Colorado 'legalises' cannabis

[fantastica]

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/amendment-64-passes-in-co_n_2079899.html

It looks like Colorado have voted to legalise over 21s possessing a small amount of cannabis, and for it to be taxed. From reading, it looks like things could get in the way of this..but if it was to go ahead...what do you think?

 

[LittleBoo]

I think Colorado just opened up as one of the places I'd like to reside

Awesome, though from what I've heard about the US it'll still be illegal in a way, like the state permits it but under the main laws it's still an offence? I may be wrong. Perhaps should look further into the US law system before I pack my bags...

 

[fantastica]

I loved Colorado when I went...and it looks like it just got better haha!

Yeah, I don't really understand what it means...whether it can actually go ahead, but I guess it is definitely paving the way for changes to be made, and if more states follow their lead...then surely it would be 'undemocratic' to not allow it to pass.

 

[alaskagrown]

Woohoo!!

In Alaska it is legal for recreational use as well. You can own up to 4oz per person and 25 plants per household, but you cannot buy/sell/trade it. Strictly for personal use. HOWEVER, that is a state law. Federally, it's still illegal and federal law trumps state law. So it's kind of sort of still illegal. This will apply to both Washington and Colorado as well.

 

[fantastica]

Woohoo!!

In Alaska it is legal for recreational use as well. You can own up to 4oz per person and 25 plants per household, but you cannot buy/sell/trade it. Strictly for personal use. HOWEVER, that is a state law. Federally, it's still illegal and federal law trumps state law. So it's kind of sort of still illegal. This will apply to both Washington and Colorado as well.

That's interesting...I didn't know that, so what would happen if you were caught with 4oz or 25 plants? Would they let it go? Or would federal law apply? It's so confusing!!

 

[Mummy Bean]

i wish the UK would legalise it. as it not the actual effects of smoking cannabis that concerns me it all the associated crime around it.

i know when i was teenager the things ppl did to get hold of it, meeting dodgy ppl in back allys, stealing stuff to pay for it, the way it bought into the country, funding crime rings, all the chemicals some of it is laced with...it scary.

if ppl could just go to some where safe to purchace it/ or grow it themselves it would remove all the unessacary risk involved. (and the goverment could tax it - like they tax everything).

but i know it would never happen here...esp with the massive crack down on normal cigarettes.

(i kinda also wish they would do this with heroine as well...but instead of handing actual heroine they hand out methodone, with clean needles...but that a whole other story.)

 

[amytrisha]

I think it's a good thing, I don't quite understand the whole 'taboo' thing related to cannabis.. IMO (maybe not everybody will agree) I think alcohol is a lot worse & maybe they should start taking a closer look at that.

As long as nobody abuses the right & start driving under the influence ect cos that's dangerous I can't see how it's bad.

I agree with PP, I can't see it ever being legalized over here in the UK! A lot of the crimes here are alcohol related yet they're too busy cracking down on smoking to do anything about it!

 

[LittleBoo]

It always gives me a chuckle how ridiculous it is here, I could nip over the road and buy enough alcohol units to kill me for a bargain, hell we even have stores named for it, Bargain Booze! Walk into ASDA, three whole aisles dedicated to poison, offers promoting you to buy not one bottle of wine, but three for a tenner! Good deals, good deals. Yet it kills, it destroys the body and mind, destroys families when addiction comes into play, promotes violent outbursts, disgusting public displays and then there's the driving under the influences, costs to the health services from long term damage or just drunk idiots who need a bed for the night, not to mention the smashes glass, ease of availability and did you know it's legal as far as I'm aware for a child as young as 5 to drink with a meal? It may have changed, but I do recall reading a loophole like that.

It's advertised on TV (with the obligatory "Drink Aware" in teeny tiny writing at the bottom), advertised everywhere for that matter, they sell alcohopops designed to appeal to youngsters, wine is even seen as a classy drink, one must be posh to know about that stuff.

Meh.

 

[LittleBoo]

Oh, but cannabis is much worse. Somehow.

 

[whit.]

Woohoo!!

In Alaska it is legal for recreational use as well. You can own up to 4oz per person and 25 plants per household, but you cannot buy/sell/trade it. Strictly for personal use. HOWEVER, that is a state law. Federally, it's still illegal and federal law trumps state law. So it's kind of sort of still illegal. This will apply to both Washington and Colorado as well.

That's interesting...I didn't know that, so what would happen if you were caught with 4oz or 25 plants? Would they let it go? Or would federal law apply? It's so confusing!!

I believe you would be let go - as long as you're in the state where the law says it's illegal. Say you were to cross the border into another state, then you wouldn't be protected by the law that says it's ok. If that makes sense.

I think that it's not as bad as alcohol and not as bad as people make it out to be. I would probably be inclined to think people who think it's the worst thing in the world either haven't tried it or have had a bad high where it was laced with something. It needs to be grown and taxed like tobacco is. There should be laws regarding it and that should be that. If it was grown and taxed there wouldn't be near the crime associated with it that there is. Dealers would be out of jobs.

 

[louandivy]

Woohoo!!

In Alaska it is legal for recreational use as well. You can own up to 4oz per person and 25 plants per household, but you cannot buy/sell/trade it. Strictly for personal use. HOWEVER, that is a state law. Federally, it's still illegal and federal law trumps state law. So it's kind of sort of still illegal. This will apply to both Washington and Colorado as well.

That's interesting...I didn't know that, so what would happen if you were caught with 4oz or 25 plants? Would they let it go? Or would federal law apply? It's so confusing!!

I believe you would be let go - as long as you're in the state where the law says it's illegal. Say you were to cross the border into another state, then you wouldn't be protected by the law that says it's ok. If that makes sense.

I think that it's not as bad as alcohol and not as bad as people make it out to be. I would probably be inclined to think people who think it's the worst thing in the world either haven't tried it or have had a bad high where it was laced with something. It needs to be grown and taxed like tobacco is. There should be laws regarding it and that should be that. If it was grown and taxed there wouldn't be near the crime associated with it that there is. Dealers would be out of jobs.

Agree with all of this - especially as legalising it would also mean putting an age limit on it. You don't have to be a smoker to appreciate the benefits of it!

Whit, how have we never crossed paths before? You are awesome

 

[Mummy Bean]

And just think the amount of money the government could make by taxing it.

 

[louandivy]

I hate the implication that people only support cannibas legislation if they like smoking weed themselves, if anything it is in their best interest to keep it illegal as it isn't taxed to fuck - there are just so many pros to legalisation I will never understand how anyone can be against it! Considering how many people in this country do smoke it recreationally, there needs to be some regulation of it - a lot of weed is sprayed with fibre glass to bulk it out and skunk is so strong and nothing like pure marijuana.

 

[fides]

well, i live in Colorado, and our governor (a Dem) has been against it b/c it's still illegal by federal law, so passing it locally is going to open up the feds to seizing any business's assets that decides to sell teh stuff, which will then make such businesses want to be a cash-only operation and they're worried about accurate accounting and such.

funny thing was, today he was talking about how it's going to be a complicated process to enact a state law that goes against federal, so he said, "Don't break out the cheetos and goldfish just yet".

 

[whit.]

Lou, I am pretty f'n awesome.

I think that people are probably just afraid of it because it's illegal. My sister is someone who would never do something because it's illegal and would feel uncomfortable with the idea of something that's illegal - becoming legal because OBVIOUSLY there is a reason it's illegal (in her mind).

It's the same as alcohol and tobacco. At one point alcohol was illegal, the government "smartened" up, legalized it and taxed it. If the government took some sort of control over it, they would know it was pure and not laced. There would be laws and regulations to go along with it.

I don't smoke pot (anymore, haven't since I got out of high school), and probably wouldn't even start if it was legal. No certain reason why though, really. I don't even drink much when I'm not pregnant. I think making it legal, taxing it and selling it would help the economy and cut down on crime, though.

 

[CMarie]

I agree with everything that's been said, especially with whit! I personally wouldn't smoke it unless I had a medical reason to do so, but like Lou said, so many people smoke it now that it NEEDS to be regulated somehow. In all honesty, I'd rather actually see my son (once he gets old enough) smoke a bit of pot then get drunk. I'm sure some would argue against that though

 

[MommaAlexis]

Personally I am against pot and won't date someone who smokes it. But I'm not against the legalization of it. I don't drink and wouldn't date someone who drinks all the time either. Same with cigarettes. I've seen too many good friends ruined from pot laced with stuff, if it protects my kid from getting drugged, fine. Still not under my roof though lol

 

[whit.]

I agree with everything that's been said, especially with whit! I personally wouldn't smoke it unless I had a medical reason to do so, but like Lou said, so many people smoke it now that it NEEDS to be regulated somehow. In all honesty, I'd rather actually see my son (once he gets old enough) smoke a bit of pot then get drunk. I'm sure some would argue against that though

Technically both would be illegal to a minor so I would rather my daughter smoke a bit of pot as well. Obviously only if it was made legal and I knew it wasn't laced with anything.

 

[Piper84]

It always gives me a chuckle how ridiculous it is here, I could nip over the road and buy enough alcohol units to kill me for a bargain, hell we even have stores named for it, Bargain Booze! Walk into ASDA, three whole aisles dedicated to poison, offers promoting you to buy not one bottle of wine, but three for a tenner! Good deals, good deals. Yet it kills, it destroys the body and mind, destroys families when addiction comes into play, promotes violent outbursts, disgusting public displays and then there's the driving under the influences, costs to the health services from long term damage or just drunk idiots who need a bed for the night, not to mention the smashes glass, ease of availability and did you know it's legal as far as I'm aware for a child as young as 5 to drink with a meal? It may have changed, but I do recall reading a loophole like that.

It's advertised on TV (with the obligatory "Drink Aware" in teeny tiny writing at the bottom), advertised everywhere for that matter, they sell alcohopops designed to appeal to youngsters, wine is even seen as a classy drink, one must be posh to know about that stuff.

Meh.

But how do you want to deal with that? Restrict alcohol sales? Ban alcohol advertising? It's more of a cultural problem in Britain than anything.

It's the countries with the most puritan alcohol laws (I'm talking about Europe) which have the biggest problems with alcohol. That either means strict measures don't help with alcohol abuse, or strict measures encourage alcohol abuse.

What about other legal highs like meths or air freshener? You have to give people some margin for error.

I'm not sure what the wine comment is about, but it seems wine-producing countries have less of a problem with alcohol abuse than say whisky or vodka producing countries

 

[Mummy Bean]

It always gives me a chuckle how ridiculous it is here, I could nip over the road and buy enough alcohol units to kill me for a bargain, hell we even have stores named for it, Bargain Booze! Walk into ASDA, three whole aisles dedicated to poison, offers promoting you to buy not one bottle of wine, but three for a tenner! Good deals, good deals. Yet it kills, it destroys the body and mind, destroys families when addiction comes into play, promotes violent outbursts, disgusting public displays and then there's the driving under the influences, costs to the health services from long term damage or just drunk idiots who need a bed for the night, not to mention the smashes glass, ease of availability and did you know it's legal as far as I'm aware for a child as young as 5 to drink with a meal? It may have changed, but I do recall reading a loophole like that.

It's advertised on TV (with the obligatory "Drink Aware" in teeny tiny writing at the bottom), advertised everywhere for that matter, they sell alcohopops designed to appeal to youngsters, wine is even seen as a classy drink, one must be posh to know about that stuff.

Meh.

But how do you want to deal with that? Restrict alcohol sales? Ban alcohol advertising? It's more of a cultural problem in Britain than anything.

this is what there doing with cigaretts tho...as they banned all advertising, and there no longer allowed to be on display in shops and there warning left right and centre.

they also trying to ban any 'special offers' on alcohol to try and deter ppl from drinking. but unfortunatly it just the culture in the UK to binge drink and it will take generations to change that