Hoser Reefer Madness!

by Mark Steyn
Steyn on the Oakley Show
October 17, 2018

https://www.steynonline.com/8919/hoser-reefer-madness

On the day Canada legalized "recreational" marijuana, Steyn kept his midweek date with Toronto's peerless drivetime host John Oakley on Toronto's Radio 640. Aside from pot, Mark and John also talked sinister Saudis and related subjects. Click below to listen:

As you can hear above, in memory of Mark's late feline friend John played out with "She Only Talks That Way to the Cat". We thank you for all the kind comments about TJ, especially from those struggling with pet health issues of their own.

~For that brave band who prefer Steyn in vision, on Thursday he'll be with Tucker Carlson live across the fruited plain at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific. Hope you'll tune in!

For those Ontario radio listeners who enjoy Mark's visits to the Oakley show, we hope to see a few of you at Mark's live appearances with the great Dennis Miller in western New York and Pennsylvania. We know at least one Montrealer coming to the Rochester show, but, if you're almost anywhere on the QEW, it's really a lot closer. And Kingston (or even Ottawa) isn't that inconvenient for the Miller/Steyn Syracuse gig. Mark Steyn Club first-month Founding Member Denise Hanlon is looking forward to the latter show:

Just bought 10 tickets for Syr. We are very excited!

Thanks, Denise. See you on the big night!

The Mark Steyn Club is now well into its second year, and, if you're finally getting round to maybe perhaps possibly considering becoming a member, please see here - and don't forget our special Gift Membership. We are grateful for the support of all our friends around the world - from London, Ontario to London, England, to London, Kiribati - and look forward to welcoming many more in the months ahead.

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20 Reader Comments

Felicity • Jan 2, 2019 at 18:23

I missed that very sad news about TJ, somehow. So sorry for your loss of your beloved cat. He might have been old and fat and ugly but cats have a way of tugging at your heart strings. I have three of them at present, all strays, and all grateful for that second chance as shown by the affection and companionship they give back.

James Morphew • Oct 19, 2018 at 12:50

All right, In TJ's honor, and out of respect for Mark, I'm ordering that darn Cat album. I have his books, some gift certificates, but the Cat album was a claw too far. Until now.

David from Florida • Oct 18, 2018 at 20:30

Legalized marijuana in Canada? Is it too late to buy Tim Horton's stock or a Papa Jaques pizza franchise?

George Pazin • Oct 18, 2018 at 19:44

If I were the crown prince, I would announce that I was appointing a special counsel to look into the Khashoggi affair and say, we'll let you know the results when the investigation is complete....

No good guys in the story indeed....

Marcus Everett • Oct 18, 2018 at 12:40

The attempt to deny the use of various drugs to the individual creates a problem in several ways. Human desire is always augmented by denial, especially among the young. Thus the law denying use is in fact a significant contributory factor in increasing the demand for drugs. This artificially high demand, which cannot be met by a legal market supply, generates a highly profitable opportunity for the criminal element. The government, in its misguided enforcement of drug laws, guarantees the criminal suppliers a monopoly on the market which results in ridiculous prices for what would otherwise be economically uninteresting commodities.

This fortuitous combination of augmented demand and market monopoly created by drug laws for the enterprising criminal is enhanced even further by the addictive nature of the 'harder' drugs. Once 'hooked' the hapless user becomes the perfect repeat customer - he has no choice but to do business no matter what the price. Unfortunately for him, the criminalization of the use of the drug virtually guarantees that the victim will be unable to seek help for his problem.

The bottom line is that the drug problem is a problem in economics, not morals, not health, not even safety, whether or not any or all choose to view it as one. In a way this is fortunate, since the solution is valid whether or not all agree on the moral issues. Legalization will instantly eliminate the criminal market monopoly and quickly drive the pusher from the streets. For an example of this one has only to look at the impact on the organized crime numbers rackets when the legal lotteries were created. Why do business with thugs when you can buy a ticket to win millions at the corner convenience store?

ROBERT THOMAS

Marcus Everett • Oct 19, 2018 at 00:57

Safety is an issue if you have been a victim of drugged drivers, as I have been twice. My neighbor may buy lottery tickets all day long with no effect on me. Big government wants a stoned population to control, health care wants more lifetime patients, addicts almost all relapse.

Carl Branstetter

Marcus Everett • Oct 19, 2018 at 02:57

The attempt to deny car theft to the individual creates problems in several ways...

Marcus Everett

ROBERT THOMAS • Oct 19, 2018 at 09:24

Drugged or drunk? I believe that alcohol is a much greater safety issue than pot, but we learned a century ago that prohibiting possession and use created a much greater societal problem than coping with a few abusers. My comment is an excerpt from my post on my 'A WV Hilltop View' blog, which discusses the problem in more detail.

Marcus Everett

Carl Branstetter • Oct 19, 2018 at 09:25

I'm not suggesting that we make it legal to steal your car or your pot...

Carl Branstetter

Marcus Everett • Oct 19, 2018 at 14:24

No, you're offering an argument in support of drugs that would be ridiculous if applied to other general crimes. People steal cars even though it's illegal, we don't generally cite lack of perfection as an excuse to legalize the immoral.

Carl Branstetter

Marcus Everett • Oct 19, 2018 at 23:42

"we learned a century ago that prohibiting possession and use created a much greater societal problem than coping with a few abusers."

That's mostly myth. Expanding urbanization during the 20's accounts for gangsterism and increases in violence. Prohibition resulted in 70% reduction in alcohol consumption and 50% decline in liver disease nationally.

BallBounces in PEI • Oct 18, 2018 at 08:04

I'm holding out for the Phoenix/Scottsdale "The Two Rockafellas" gig. Or -- and this would be awesome -- a gig in the awesome Southwestern Art Deco Fox Theater in Tucson. https://tinyurl.com/y8kc62ay

Fran Lavery

BallBounces in PEI • Oct 19, 2018 at 02:04

Or the Rialto! How awesome would that be?!

BallBounces in PEI

Fran Lavery • Oct 19, 2018 at 08:02

There you go!

Fran Lavery

BallBounces in PEI • Oct 19, 2018 at 10:03

Yes, there I go, full of good ideas. Not a bad seat in the old house! Nice and cozy there, too, all seats priced nearly the same, I think. Lots of restaurants around the neighborhood. Parking across the street.

Daniel Kleitman • Oct 18, 2018 at 04:21

Seems to me Erdogan wants to break the US Saudi Israeli alliance, and the MSM is anxious to help him, because such a break would seriously damage our foreign policy and harm Trump. Anything that might harm Trump is good to the MSM.
(The mere fact that this guy wrote for the Washington Post suggest that he was anti-American.)
This also may be an attempt by Saudi Moslem Brotherhood types to damage the guy now in charge of the Saudi government, who is pro America and Pro Israel.
The fact that he was murdered in the Saudi embassy, if it is a fact, does not clarify who murdered him and for what political effect, if any, the deed was done. I see no reason that the people in charge of Saudi Arabia should want to do this, and why if they did they would do so in an embassy in Turkey.
Putin is an expert on killing those who he finds inconvenient, and never does things that way. His wet activities always take place in obscure locations. This guy could have been lured to Arabia and been arrested on a trumped up or even legitimate charge and then disappear forever or even be hanged, and there would be no stink.
If there are political motives involved here, they are most likely to be anti-US or anti-Saudi Arabia motives.

Steven Payne • Oct 18, 2018 at 01:06

The Canadian pot experiment should be quite interesting. Meanwhile here in the United States and in the state of West Virginia, all of the political ads concern the "opioid crisis". It's a race to see who can tie whom the most closely to a pharmaceutical company. Taken for granted is that pharmaceutical companies are pure evil.
I think this is madness.

Jeffrey Williams • Oct 18, 2018 at 00:56

I guess Canada and some U.S. states can now save a bundle on airing PSAs like the one that starts out "This is your brain...this is your brain on drugs", or "nobody grows up saying :"When I grow up I want to be a drug addict". It is becoming obvious that the degenerates are no longer content to be simple losers. They now aspire to be even less useful by legalizing drugs and the accompanying drug addled behavior. There may be no one, as a child, that wants to grow up to be a drug addict but there are obviously plenty of adults who are eager to vote for and embrace this "lifestyle". I predict that next they will be demanding legal opium dens...oh crap, too late. San Francisco wants to set up legal "safe rooms" to inject illegal drugs with city provided syringes under the supervision of a nurse. That'll surely get the problem under control. Now I'm waiting to see if the pendulum will start to swing all the way back to more Elizabethan times. Stranger things have happened (see Donald Trump).

Ken • Oct 17, 2018 at 23:56

Steyn is absolutely right. If this Muslim Brotherhood and Washington Post contributor was killed in the Saudi consulate, it was almost certainly on the orders of someone in the royal family. I say they took down a bad dude, on their sovereign soil. That's called a happy ending.

Mark's appearances on the John Oakley Show are the recurring highlight of my week. I'm disappointed there was no Oakley using emergency ship-to-shore radio frequencies during the Steyn Club Cruise. Mr. O is an informed and humorous interviewer.

Tracy Mescha • Oct 17, 2018 at 22:24

'Old, fat, ugly and worn out'. But he was the best thing ever :)
I'm very sorry about the death of your buddy. TJ was a twin to a cat I had, Priscilla, and Marvin is the brother from another mother to a cat I currently have named Samba. These stinkers sure find a way into our hearts, huh?
On a completely different note, I'm with you regarding the Saudi reporter who was murdered. I'm no expert on the region for sure, but getting details from the MSM is the typical outrage victim farm rather than actually providing facts. Let's say it's Trump's fault as he says the press is the enemy of the people (never you mind that actually isn't what he said). Now all reporters are victims and that is the story. Cue ol' Lizzie Wampum...
Meanwhile, most Americans-me included- would never know about the Muslim Brotherhood ties, the House of Saud closeness then falling out, etc. Ergodan seems to be very much slanting towards strongman dictator in waiting (or maybe he's just not waiting anymore)....