July 1 carried extra significance in two states this year. In Nevada, it marked the first day recreational use of marijuana was legal. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, liquor sales on Sunday were permitted for the first time in the state’s history. Now my question to you is: Which type of change threatens remodelers’ on-the-job safety more?
I raise this question because I believe the relaxation of pot laws nationwide (see our special report) can’t be viewed on its own but rather must be considered as part of the trend toward personal freedom that both benefits and bedevils our society. Ninety years ago, blue laws kept stores closed on the Sabbath, Prohibition blocked liquor from flowing legally, and universities’ in loco parentis policies barred boys from visiting girls’ dorms. Except at the racetrack, gambling was underground; even Nevada didn’t legalize it until 1931. Marijuana was banned in most states. And the just-launched Motion Picture Production Code meant crime never paid and married couples couldn’t be shown sleeping in the same bed.
It took decades for things to change-—North Carolina still barred liquor sales in restaurants in 1978, for instance—but once the barriers fell (and governments learned how much revenue they could generate from “sin taxes”), the changes started coming faster and faster. Now it’s marijuana’s turn to storm the gates.
Freedom is a wonderful thing, but it puts two requirements on us. First, it demands we think about why we do what we do. I remember how people were perplexed when the Second Vatican Council told Roman Catholics they could eat meat on Friday but should find another way to remember Christ that day. Many Catholics had forgotten why they always had eaten fish on Friday and were stymied by their newly granted power to choose for themselves.
Second, the granting of freedom brings with it a responsibility for individuals to control themselves when what they’re doing could hurt others. Those limits should apply to drinking, gambling, sex, and now marijuana. It’s up to you to help your workers understand that pot may now be legal, but irresponsible behavior still remains taboo.