Westword
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Dear Stoner: I’ve been doing Sober October with my girlfriend and a few friends. One of our friends who’s participating said he smokes weed since he’s not drinking, and we think he’s cheating. Can you smoke weed and still be sober?
Roberto
Dear Roberto: Does it matter? This reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Kramer participates in an AIDS charity walk but gets jumped by other participants for not wearing a commemorative ribbon on his shirt.
You know what you are? You’re a sober bully.
Jacqueline Collins
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The point of Sober October is to abstain from alcohol for a month; there’s no mention of cannabis. If your buddy has been smoking seven joints a day since October started, you might have a point. But if he’s only lighting up sometimes or taking a pre-sleep toke, what difference is it to you? He’s not out there drinking and driving, getting into bar fights or making aggressive judgment calls on weed, that’s for sure.
There’s a conversation to be had about the definitions of sober, California sober (which is what your friend is doing) and other levels of non-drinking lifestyles. But if you’re mad at your friend for not being straight-edge, I’m on his side – unless this involves a bet and there’s money on the line, of course.
Send questions to marijuana@westword.com.
