Do a lot of people in CO smoke pot? Should MJ be legal?

[DurangoJoe]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Well so much for pot being completely harmless and safe with no brain altering involved:

Bill To Set Limit For Driving While Stoned Has A Good Chance « CBS Denver

In 2011, the most recent data available, 13 percent of deadly crashes in Colorado involved pot.

Geez Wanneroo, it's an intoxicant.... duh....... Nobody supporting recreational use supports DUI.

This isn't news.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by SoButCounty

Geez Wanneroo, it's an intoxicant.... duh....... Nobody supporting recreational use supports DUI.

This isn't news.

Ah so it does alter your mind and impair your judgment after all.

[DurangoJoe]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Ah so it does alter your mind and impair your judgment after all.

Nobody ever said it didn't. Recreational users smoke it for it's intoxicating properties. Duh......

You are truly a master of the obvious there Wanneroo.

[Colorado^]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Well so much for pot being completely harmless and safe with no brain altering involved:

Bill To Set Limit For Driving While Stoned Has A Good Chance « CBS Denver

In 2011, the most recent data available, 13 percent of deadly crashes in Colorado involved pot.

Correlation does not necessarily equal causation

In 2011, the most recent data available, 13 percent of deadly crashes in Colorado involved people wearing wrist watches.

So much for wrist watches being completely harmless and safe.

[CosmicWizard]

Having read the many posts I've contributed to this thread, you all know that I am a big fan of legal MJ, even though I rarely ever use it. Nonetheless, I am fully aware that anyone driving under the influence of MJ ( legal or not ) is an absolute, life endangering idiot. Anyone caught doing so, deserves the maximum penalties associated with a DUI conviction for alcohol. Wether the intoxication is due to alcohol, MJ, prescription pharmaceuticals, or wristwatches, of greater concern are the idiots themselves....the idiots who drive while intoxicated. We can legislate the hell out of all those substances, and it'll never stop the idiots.

[Colorado^]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Having read the many posts I've contributed to this thread, you all know that I am a big fan of legal MJ, even though I rarely ever use it. Nonetheless, I am fully aware that anyone driving under the influence of MJ ( legal or not ) is an absolute, life endangering idiot. Anyone caught doing so, deserves the maximum penalties associated with a DUI conviction for alcohol. Wether the intoxication is due to alcohol, MJ, or prescription pharmaceuticals, of greater concern are the idiots themselves....the idiots who drive while intoxicated. We can legislate the hell out of all those substances, and it'll never stop the idiots.

I 100% agree that driving while intoxicated to the point of impairment, no matter the drug should result in serious punishment.

But MJ is not alcohol and there needs to be a lot more research to determent at what point impairment occurs. We don't want a situation where people are be arrested because there is some detectable THC in their blood from smoking 8 hours ago, when the drug has warn off.

[DurangoJoe]

One of the problems that occurs when people talk about cannabis is that people refer to stoned users as always being a certain way. Those who have no understanding of how cannabis works or affects the person are missing a huge piece of the puzzle. Not throwing stones here but if you have never used nor grown it, you are seriously lacking in knowledge about the effects of this plant on the individual. Here are some basic facts about cannabis:

1. Cannabis affects every individual differently. Some can't handle it at all (like my wife who just falls right to sleep after one toke) while others are able to smoke like chimneys and complain that "it's not working" because they're not getting high. Many people fall somewhere in between.

2. Not all cannabis is created equal. I'm not referring to the THC levels here but the point at which cannabis is harvested. Cannabis has about a two week window when it is at it's ripest and ready to be picked. If harvested early within this window, the resulting high will be "up" and energetic, making the user want to do be active and do things. Certainly not something you want to consume at bedtime. This is because the THC is the dominant chemical within the flower structure at this point. If harvested late in the two week window however, the THC has begun to degrade and the CBD properties become more pronounced resulting in sleepiness, better pain relief, and a propensity to be "couch locked" with no desire to do anything beyond sit on the couch, munch cheetos (OK, my nod to the stereotype) or go to bed.

3. By the nature of it's use, cannabis users don't consume the same amount every time they use it. The anti's who love to scream about how strong cannabis is today and how "it's not your grandfather's marijuana" consistently lose sight of this fact. Cannabis users are easily able to titrate the amount of intoxicant they receive because the effects begin fairly quickly. Any cannabis user who upon sensing that initial effect taking hold is easily able to tell how strong the cannabis is and when to stop. When faced with a much stronger cannabis than they're used to, most users will simply stop sooner, smoking (or inhaling less vapor) when they sense it's much stronger than they're accustomed to. This is very much like a beer drinker suddenly drinking shots of a good bourbon or one of the real high alcohol rums (like 151 proof). They know right away that they don't want to incapacitate themselves so they adjust their intake accordingly.

Now nobody who supports the responsible use of cannabis by adults also supports DUI. That's just foolish and anybody with half a brain recognizes this. It's important to research, understand, and deal with the onset of intoxication of anybody who may be driving and set appropriate limits (and punishment). But to believe that all cannabis is the same and affects every user in the same way is simply being uninformed. Continuing to believe and reinforce stereotypes and factually incorrect government issued innuendos and propaganda does not add to the level of discourse in any way.

OK, I'm down off of the soapbox now..... carry on.

[snofarmer]

I agree.

I think Mj does effect people differently and maturity also plays a big role also.

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Having read the many posts I've contributed to this thread, you all know that I am a big fan of legal MJ, even though I rarely ever use it. Nonetheless, I am fully aware that anyone driving under the influence of MJ ( legal or not ) is an absolute, life endangering idiot. Anyone caught doing so, deserves the maximum penalties associated with a DUI conviction for alcohol. Wether the intoxication is due to alcohol, MJ, prescription pharmaceuticals, or wristwatches, of greater concern are the idiots themselves....the idiots who drive while intoxicated. We can legislate the hell out of all those substances, and it'll never stop the idiots.

[CosmicWizard]

SoButCountry wrote: Cannabis affects every individual differently.

Amen to that! And the same batch, at the same amount, affects the same person differently at different times. We are not the exact same person today that we were yesterday.