Dope Smoking Colorado Gets The Thumbs Up

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It’s been a year now since the passing of a law which allowed the legalization of marijuana[1] in the state of Colorado. The state of hell that naysayers spoke of is still to be witnessed, and it seems that the government is also turning a very healthy profit. [2]

Screenshot (37)

Source: Colorado Department of Revenue

The critics and law enforcement department argued as the process to legalize marijuana rolled out, that crime would take a dramatic turn for the worst, car accidents would rise, and that there would be other marijuana-related deaths. There was even a mention pre-Halloween, of the concerns of child incidents eating marijuana-laced candy. But so far to date, nothing has moved further from the truth.[3]

The biggest criticism has been more aimed at the federal side of the law and the implications that can arise in regards to prosecution by other surrounding states of people, where marijuana is still an illicit substance. More so, it has also been noted that neighboring states are attempting to sue Colorado for causing an increase in law enforcement officers needed on the borders to prevent trafficking.

The jury is still proverbially out on the new laws; but with no hard evidence at this time to say that the laws are causing notable damage. It is still early though. Only a year has passed since the laws have been made official. Revenue could take a downturn and crime could rise again. Only time will tell on this matter.

[1] Lopez, G. (2014, December 24). 3 things we learned from Colorado’s first year of legal marijuana sales [Vox] Retrieved from http://www.vox.com/2014/12/24/7408571/marijuana-legalization-colorado

[2] Connolly, M. (2015, January 2015). One Year After Legalizing Weed, Here’s the Lawless Hellscape Colorado Has Become [Policy.Mic]. Retrieved from http://mic.com/articles/107618/one-year-after-legalizing-weed-here-s-the-lawless-hellscape-colorado-has-become?utm_source=policymicFB&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social

[3] Szalavitz, M. (2012, November 7). Two U.S. States Become First to Legalize Marijuana [TIME] Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2012/11/07/two-u-s-states-become-first-to-legalize-marijuana/

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18 COMMENTS

  1. The other states will make a big hub-bub about it. Thus making it seem like it’s a bad idea. Think if we legalize it and apply the same regulations and laws we apply to the more harmful booze and cigs it’ll be fine! Don’t smoke and drive kids!

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  3. I live in Colorado and while I don’t personally smoke or use marijuana in any form – it has really done wonderful things for our state. The state of Colorado now has lots of money, which can (and will hopefully continue to) be used for improving our cities. I honestly can’t think of any negative effects it has had thus far.

  4. There’s a research paper showcased in a 2014 volume of the Journal of Political Economy (can’t remember which volume, they do several every year) that studied the effects of marijuana legalization on a suburb near London over a period of 10 years, beginning when they first legalized it in 2001. The results were hardly surprising: marijuana-related crimes DID go up, but with the police ignoring those who smoke it, they’ve decreased other crime rates. Also, house prices sank in that area (demand went down due to few people who don’t want to live near marijuana smokers), so there’s that. Then there’s the question of smoking in restaurants and other establishments where people can be easily exposed to the smoke (of course, it’s up to the owner of the restaurant, but will bars and such only allow smoking tobacco products, or open that up to including marijuana?). Overall, just depends on what the town prefers- there’s good and bad in it regardless of which you choose- tradeoff is the economic term for it. I highly recommend reading the study if you can get ahold of it on Jstor or another such site.

  5. I don’t really care if marijuana is legal or not, but all the arguments for marijuana are hypocritical. So, often you hear complaints that cigarettes kill millions and yet they are legal, and then use that as justification for making something else potentially unhealthy legal? First off, you are ruining it for all the people who enjoy smoking cigarettes, and second of all — if you are so offended that cigarettes are killing people– and are linking their dangerousness to their legal abundance—then why would you want to let another potentially unhealthy substance legal on the streets?

    There have been studies shown that link marjuana use to increase in depression.. which would make sense since increase in dopamine nullifies synapses yada yada…

    And Im not saying that is an argument to make marijuana illegal, Im just saying that the argument that marijuana should be legal because cigarettes are legal is majorly flawed, if anything it is an argument to make cigarettes illegal.

    That said, make it legal who gives a shit… making it illegal hasn’t stopped anything. America was founded on hedonism… hasnt failed us yet.

  6. I’m going to step out on a limb and tell you what happened in the Netherlands. Marijuana has been semi-legal in my country for a long time. You can smoke it at the shop, or at home. The growing part is still illegal, so there is still a criminal aspect to it. Police regularly raid growhouses. The problem, in my opinion, that has occurred is that marijuana has become as ‘normal’ as drinking a beer with your friends. But contrary to beer, you can’t get a hangover, and you can’t overdose. So it even feels safer. But the pitfall is the mental dependency that develops in time with regular use. The brain gets desensitized and needs more of it to have the same effect. In time, you need weed to feel ‘normal’ Teenagers start doing it for fun, by having adults by it for them. They get hooked on it early on. Any person who is prone to addiction or lives in a miserable situation gets hooked on it for life. It demotivates, messes with their education and prevents them from holding on to a decent job. The switch to hard-drugs is easy. Many long term users end up without a job, having to resort to stealing stuff to get the money for the weed. Only a few are able to live a productive life and moderate their use. Then comes the next generation. Kids who see that mommy and daddy smoke weed have no inclination not to start using themselves. Unless they are smart enough to realise that the crappy situation they grew up in is caused by the lack of motivation from their parents. For many people it’s not more than recreational use now and then, and many will completely quit when they have kids, but too many get hooked for life. Did it reduce crime? Not really.. it has created a large group of people who steal to get by. Although the law accepts it in a way, society in general frowns upon the users. If you smoke you are part of ‘that’ group of people and you lose any social status you had before they knew you smoked weed. It’s the same stigma that smokers have, but worse.. and that’s not good for a society.. stigmatizing people, who don’t exactely break a law.

    • I’m calling shenanigans. People don’t steal for weed. And I know plenty of chronic smokers who have great jobs, families and morals. You sound like an anti legalization troll. Base none of your statements on facts, you get a rebuttal not based on facts as well. Go smoke your cigarettes and get cancer. Let the rest of us smoke weed and be happy.

    • Your comment is mostly unresearched bullshit. Cannabis users steal and refuse to hold down jobs? You seem to be describing heroin junkies not your average toker. Typical Dutchman, prefers making money off of sinners who indulge their “vices” without using, himself, a glorious plant. Dependency on cannabis exists but is mild and can be quit without physiologic complaint unlike opiates and tranqs such as xanax etc. Open your eyes guy and quit spreading refer madness. A stoner who can’t be bothered to make it to his job at McDonald’s is not considered a decent human being in Holland.

    • If some1 is gonna rob someone for cannabis they’d probably rob you for your car, your tv, your wallet. Cannabis doesn’t make anyone steal. Cannabis is worth money that’s what they want so they’d take anything they could sell. Plus almost all my friends and myself included smoke bud all the time and we have jobs and families the only people I know that smoke and don’t have jobs or can’t keep a job drink alcohol as well. I’ve had a job ever since I left high school 8 yrs ago. My father smoked cannabis most his life and he’s worked from the age of 15-63 only having 3 different jobs and he was never fired, and he raised me fine, and many other people I have I knows parents have done the same so I don’t believe that for a second. Also I’ve known plenty of people that didn’t smoke and couldn’t hold a job anyway. I live in colorado and I have to say not much has changed, and as far as day to day life really nothing has changed. I hear of tons of DUI deaths the number still increases every year but I have yet to hear of one where alcohol was not involved. Even if there is a DUI where they were smoking they were also drinking. Also the overall crime rate here has dropped and the murder rate has dropped and our economy is one of the fastest growing in the United States, it’s also not that hard to find a job if your not picky. There was this big open lot near my house that was becoming an illegal dump the city had been saying they’d put a park in for over a decade now well they finally did it because of extra revenue. And the teen marijuana use rate has actually declined. I haven’t seen any negative effects from this besides very other state acting like they deserve a piece of the pie. They wanna say they have to have more police to regulate it well look at Texas or California all kinds of drugs move through those states. Drug trafficking has been around along time their catching more people cause their stopping more people not necessarily because more people are doing it.

  7. And three friends from, South Park, Colloradosay that their obese anti-semitic friend has actually stopped abusing the Jewish friend in the group. Apparently he has become very mellow after a hit or six…

  8. The funny thing, is that pot is already sold in every state on the black market AND the demand will not go away…..ever. So, those against the legalization of pot would rather keep it on the black market so the cartels and gangs control and sell it?
    It’s not the evil drug people have been led to believe, so stop drinking the kool aid people.

    I watched a documentary about pot a few years. In the 1960’s, pot was becoming accepted by the US…..until the Manson murders. I laughed because pot had nothing to do with the murders. Manson gave his followers acid to control and brain wash them. Sure, they probably smoked pot too and so what? I think the acid did a hell of a lot more damage. The murders were committed by the sick a-holes to start a race war. It’s ridiculous that pot was even associated with it at all.

    The US is a country that accepts alcohol and guns, but people are up in arms about pot? I’ve seen the damage alcohol and guns do. In my 48 years, I haven’t seen any damage done by pot.

    For decades the US gov has known the truth about pot, including the medicinal benefits, but they felt the need to protect us from ourselves. They knew it would be in high demand and they wanted to control it by making it illegal. Making it a schedule 1 drug and spreading propaganda may have worked for several years, but now the truth is finally coming out.

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