Weed Lifestyle

Could Legal Cannabis Combat Stadium Violence?, Source: http://cdn.theweek.co.uk/sites/theweek/files/styles/theweek_gallery_main_image/public/1_fighting.jpg?itok=Ap0W9dmRI make no secret of my love for the NFL, and the San Francisco 49ers, in particular. In the last few weeks, there have been violent attacks at 49er games. With one such attack happening in a bathroom at Levi’s stadium between 49er fans, leaving one man potentially paralyzed, it really has gotten out of control.

Stadium violence is not a new thing in the world of sports fandom. There are always a few douche-canaries who ruin it for the rest of the fans. The common thread between fans and violence is, unsurprisingly, alcohol. It is almost always involved when these types of incidents occur. Alcohol has a long history of elevating aggression and dissolving inhibitions. While a lack of inhibition may be funĀ at times, when your inner voice is too busy puking in an Ikea box to tell you not to start a fight, bad things are on the horizon.

It got me thinking about what might be done to curb this blood-lust. The first thing that comes to mind is getting alcohol out of the stadiums. But, considering the storied relationship between booze and pro-sports, and the ludicrous amount of money that advertising and drink purchases bring in, that’s not likely to happen.

I do, however, wonder what might happen if cannabis could be consumed and purchased at stadiums. Cannabis is basically the anti-alcohol when it comes to how it affects your behavior. Far from increasing aggression and removing inhibition, cannabis tends to create a sense of peace and oneness that makes it pretty damn hard to want to fight someone, especially over a game. And inhibitions? I would argue it makes the user much more cautious and careful.

Wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of rushing out at halftime to pound a few beers and potentially start a fist fight because someone has a different colored shirt on, you casually smoked a bowl and calmly spoke with other fans?

Look, I’m not saying that everyone who drinks turns into a maniac, that’s not fair to say. Most people drink and behave just fine. Most people aren’t trying to fight others. But, people like to intoxicate themselves at sporting events. Perhaps if we just give them another, safer option, we can minimize the likelihood of violence. You’ll never eliminate this element completely, but we can mitigate the amount of damage it can wreak.

Plus, how groovy would it be to kick back in your stadium chair and roast a J while watching your favorite team play?