Tone it down

Marijuana, weed, Mary Jane, kush, zol, jets… Call it whatever you like, but what's a definite is the presence the herb has had on the music scene as far back as anyone can remember.

Whether the substance should be legalised or not has always been a controversial topic and continues to divide public opinion all over the world. But that is not the point of this piece. What is, rather, is how disappointing it is that so many artists in Namibia fail to prepare adequately for interviews and performances, instead sparking one before professional commitments – which does not always work in their favour.

I've noticed this tendency for a while now and to be frank, it's annoying. I've had interviews with artists only for them to send long voice notes later, explaining why I should not quote them on certain things they said or adding to what we discussed already. As much as most of these artists are grown men and women, I blame their managers for allowing them to smoke the herb before important engagements.

In music, managers play the role of parents to artists they work with, thus we can all agree that an adult giving a child weed or a sedative has nothing to do with the substance and everything to do with the deranged person who would allow something like that.

A parent (and I'm referring to music managers here) who dispenses marijuana is just as likely to do other reckless things like physically abusing their child (the artist), starving them, destroying their self-esteem or neglecting them.

You know what else is dangerous to children when not regulated? Chocolate. Paper. Scissors. Pretty much everything on this earth is a potential danger to an impressionable and inquisitive mind, and artists are no different. The point in such an action is more proof of irresponsible artist management and bad judgement than it is a statement about the accessibility or dangers of weed.

Like I stated earlier on, this article isn't about whether weed should be legalised or not. It's about artists who abuse it in settings that require them to be sober. I know I am probably going to get a lot of calls and texts for writing this and you know how stoners are, they will go on and on about how weed is not harmful, how the herb has inspired a lot of content in popular music and why it should be legalised.

If I may comment on that, legalising weed will entail limiting the dangers a black market presents, where dealers are known to add unnatural and potentially dangerous substances to the herb. Licensed buyers and sellers would be bound to certain regulations, as with any store or retail outlet that sells any product. However, I believe weed shouldn't be legalised because it is too dangerous to be readily available.

But what about your freedom to pursue your private endeavours, right? Well, sorry.

History has shown us that free will will always need to be regulated. If artists could be trusted to use their freedom responsibly, we wouldn't need artist managers to step in and ensure that they are on time and say the right things in their interviews.

So, is restricting artists (or anyone, for that matter) from smoking a plant-based drug a violation of their freedom? In theory, yes.

But given the fact that we already suffer from the inability to keep alcohol away from children, fatal accidents every day and broken homes, we cannot afford to make the same mistake with marijuana. So until artists can manage their issues, their right to smoke before media interviews is denied.



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