St Paul, Minn. ? Apparently, J. Edgar Hoover was right. Smoking pot is an insidious and addictive habit and probably a Communist plot.

Back in the 1970s, we figured the head G-man took a perverse pleasure in teaming with Richard Nixon to try to stomp on all the peace, love and flowers going around. So when we viewed those grainy black-and-white films in health class – featuring a skinny, bug-eyed, jittery dude huddled in a corner with a funny-looking cigarette – we giggled.

Far out.

Now I’m not so sure J. Edgar wasn’t ahead of his time. How else to explain the goofy behavior of Onterrio Smith, who now holds the title of biggest idiot I ever have run across. The title previously was held by ex-Timberwolf Isaiah Rider. And I thought for sure that it was J.R’s forever.

It appears Onterrio really wasn’t carrying The Original Whizzinator for his cousin. I’m shocked because I truly believed the two-time NFL drug testing loser when he made that statement.

Oops, did I say two-time. Make it three – pending another appeal, of course. I believe Smith’s agent keeps the forms handy right on top of his desk.

Who is going to break the news to Zygi Wilf? As little as Zygi knows about football, he probably is confused about what’s happened to Onterrio. We need to explain it to him in language he understands:

Zygi, let’s say the Vikings are a shopping mall. Your Bed, Bath and Beyond just burned down.

Never mind the Whizzinator. Smith ought to carry a rubber cranium and a couple of packets of freeze-dried brains in his luggage. And then when he has to make a decision, perhaps he could add water and squeeze out some sort of lucid thought.

The Vikings need to boot this guy. Give him a gold watch and some rolling papers and send him on his way. Throw in a pass to a Cheech and Chong film retrospective. Whatever it takes to get him out the door.

My approach to life is that I don’t care what anybody does in private as long as it doesn’t affect me. I don’t care if someone wants to go steady with a chicken or sit in his living room and shoot applesauce into his veins. But when his stupid behavior affects other people, then he’s a problem.

Smith’s actions have affected adversely the thousands of fans who purchase tickets to Vikings games. They have affected his teammates, who clearly can’t count on him. They even have affected Zygi, who probably had no idea he was driving his bulldozers into such a den of iniquity.

How dumb can one person be? Smith knows he’s under a microscope because of his previous behavior. Yet he still can’t control himself? It’s still party time?

Here’s a two-time loser who has found a way to achieve strike three, either by flunking another drug test or failing to show up for one. This is all over and above the drug problems he ran into in college.

One mistake? It happens. Two mistakes? OK, nobody’s perfect. Smith’s situation is beyond ridiculous. What a waste of God-given talent.