Maureen Dowd Responds To Cannabis Advocates With Pro Legalization Stance After Backlash


New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd recently came under fire for her almost hysterical article about her experience with some reefer candy. Dowd purchased cannabis from a legal dispensary and proceeded to eat said cannabis candy in her hotel room. The account of Maureen’s high that followed is both comical and concerning to cannabis legalization advocates.

NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) spokesman Erik Altieri commented on Dowd’s reaction to her reefer. Altieri notes in his interview with jimromenesko.com that while Maureen’s reaction caused an “unpleasant evening, no lasting damage was done.” He feels Dowd is lucky that her encounter took place with marijuana instead of another substance as marijuana is natural and cannot cause a lethal overdose. Altieri does hope that this incident brings more light to the issue of education direct to the consumer. All consumers should be given the correct information and tools to make an informed choice.

Advocate Matt Brown, co-founder of the travel agency Dowd used during her excursion, expressed in an interview with The Cannabist that he feels that the experience of Dowd could have been vastly different if laws were more lax on marijuana.

“All of the problems that happened in her hotel room as she’s breaking off pieces of the infused candy bar… there’s something missing. When she was learning how to drink alcohol she could have seen other adults using moderation and other adults in bars puking and making an a** out of themselves — because it’s enjoyed communally and legally in bars. How do we have events and hotel rooms that are more open to this?”

Maureen took a couple days to digest the backlash to her article and officially released a statement to The Cannabist on June 5th. Dowd recognizes that her desire for fun may have overshadowed her perception of the risks. Surprisingly, Maureen Dowd notes that even after her brush with perceived death, she is pro-legalization of cannabis. However, Dowd also states that “given all the tourists streaming into Colorado, it would be better to err on the side of conservative cautions.” In other words, tourists need to heed the warnings given in the dispensary and use their better judgement.

This isn’t the first time Dawd has been stuck in a hotel room under media scrutiny. In 2008, Dawd made headlines when she was tossed from presidential candidate McCain’s plane.

What do you think of Dowd’s response? Is Maureen Dowd really pro legalization and decriminalization of weed,or just trying to save face after the internet fire storm?

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