Surfing my YouTube channel yesterday I was offered a clip of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson preforming Okie from Muskogee. Feeling some boomer nostalgia, I clicked the link and was immediately transported to another place and time. A small bar with a local band playing and when they launched into Okie there were cheers with grins and knowing winks among the crowd who reveled in being cognoscenti in what was then a very illegal and controversial topic.
Wow. Has that song aged poorly. Click the link and see what your emotions tell you.
From the opening line our brain is rattled by cognitive dissonance. Of course they smoke weed in Oklahoma! Admittedly, you need a medical marijuana license in that particular state, but it is fully legal in the majority of US states and in Canada. Cannabis use has never been so acceptable and I’m sure a goodly number of Muskogee citizens agree. Bill Maher brags about it constantly on mainstream TV.
So, what is a “draft card”? Why would you burn one?
Then the song claims they don’t let their hair grow long and shaggy in Muskogee and at that line, Willie Nelson steps on stage.
I like the song. I liked the memories, but it did seem kinda out of touch in 2024.
Today, I listened to a podcast on the topic ( weed, not Willie) and wondered if this is another example of the pendulum swinging from one extreme to another. There is little doubt that the ferocious attacks on pot in the 1960’s were overblown and unduly hurt a lot of people. Have we moved a little too far the other way?
The long-standing government opposition to cannabis and its continued status as an illegal substance under federal law has prevented research into the benefits and dangers of cannabis use. Considering the controversy and the popularity of marijuana over the last 60 years, it is shocking how little scientific information is available about its use, benefits and problems. As illegality is easing, more research is being conducted although still much hampered by US federal laws. The findings are not always rosy.
I thought the following podcast on the topic brought to light some information people may not have considered. If you have any interest in the topic, or young children, have a listen.
One personal anecdote related to the topic is that at a music festival I attended a few years ago, someone tried to light up a cigarette in the non-smoking area of the festival grounds, which was basically everywhere. The crowd pretty much erupted. No one got physical but it was made clear to the offender that the abhorrent act of tobacco smoking would not be tolerated. It was against the rules, and don’t they understand the dangers of second-hand smoke?
Later that evening as the main acts began their sets, the aroma of weed began filtering over the crowd. No one said a thing. Cannabis is harmless and to say otherwise is decidedly uncool.