Judith Kendall's novel Overtime details the lives of four Los Angeleans, including traditional family man, John, whose life is torn apart by his wife's drug-induced free-loving embracement of the 1960s. Kendall, addressing a mother's use of marijuana and other drugs, is particularly prevalent in the legalization of marijuana today, which has taken effect in 14 states, allowing anyone who ostensibly displays a health ailment to obtain a medical marijuana card, which can be filled like any prescription.
John's wife, Jody, vehemently resists adaptation to suburbia and motherhood, progressively allowing elements of her carefree and artistic college days to creep back into her life; "Jody. started frequenting the haunts of her former art friends in Venice. They were a crowd John barely tolerated in the past. He knew that most of the group was into marijuana and whatever else they could get their hands on." While Jody and John had been together when Jody had seen these friends in the past, John's preoccupation with climbing the corporate ladder and providing for his family, on the precipice of a major coup as the inventor of an airline cockpit recorder, has left Jody on her own to socialize with her friends, while leaving her children with an inept and clueless babysitter; "With John around, Jody had never given into such temptations because he wouldn't allow it. Without him present, it did not take long before she not only succumbed, she was out of control." John's fixation with work often keeps him away from home and leaves him tired. Consequently, it was months before he discovered Jody's downward spiral two years ago, after which he signed her into a rehabilitation clinic. Months of family counseling later, their life "settled into a fairly normal routine."
John naturally assumes that all is well and Jody's recovery has been successful. Again, he becomes too preoccupied with work and does not notice the changes in Jody, who is relapsing into a destructive pattern that includes drug use and cheating. By the time he discovers that she has been taking drugs, it is too late as the repercussions for his family have been realized. The people that Jody associates herself with while taking the drugs become a negative influence not only on Jody, but on her children as well. She begins cheating on John, locking the children out of the house to conduct her affair and flaunting her behavior both in front of the children and the neighbors. The children confront John with the truth about their mother's free-loving '60s lifestyle, and it is as this point that John fully understands the scope of his wife's problem.
The effects of drug use on families are a concern as the legalization of marijuana continues to gain ground. "Medical Marijuana has been legalized in 14 states, making it legal to grow cannabis for medical needs for yourself or for another. Each of the 14 states have their own laws in place, mandating the amount of plants you can grow for medical use, and each requires that a medical marijuana card be attained, whether for yourself or as a 'caregiver (Santos).1'" Marijuana, once a closeted habit has become widespread, freely talked about, and even advertised, with billboards for "Dr. Reefer" and "Get Legal Today!" Among the over 250 ailments that medical marijuana is used to treat are glaucoma, dementia, nerve pain, poor appetite in HIV and AIDS patients, and depression. Before considering marijuana use for any reason, it is important to examine the undermining effects of drugs and marijuana on the American family, as represented by Jody in Judith Kendall's artfully insightful Overtime, ultimately weighing the importance of these issues as they relate to a marriage and children. Learning from the mistakes of Jody, the reader can easily see how drug abuse can become the controlling factor in a family. In the end, it's all about making well-informed decisions.
# Santos, Marla. "The Need to Grow Weed." Strip Las Vegas Issue Fifty-Three: 34.
# http://medicalpot.com/marijuna-use-for-medical-ailments/
# http://www.depressionstatistics.org/
Author Resource:-
Find out more about Judith Kendall by visiting: www.JudithKendall.com
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