This Tweet About Michael Phelps Makes A Great Point About Pot

When that photo of Michael Phelps smoking weed leaked in 2009, everyone expected it'd be a lasting blemish on his career. But, as a tweet from journalist Xeni Jardin points out, basically everything Phelps has done since that photo was taken completely refutes any concerns we had — about Phelps and the effects of weed. Earlier this week, Jardin tweeted: "Regular cannabis use will make you slow and lazy and steal all your ambition also harm your health just ask 20x gold winner Michael Phelps." It's probably fair to assume Jardin wasn't trying to make a serious statement about drug use, but she made a valid point all the same: Smoking weed probably won't instantly ruin your life. Let's be clear: We don't know what Phelps' pot habits actually are; he could be a regular smoker, or he could have only smoked that one time when he was photographed hitting the bong. But numerous studies have found that, at worst, recreational cannabis use may have minor adverse affects (one study compared them to the repercussions of not flossing). That said, it was just decided that marijuana would remain illegal at the federal level. In other words, we have a long way to go before all of Team U.S.A. can freely experiment with weed's potential performance-enhancing effects. Check out Jardin's original tweet below.