Every state has a legislature. Every year, they get together and come up with new laws & rules & budgets. There are always a couple laws that stand out, and this time around in New Mexico, it centers around smoking. All right, I should also mention that the legislature finally banned cockfighting, but I wager people will continue to fight with their cocks (just not so publicly).

Back to smoking. The first law has to do with cigarette smoking. Already banned in government buildings and restaurants, smoking will also be banned in all buildings and bars as of June 1. The only exempt places are private clubs, casinos, tobacco shops, cigar bars & the privacy of your own home. Smoking cigarettes is bad for your health, and second hand smoke is bad as well. We will now all be healthy.

The second law has to do with smoking marijuana. It is now legal for terminally ill patients top light up a 'J' to ease the pain, increase their appetite, and and feel a little groovy at the end of all things. The bill was originally defeated in the house, but a few phone calls from the governor changed enough votes on the second attempt. Smoking marijuana is good for you, but only when you're going to die soon. We will now all die stoned.

Oh, how far this country has come in fifty years! We used to smoke cigarettes anywhere and everywhere. It was in our movies, on our TVs, part of our dinner, an American pastime, and great cash crop for the South. It is my personal opinion that if we smoked one rolled tobacco cigarette a day that our brains would be a little sharper, our waistlines would be a little thinner, and yes, we would all look cooler.

Unfortunately, cigarette companies are flat out evil, adding nasty chemicals and creating addicts of the simple tobacco plant. Packs are sold with twenty cigarettes. 20! I don't take twenty of anything a day. No one should. Yet, those packs encourage such a commitment. We all know smoking too much is unhealthy. We've always known it. Really, these new laws are punishing the addicts more than the tobacco companies, but hey, marijuana smokers have been dealing with legalities all their lives.

As cigarette smoking gets worse and worse for you, it appears that marijuana is becoming healthier. While the truth is that neither is correct, we've demonized pot smoking for so long that it seems like an overreaction. There are good attributes to smoking marijuana. It's a mood stabilizer, it increases appetite, it even kills the pain a bit. You can't overdose on it (you just fall asleep). Smoking marijuana is not that bad for you. We've always known that. Pot advocates make a lot of money off the black market trade, and now they are able to use lobbyists to pay politicians to "consider" the good side of the wacky weed.

I don't smoke cigarettes, but as a cab driver, I let people light up in my cab. There is a mellowness that comes when people puff on the tobacco. They call it a dry drunk. It's really calming and feeds the addiction nicely. I get secondhand smoke from the puffers, but I must say I'm a little more alert after they leave my cab. I just keep the windows down for a few minutes to air out for the next customer. I am a pot smoker, but I don't let anyone (even me) smoke weed in the cab. It's still a covert illegal activity, and I'm going to deal with that while I'm working.

Smoking cigarettes has gone down in general over the last decades. Even bars have changed from the walls of hazy smoke they used to be. Now, they will have to be totally smoke free. We don't want that secondhand smoke offending alcoholics. Now we will have the pleasure of actually smelling the funkiness of all the drinkers in the bar.

I'm not sure if pot smoking has gone up in recent years, but the quality of marijuana has definitely gone up. Getting the high grade is much easier than it used to be, and for me, it is preferred. I smoke less, get less of the common side effects, and I feel a little better as I approach death. By the way, we're all going to die, so that pretty much makes all of us terminal cases.

So there you have it. Marijuana good. Tobacco bad. That's the way things are going today. I can't say I mind the switch as it favors my lifestyle. I don't think tobacco is the devil and pot is the savior. There are benefits to smoking tobacco and drawbacks to smoking marijuana. Don't fool yourself with extremist thoughts. Don't believe you are somehow healthier because of a lack of secondhand smoke. Non-smokers die just as much as smokers. If you're really concerned about the smoke in the air, you might start thinking about all that car exhaust & pollution.

Oh wait, that's a whole other set of laws, and we'll have to wait for a whole other year.

Chris Jungle breathes the air he is given.