society you were born into you could be complicit (and I use the word knowing it's criminal references) in a whole host of HIGHLY immoral things. To not question certain laws is horrific. In certain countries it is law to stone people to death for adultery. It has been law for black people to be treated as inferior to white people. If nobody questioned the law we would have sexism and racism which were not just institutionalised or subtle but lead to horrific and murderous acts. Also laws mean that cannabis is totally decriminalised (holland and potentially California after november) or used for medical purposes (all over the states and canada) or an offence than you can get the death penalty for in certain countries.
I could start going through some of the acts which have been made possible from thinking like that but after the sexism, racism, holocaust, and all sorts of TERRIBLE things which have happened legally in so many countries throughout history and still happen today I think it's just a case of reading a couple of history book to know. So my question which I would LOVE to have answered is that how to you get to a place where defining your morality on the law is considered a moral thing?
We are society and the law is OURS. We existed before the law and we MADE the laws to help society function. Some of those laws are and have throughout history been incorrect/immoral. So why would anyone in this day and age choose to give the law precedence over their own mind?
In terms of mind altering substances. To me the act of criminalising an individual for smoking pot in their own home or in any manner which does not interfere with anyone else is the immoral act. Stop locking people up for having a joint. It's immoral to do so. In that case it is not the drug which is ruining lives but the law as these people are not a danger to society or themselves.