Cannibus legalized in Alaska, Was., and Oregon

[turtlefanforever]

finally some good news in current events. Voters last night voted in favor of legalizing Marijuana in Alaska, Oregon, and washington. Anyway. Just another step forward. Florida failed to legalize medicinal use because of some bs 60% margin in place. They still voted in favor of it but failed to reach the mark at just 58% in favor. Discuss!

[Cure]

DC is not in Maryland or any state.

[Wingnut]

Congress will shoot down DC's legalization...Maybe a medical-only provision similar to Illinois.

Not trying to be a Dale Gribble conspiracy theorist, but I'd say the endgame is Big Pharma conducting a ruthless take over of this emerging cash-only industry. Books will be cooked thoroughly. Just give it time.

[turtlefanforever]

the people are voting it in but theres still a war against it. The tax on these retailers is much higher than any other business. instead of 30-40% they are getting 80-90% and some cases people have been taxed OVER 100%

[Wingnut]

Originally Posted by turtlefanforever

the people are voting it in but theres still a war against it. The tax on these retailers is much higher than any other business. instead of 30-40% they are getting 80-90% and some cases people have been taxed OVER 100%

True. However since no federally insured bank (i.e. any legit bank) can touch that money you can bet the retailers are keeping their fair share. I would too.

From a financial standpoint, it's the wild west.

[BubblyShell22]

Here's the way I feel about recreational marijuana use: If you smoke it in the privacy of your own home, that's fine. But if you're driving under the influence, that's not cool, and I can see this happening now that it's legalized. I have nothing against medical marijuana as I see the uses of it and how it can benefit people, but this stuff is just like alcohol. If you abuse it, you should still go to jail whether it's legal or not.

[Netkeeper]

Wrong, sorry. Marijuana is not the same as alcohol. Go read up on the effects before saying they're the same.

[Gunpowder]

Originally Posted by BubblyShell22

Here's the way I feel about recreational marijuana use: If you smoke it in the privacy of your own home, that's fine. But if you're driving under the influence, that's not cool, and I can see this happening now that it's legalized. I have nothing against medical marijuana as I see the uses of it and how it can benefit people, but this stuff is just like alcohol. If you abuse it, you should still go to jail whether it's legal or not.

It's true that abusing it isn't good, but you have to realize that weed affects you ENTIRELY differently than alcohol does. For one thing, when you're high, you don't feel like driving because that requires walking to your car. When was the last time you heard about a car wreck because the driver was high? Probably not recently or ever, because people who smoke marijuana (even if they decide to drive while impaired) are more slow and careful about that kind of thing. Whereas, when you're drunk, you're on top of the world and feel like you can do anything, which of course leads to driving somewhere, and doing so extremely recklessly. And therein lies the danger.

[Netkeeper]

Exactly. When you're high, you just want to sit on the couch and eat ****in' doritos. **** doesn't harm anybody.

[Leo656]

Sometimes it's a matter of practicality and real-life. I used to have the same hard-line stance about toking and driving until I realized that people do it ALL the time, EVERY place you go. My first day on my second-ever job, I got sent out on a sheet rock delivery, and within two minutes of being on the road the driver started rolling a joint on the steering wheel. Being a pretty straight and kind of naive 17-year old kid, I was shocked and appalled and all that, and we actually had a small argument about it. It became clear very quickly that firstly, I was a dumb kid and knew nothing about the real world, secondly, 9.9 out of 10 CDL drivers are blazed CONSTANTLY, thirdly, it wasn't a huge secret to anyone but me, and finally, I could go ahead and try and rat him out (which I wouldn't have anyway), but basically, I'd have been fired for not being a "team player" since as a CDL driver with many years experience, the company would never even think of letting him go for something as trivial as smoking weed, even "on the job". I was replaceable, he wasn't, and that was that, so if I didn't like it, I better get good at holding my breath.

Once I got into the moving business, that was the "real" education. Here's a dirty little secret: The guys moving your house are stoned. The guys doing landscaping on your yard are stoned. The guy fixing your toilet is stoned. The guys renovating your kitchen are stoned. The guy installing your cable is (probably) stoned. Long story short: If someone has a job where they're "on a site" most of the day, far away from their boss, and they spend almost half their day driving, they're smoking pot every available second that they can usually because they can. You can pretty much also guarantee, they literally took their last hit the very second they parked in front of your house. It gets worse, so count yourself lucky if that's "all" they're doing. I seen plenty of guys do blow off the steering wheel, or even off the customer's dresser once it was on the truck. Not to mention how many people "tip" their service workers with a cold beer; lots of people in those professions are 99% definitely stoned, but there's a decent chance they're buzzed or even half-drunk, too, depending how many appointments they have to keep in a day.

You need a pretty strong head to put up with those jobs. I've watched kids come right out of high school, never even had a drop of alcohol, but they're completely f*cked up on a million things after 6 months of furniture moving or construction or what have you. It's not even "temptation", it's "This is what you do if you're doing this job"; I had a ton of verbal and even physical arguments with people over the years, and it was a big reason I couldn't wait to get out and don't want to ever go back. Being around people who were constantly f*cked up in a job where substance abuse wasn't even "recreational", it was a way of life, is way too hard for someone who doesn't want anything to do with that stuff.

But anyway, long story short, don't be naive, people drive stoned all the time, and be glad if that's all they're on. And be glad you don't have to be in the vehicle *with them*. I got used to it over time, but not gonna lie, I don't like feeling like I'm not in control of a situation, and even though it was literally an everyday thing, I still was constantly worried that this was going to be the day something happened or someone got pulled over or whatever. Never happened, but it goes to show you how good these cats get to be at fooling people.

[AT-Man]

I've known someone to become violent briefly under influence.

[tmntpower1988]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

Exactly. When you're high, you just want to sit on the couch and eat ****in' doritos. **** doesn't harm anybody.

That's so me when I'm stoned can't move at all Only downfall of it is that it makes me paranoid and jumpy. Haven't smoked weed in a few years. Wouldn't appeal to me now tbh

[DarkFell]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Sometimes it's a matter of practicality and real-life. I used to have the same hard-line stance about toking and driving until I realized that people do it ALL the time, EVERY place you go. My first day on my second-ever job, I got sent out on a sheet rock delivery, and within two minutes of being on the road the driver started rolling a joint on the steering wheel. Being a pretty straight and kind of naive 17-year old kid, I was shocked and appalled and all that, and we actually had a small argument about it. It became clear very quickly that firstly, I was a dumb kid and knew nothing about the real world, secondly, 9.9 out of 10 CDL drivers are blazed CONSTANTLY, thirdly, it wasn't a huge secret to anyone but me, and finally, I could go ahead and try and rat him out (which I wouldn't have anyway), but basically, I'd have been fired for not being a "team player" since as a CDL driver with many years experience, the company would never even think of letting him go for something as trivial as smoking weed, even "on the job". I was replaceable, he wasn't, and that was that, so if I didn't like it, I better get good at holding my breath.

Once I got into the moving business, that was the "real" education. Here's a dirty little secret: The guys moving your house are stoned. The guys doing landscaping on your yard are stoned. The guy fixing your toilet is stoned. The guys renovating your kitchen are stoned. The guy installing your cable is (probably) stoned. Long story short: If someone has a job where they're "on a site" most of the day, far away from their boss, and they spend almost half their day driving, they're smoking pot every available second that they can usually because they can. You can pretty much also guarantee, they literally took their last hit the very second they parked in front of your house. It gets worse, so count yourself lucky if that's "all" they're doing. I seen plenty of guys do blow off the steering wheel, or even off the customer's dresser once it was on the truck. Not to mention how many people "tip" their service workers with a cold beer; lots of people in those professions are 99% definitely stoned, but there's a decent chance they're buzzed or even half-drunk, too, depending how many appointments they have to keep in a day.

You need a pretty strong head to put up with those jobs. I've watched kids come right out of high school, never even had a drop of alcohol, but they're completely f*cked up on a million things after 6 months of furniture moving or construction or what have you. It's not even "temptation", it's "This is what you do if you're doing this job"; I had a ton of verbal and even physical arguments with people over the years, and it was a big reason I couldn't wait to get out and don't want to ever go back. Being around people who were constantly f*cked up in a job where substance abuse wasn't even "recreational", it was a way of life, is way too hard for someone who doesn't want anything to do with that stuff.

But anyway, long story short, don't be naive, people drive stoned all the time, and be glad that's not all they're on. And be glad you don't have to be in the vehicle *with them*. I got used to it over time, but not gonna lie, I don't like feeling like I'm not in control of a situation, and even though it was literally an everyday thing, I still was constantly worried that this was going to be the day something happened or someone got pulled over or whatever. Never happened, but it goes to show you how good these cats get to be at fooling people.

Too true Leo. I've heard from a bud that is also a drummer for the various bands that he plays with that he has runned into people that doob while they're on the way to their next town to city to play at simply because they're basically riding in a vehicle all day with nothing much to really do. Same thing might and probably does apply with other well known bands and musicians.

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by AT-Man

I've known someone to become violent briefly under influence.

Under the influence of what?

[AT-Man]

Originally Posted by Netkeeper

Under the influence of what?

Marijuana.

[Netkeeper]

Originally Posted by AT-Man

Marijuana.

[Leo656]

That'd be odd. I mean, part of what's "bad" about weed is that it affects people differently and it's kind of unpredictable, but it's almost unheard-of for someone to have an aggressive or angry reaction unless they were also-drunk, in which case it's not the weed that's the problem.

Also the possibility the weed was laced. Some people put cocaine or PCP in their joints, and obviously either of those things can make someone violent.

Just spitballing. I've never seen anyone get violent on weed and I've been around a much higher than average amount of stoners. Once when someone else threw out the rest of their stash, but that was kind of understandable. Mostly people just get lethargic and/or stupid. Neither of those things lend themselves well to confrontation.

[AT-Man]

It was surprising and she hadn't drunk alcohol prior that. But so far I've witnessed it happen once, even though it didn't take long and she was taken home soon after. Heard her saying later that she experienced some kind of existential crisis and thought she was in Hell and would only hear my and one another guy's voices for all eternity.

[Leo656]

Oh, it was a chick. Why didn't you say so.

It had nothing to do with weed, chicks are just f*cking nuts regardless. Chicks on weed are more nuts, that's just, like, math, duuuuude.

(And if that story is true, your friend was either making it up for attention because she had never smoked before and wanted to seem "cool", or else, definitely tripping on something else as well. But most likely the first thing. People who get "drunk" or "high" for the first time have no idea what they're supposed to be experiencing so sometimes they exaggerate the effects to "prove" they're really feeling it. Usually if they're, like, 12.)

[Wingnut]

A rare, literal, case of Reefer Madness. I'll be damned.