Do you think that the legalization of recreational marijuana will make Colorado a big tourist destination? (Telluride: wedding, buy)

[GJJG2012]

I've read thousands are coming to CO for skiing & cannabis but that really isn't entirely new. Some skiers use other drugs that are still illegal. Also, many came to be a part of history & many are seeking employment in this newly legalized industry.

[GJJG2012]

People who refuse to read about it from non-biased sources are afraid of it, too. Generally, those who don't have the facts hate what they fear, & fear what they don't understand. Actually, it is hard to read many facts about it & still be against it. For facts, rxmarijuana dot com/ Wikipedia, Granny Storm Crow's list, video Run From The Cure, videos on cannabinoid research.

Getting "high" does not involve leaving Earth, just elevated mood that can prevent suicide.

Cannabis makes people non-violent, if anything can do it. Big Pharma has anti-depressants that make many feel more like committing suicide, as they were based on theory rather than facts.

There's dozens of millions of pages about it on the internet, but if by or for govt/Big Pharma, they lie or mislead for millions, causing many to suffer needlessly & die prematurely.

While the majority of Americans say they want it legal, they vote for those pols (Dems & Reps) who are prohibitionists. Most get a fortune from Big Pharma every year.

Originally Posted by jburress

I've worked for the same company for almost ten years. Never had to take a drug test. Don't know anyone else that I work with having to take one either.

It seems most of the people on here against legalization are those who have never tried marijuana. Like that one guy who insists marijuana can give you a heart attack but can't cite one instance where this has happened. Seems marijuana frightens people like him. I guess it's natural for some people to be terrified of something they don't undertand.

[GJJG2012]

Originally Posted by davidv

The answer to your question is yes. A Dish Network employee with a MMJ card was fired after a positive test. The courts upheld the firing.

I would suggest any pro-MJ people who have Dish Network or were thinking about getting it & changed their minds, to contact Dish Network & let them know why they won't be a customer. "Potheads" can have an effect on the bottom line. When Kellogg's fired Michael Phelps, Kelllogg's lost $3 million in revenue & with sales lagging, dropped prices. Then other cold cereal companies dropped prices for awhile. So the boycott saved cold cereal eaters about $5 million. I'm told when people called Kellogg's on their toll-free number, the recording said "If you are calling about the boycott, press 1".

[GJJG2012]

Illegal doesn't mean nobody will use it & legal doesn't mean everybody will use it. Use of many illegal drugs has been happening in various places public & private for decades. Parents don't need to bring the kids to CO to see or learn about MJ- it's in their schools back home! The majority want it legal, and 1 in 6 admit they use it, much higher use among teens. Shouldn't the public have a voice in the laws? Even 47% of those over 65 say it should be legal. In some areas, some fee & tax $$ from MMJ goes to cops.

Originally Posted by jazzlover

You do not want to alienate your current customer base when you go after another market segment. I don't think there are many family people that want to take their kids to a place where a drug that is illegal in most of the rest of the country is being freely sold for recreational use. I don't think that the resorts catering to that family demographic are going to be too keen on marketing to people who would want to use marijuana on their premises. I could easily see resorts and other tourist establishments absolutely prevent customers from even bringing MJ on their property.

[GJJG2012]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Gee, I wonder which tourists the resorts would rather cater to--a bunch of young, broke stoners, or a bunch of affluent Bible Belt parents and their families with five to six figure credit card limits? Don't say both, because the two groups really don't want to be around each other.

I really don't think *broke* stoners travel much to high-priced resorts, maybe stay in a motel/hotel, campground, youth hostel, though a few made the trek to be a part of the start of something historic. If they have to hitch-hike, I doubt they're going to spend several thousand or so at a ski resort. Some have moved to CO & already have a job in this newly legal industry. A few may have relatives or old friends living out there.

Have any of you heard of a resort that does drug testing, not just of employees, but of guests? Or asks about religion? Or proof of wealthiness? Like all other businesses, almost without exception, anyone who has enough money is a help to their business & therefore welcome.

Class warfare is not always a problem. Especially in well-designed cities that try to have something for all budgets. If they can get the store prices down well below street prices, almost everyone that buys it will choose going to a store. As for Bible-Belters, several religious denominations are at least taking a position in favor of medical use, there's a website or two for Christian cannabis users. Best wishes.

[GJJG2012]

Do any of the places that sell pot drug-test their employees to see if they're using? Do they refuse to hire if they do use? (or do they refuse to hire non-users?) Maybe more old-time employers will realize some cannabis users can hold down a job for years. Some do already know, even some people that own big chain stores.

The govt has a voluntary program where employers get help with employee health insurance if they drug test. But will the employer eventually figure out that cannabis users have less health problems than tobacco users & heavy drinkers? Will they then realize the govt program doesn't save them much if anything, unless it discriminates equally? Will they then realize that would cause a shortage of applicants & they may have to pay extra to get workers that don't use anything?

Eventually, cannabis users will be proven better than the govt propaganda image.

[suzco]

The times they are a changing.

Interesting article in the Denver Post:

Colorado's new pot buyers are curious, but some worry about stigma

. . .The rapid changes in Colorado's marijuana laws have caused many people across the state to re-evaluate their relationship with cannabis.

Those who are curious about marijuana and plan to try it include people who have never used it, as well as those who smoked decades ago, before marriage and kids. They say they now plan to buy some marijuana because it's easy, convenient and legal.

But the continuing stigma surrounding marijuana use — not to mention the very real risks to their jobs — keeps many cannabis newcomers from stepping fully into the light. A 52-year-old man who plans to try pot for the first time didn't want any part of his name published.

"My hesitation comes from 50 years of negativity associated with drug use and concern about my name being in a news report," he wrote in an e-mail. . .

[GJJG2012]

I read in NYC, I think under Bloomberg, they forced the dealers off the streets, so now they do delivery service in Manhattan for about $2,000/oz. Are there a bunch of armed dealers in the subways? NYC also offers tobacco cigarettes for about $150 a carton, with a $2,000 fine for use almost everywhere.

Originally Posted by rubygreta

Spend hundreds of dollars for a plane ticket to Denver so you can buy weed legally, instead of using your monthly subway pass in NYC (no additional charge) to buy it illegally.

Sure. Big tourism boom coming to Colorado. Right.

[jazzlover]

If a person doesn't think that having a drug-free workplace is important to many employers, the guy/gal is a moron. There are literally millions of businesses in this country where testing positive for drugs or alcohol will lead to immediate termination, and/or where a positive test for either in a pre-employment screening automatically disqualifies a person for being hired. EVERY employer that I've worked for in the last 20 years had that policy.

Maybe that's not important to employers hiring minimum wage hamburger flippers, bed-changers, or toilet cleaners, but for many, if not most higher wage jobs being drug-free is important. In the industry where I now work, where most of the bigger employers have wages are generally in the $50K-$150K per year range, zero drug tolerance is not only policy, for most job descriptions, it is a statutory requirement. So, go ahead and toke up--it will leave fewer applicants to compete for the jobs in my industry.

[ditchlights]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

So, go ahead and toke up--it will leave fewer applicants to compete for the jobs in my industry.

You ever drink alcohol? How would you like to be terminated from your job for those two glasses of wine you enjoyed at the Olive Garden restaurant with your wife when you were out celebrating your guys' wedding anniversary a week ago?