Do a lot of people in CO smoke pot? Should MJ be legal? (Telluride: lawyer, military)

[vegaspilgrim]

Newsflash: people all over the country smoke pot. A lot of people. In every state. Even in ultraconservative cities in Texas. Only difference is people in CO are much more open about it, and due to the medical MJ laws, it's easier to get here.

[Melanzana92]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Newsflash: people all over the country smoke pot. A lot of people. In every state. Even in ultraconservative cities in Texas. Only difference is people in CO are much more open about it, and due to the medical MJ laws, it's easier to get here.

Bingo. Coloradans who smoke are much more open about their usage, so it only seems more common here. Nobody will push it in your face, either. Do it if you want, don't if you don't. I personally don't and have only been offered by generous people who were wanted to share. A simple "No, but thanks for the offer " will do just fine. The thing about potheads is they are typically very nice people. They're infinitely better than drunks who go out yelling in the streets at night.

[Sealtite]

I never much cared for the reefer. It makes me have weird thoughts and makes it feel like I'm taking really long strides when I walk, and like I'm lifting my legs higher than I actually am. Lol.

Seriously though, I used to smoke pot all the time up until maybe 5 years ago. Even though I don't do it anymore, I don't have anything against anyone who does, and I think it's pretty much harmless. I didn't "quit" doing it either. I just haven't been baked in a really long time. I dunno what happened. I guess I just lost interest maybe? Weird. I wish quitting nicotine or caffeine was as easy.

[DurangoJoe]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

Like tobacco?

Tobacco kills 40,000 people per year. Where are the bodies from weed?

Answer: zero deaths per year are attributed to weed. That's fact.

[snofarmer]

When folks go on vacation they like to relax.
When I worked in the ski industry In Co. I had many tourists ask where they could get some.

Pot should be legalized and taxed.
Strict penalties for driving or if your high and commit a crime.
Personal responsibility.

Stop with the it’s bad for you or dangerous argument many things in life are far more dangerous and unhealthy and you can still do them.

[delta07]

What really bothers me, is the laws that apply to marijuana in the United States. Federally, it's still classified as a schedule I drug, along with heroin, PCP and the like. I can't even begin to fathom how this classification came about. I've had two people very close to me become addicted to heroin, and I can tell you, it's not the same thing as pot! I am all for getting weed removed from the schedule I drug classification, which claims there are no known medical benefits.

Responsible use, just like alcohol or any other mind altering substance is the key. Frankly, I'm more concerned with the number of people out there on legal prescription pills! I just lost my brother-in-law to an overdose of legal pills. I wish his drug of choice had been weed.

[lalahartma]

I do not think more people here in CO smoke weed than in Ohio, where I lived previously.

[CarawayDJ]

Originally Posted by snofarmer

When folks go on vacation they like to relax.
When I worked in the ski industry In Co. I had many tourists ask where they could get some.

Pot should be legalized and taxed.
Strict penalties for driving or if your high and commit a crime.
Personal responsibility.

Stop with the it’s bad for you or dangerous argument many things in life are far more dangerous and unhealthy and you can still do them.

Not quite that simple. What tests are available that can tell if you are high? There are tests that can detect if you smoke pot, but what readily available and proven tests exist to determine if you are currently high? How would a hospital prove someone is high? How would any company prove that? There are tests to determine if someone is currently impaired by alcohol, but no real viable options (at the moment) for pot. Yes, you could have witnesses say "I could smell weed" and then hope it flies in court.

Few people think of the impact this tiny little detail will have on business. If you can't ensure that your employees are not under the influence at work that is a problem. If pot is ever legalized they will also need to ensure that these matters are clearly addressed. I don't believe a single legalization attempt has ever adequately addressed the matter of being high in the workplace...and an employer's ability to prove it. It's easy now. If they detect it on a test that's enough. They don't need to detect how recently you smoked. There a lot of businesses that would either pickup or never consider a state that legalized pot without letting it be known clearly in the law what they can do as employers. Employers don't want to "wait and see how the courts will rule" to find out.

Again, this detail is glossed over by legalization advocates. What if there were no way to tell if someone was currently under the influence of alcohol? What if you could only detect if someone drinks, but not if they are drunk? Now think of the impact that would have on impaired driving, workers being impaired on the job, etc.

They are working on such tests, but I don't believe any are at the stage where you can call them proven and readily available for mass use.

[Scott5280]

It's time to get in on the ground floor stockwise for all those active THC test kits for law enforcement...just think of the bud I could grow from the proceeds and what great protective connections could be established..There is a skillful business plan made every second in this country.

[snofarmer]

Originally Posted by CarawayDJ

Not quite that simple. What tests are available that can tell if you are high? There are tests that can detect if you smoke pot, but what readily available and proven tests exist to determine if you are currently high? How would a hospital prove someone is high? How would any company prove that? There are tests to determine if someone is currently impaired by alcohol, but no real viable options (at the moment) for pot. Yes, you could have witnesses say "I could smell weed" and then hope it flies in court.

Few people think of the impact this tiny little detail will have on business. If you can't ensure that your employees are not under the influence at work that is a problem. If pot is ever legalized they will also need to ensure that these matters are clearly addressed. I don't believe a single legalization attempt has ever adequately addressed the matter of being high in the workplace...and an employer's ability to prove it. It's easy now. If they detect it on a test that's enough. They don't need to detect how recently you smoked. There a lot of businesses that would either pickup or never consider a state that legalized pot without letting it be known clearly in the law what they can do as employers. Employers don't want to "wait and see how the courts will rule" to find out.

Again, this detail is glossed over by legalization advocates. What if there were no way to tell if someone was currently under the influence of alcohol? What if you could only detect if someone drinks, but not if they are drunk? Now think of the impact that would have on impaired driving, workers being impaired on the job, etc.

They are working on such tests, but I don't believe any are at the stage where you can call them proven and readily available for mass use.

They make synthetic marijuana that is much more dangerous and it is legal.
“Duluth emergency room doctors dispute that claim. They're seeing an increasing number of people show up with serious medical conditions after using synthetic marijuana.”
“It is a big problem with regard to the clinical effects that it causes. Patients can end up in the emergency department, and of course we'll see cases where patients are very, very sick. They require an emergency assessment and treatment, so it's not somebody who can just walk into the emergency department and you say, 'OK, let's check their blood pressure and heart rate.' These patients come in and they have a fast heart rate, their blood pressure is high, they can have a very high fever, agitation is one of the biggest problems and this delirium “
“ Is synthetic marijuana more dangerous than non-synthetic marijuana?
There are differences in the effects of them. They both work in the areas of the brain where marijuana would work. The effects make them more dangerous. We don't see a lot of patients in the emergency department who come in on a yearly basis because they're smoking marijuana. But we do see them coming in because they're smoking the synthetic version or ingesting the synthetic version. These can cause some of the differences — nausea and vomiting, but more importantly, hallucinations, paranoia, seizures have been reported with these. “
Much more dangerous than illegal pot.

Now for the lack of a test .
What happens to them today as folks are showing up to work high?

The workplace does not need to allow it’s workers to work high now or after it is legalized.
Workers can still be fired on the spot for no reason (“union” if the reason is great enough they to can be fired on the spot) the work place can have a “0” tolerance polices so if you test positive your fired. It will not mater if you got high on your time or not.
　
　
Driving. We have laws right now that cover driving while under the influence.
Today many people are arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana.
It would make no difference if it is legal or not.