You might have heard last week that cereal giant Kellog’s has stopped sponsoring Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps because he [gasp] was caught smoking something in a bowl in a picture in a British tabloid. He hasn’t admitted to smoking pot, but it seems a little like Clinton saying he ‘didn’t have sexual relations with that woman.’

So who are some of Phelps other sponsors that could turn tail and run? AT&T, Powerbar, Omega, VISA and Speedo. Making matters worst, USA Swimming has suspended Phelps for three months.

Dave Winer, a self-admitted once upon a time (but no more) weed smoker, has one of the more reasoned takes I’ve read to date about the statement that Kellog should have made, rather than throwing Phelps under the chronic bus:

What a bunch of stinkers they are at Kellogg’s. They could score so many points by saying something like this: "We don’t encourage pot smoking, but we understand that some people do it. We have so many bigger problems to tackle in this country, and Michael Phelps is such an incredible young man and hero, we decided to be heroic ourselves, and cut him some slack, and keep him on the corn flakes box."

If I were working in the marketing department at General Mills, makers of the famous Wheaties cereal and Kellog major competitor, I’d suggest it was time to rally behind Michael Phelps and pick up his sponsorship.  General Mills has one of those rare marketing opportunities involving an incredible athlete and should consider not staying in the grand stands. They wouldn’t have to glorify pot smoking, but they could send the message that teamwork involves sticking by your teammates, something Kellog isn’t doing by distancing itself from someone they once supported.

Then again, they’re already ahead of Kellogg in the cereal wars, so they don’t have to take any risks entering the Phelps media maelstrom. They can sit back and let Kellogg take heat for getting behind a champion who allegedly smoked pot. The thing is Phelps doesn’t fit the stereotype of the lazy, out of work pot smoker in any shape or form.

Really let’s put the pot smoking allegation aside for a moment and look at what Michael Phelps has accomplished in the pool. It’s like looking at what Pete Rose did as a player.

Phelps the masterpiece of swimming tapestry 

Phelps did something no other human being has ever done before by amassing eight gold medals swimming in the freaking Olympics! Don’t know the last time any readers got in the pool, but swimming is hard, hard work. I get tired swimming one or two laps in the pool and I don’t smoke and barely drink. Swimming fast is a thousand times harder. Phelps defines the word champion. He deserves to be on Wheaties boxes and getting major sponsorship deals everywhere.

Now let’s talk pot. Ooooooo.

Pot isn’t evil

Why we haven’t decriminalized this drug is beyond me. Somebody can get wasted on beer, wine and hard liquor but gets in trouble for smoke a blunt? Strange. Let’s legalize marijuana, heck, General Mills and Kellogg both can make their own brands of weed and spend our tax dollars jailing the bigger criminals in the world.

As for the crazy talk about boycotting Kellog? Please. Over this dropping Phelps news Kellogg is showing they don’t have any stones but boycotting their many products because they are being politically correct? Equally dumb.

The time for marijuana legalization is coming

Someday soon – perhaps over the next 10 years - we’re going to see an uprising of companies and/or more major mainstream celebrities (not celebrities like Snoop Dogg or Cheech and Chong) stand up and say: enough is enough on marijuana being illegal. Jail should not be a place for pot smokers. And if you are ‘caught’ smoking pot somewhere where you can’t hurt anybody or anything, you shouldn’t be treated like you did something horrible. This could be the kind of change President Obama talked about. Wouldn’t it be something if marijuana was legalized under the Obama administration and it helped turn the tables on the national deficit? Don’t get too excited if you read the tea leaves in his inauguration speech. But hey, who knows.

But pot smoking is not, not, not cool everywhere all the time. If you are caught driving a vehicle and hurt somebody or their property while stoned, I have zero sympathy for what your sponsors or the police do to you. Yes, that includes Michael Phelps if he does smoke the stuff recreationally. Let’s not torture the guy for having a little fun.

Did this post make you go hmm?

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