Photo credit: TMZ.com

The GEM Debate:
Justin Bieber (Allegedly) Smoking Pot? Why Not?

Ah, The Biebs.  Legions of Belibers, previously the title holder for most viewed YouTube video, the man has a pretty good life so why should anyone care that he was caught smoking pot?

Yep.  That’s right.  Justin Bieber, the cute, little baby face that we have come to know and love, has been spotted smoking pot TMZ reports.  He was with friends at a Newport Beach, California hotel the day after New Year’s and none too shy when the iPhone paparazzi started clicking.  And now…we debate.

See, I don’t think there’s a problem with Bieber smoking pot.  He’s a grown man (yes, barely) with his own money so what’s the problem?  As much as I hate to admit it, Barack Obama has admitted to partaking when he was younger and we see what that got him.  Yes, I’m a mom, but I still have a parent so it is hard for me to say this, but I remember there was this one day in college when I sat next to this girl who offered me a clove…and I really thought about smoking it.  (I wish you could see me laughing here.)  There are even states that have passed laws making cannabis legal.  I don’t know if Bieber was in one of those states, but the consensus is that although not totally legal, it isn’t totally wrong either in my opinion.

But what about the brand?  Yes, Justin Bieber isn’t just a musician at this point.  He’s a brand.  Millions of parents trust that what comes out of (or into in this case) his mouth will somehow be of the positive variety.  Heck fire!  Even the brands that hire him want him to stay the clean-cut teen heart throb  as long as possible.  That image is his bread and butter right now, but let’s face it.  The boy has a lot of bread and butter!  He’s probably set for life if he knows how to save and invest.  What he does now is really for the love of the it.  He doesn’t have to worry so much about his brand because the money has been made or at least that’s how I see it.

Another question I would like to pose is, why don’t we expect these acts of rebellion from super-rich, superstar children?  There are kids who don’t have homes that make sure they get a whiff of the Mary Jane.  As parents we kind of know that.  We try to prevent it, but once they turn 18, Bieber’s current age, we have to trust that they will make the right decisions, and when you have a child who has traveled the world how do you parent that?

So what do you think?  Should we care about Bieber’s new-found recreation?  Is he taking a risk as it pertains to his brand or is this just a little rebellion?  Let’s talk about it!

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