Pot Legal in Colorado and Washington for Recreational Use

[JohnnyHammersticks]

...as Colorado and Washington "Legalize It".

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

It is my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, that while it is legal to purchase, it is not legal to smoke in a public place.

Personally, due to the case of it being legal to sell and buy, I think this is where it should be required a drug test for welfare recipients.

It is illegal to smoke in a public place, but I've already seen it twice now in three days on my walk to work. Stupid young guys who think they're being cool.

The drug testing thing would be a good idea, but if it's legal does it matter?

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Fish

I bet it's gotten 89,000 forwards on Facebook already by angry old people patting themselves on the back for being right about the devil weed.

I've seen it making it's rounds on Facebook in the other light.

You're probably right though. I don't have many old heads or conservatives on my friends list.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

It is my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, that while it is legal to purchase, it is not legal to smoke in a public place.

Personally, due to the case of it being legal to sell and buy, I think this is where it should be required a drug test for welfare recipients.

So what's a public place? Riding up the ski lift or sitting around the camp fire? I bet there's some federal park rangers about to make an arrest in CO.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by philfree

So what's a public place? Riding up the ski lift or sitting around the camp fire? I bet there's some federal park rangers about to make an arrest in CO.

Any place that's open to the public, which would include the places you mention. You can smoke on your private property, and you even can smoke in public view on your private property. But that's the only place it's allowed.

Some bar tried to get around the law by holding a "private party" at their bar on New Year's. You basically had to request a reservation, which they called an "invitation". They then "invited" you to their "private party".

The thing I find funny is that this bar, and the two doofuses I've seen smoking on the street, are complete and absolute morons. This is a new system, and if you're smart you follow the rules and are polite and respectful of everyone. If you decide that you're going to be a dumba** about it, you're going to cause a backlash and the laws are going to get a lot stricter.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Any place that's open to the public, which would include the places you mention. You can smoke on your private property, and you even can smoke in public view on your private property. But that's the only place it's allowed.

Some bar tried to get around the law by holding a "private party" at their bar on New Year's. You basically had to request a reservation, which they called an "invitation". They then "invited" you to their "private party".

The thing I find funny is that this bar, and the two doofuses I've seen smoking on the street, are complete and absolute morons. This is a new system, and if you're smart you follow the rules and are polite and respectful of everyone. If you decide that you're going to be a dumba** about it, you're going to cause a backlash and the laws are going to get a lot stricter.

The laws are still messed up if a person can't sit by his campfire and smoke a doobie.

[jiveturkey]

My company occasionally hire people in CO and I found out this morning that our typical drug screen will still apply there.

I'm guessing that this will be the same for any company that currently does pre-employment drug testing.

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by jiveturkey

My company occasionally hire people in CO and I found out this morning that our typical drug screen will still apply there.

I'm guessing that this will be the same for any company that currently does pre-employment drug testing.

As long as its illegal on a federal level, no one will have a leg to stand on legally to fight that.

Even if its legal on the federal level, you will still likely see a lengthy court battle before all is said and done on drug testing for legal substances.

[SeeingRed]

Maybe Seattle fans quiet down a bit now...more passive tailgate. Opposing teams should buy out all the brownies and hand people em out in the parking lot for free.

[Katipan]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Jerks who smoke it in public and annoy me since I don't like the smell

When I was growing up the smell of skunk spray never bothered me. In fact, short of a direct blast to the face I kind of like it. It wasn't until I started smoking at... 20?… That I realized why.

I am biologically designed to smoke pot.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by SeeingRed

Maybe Seattle fans quiet down a bit now...more passive tailgate. Opposing teams should buy out all the brownies and hand people em out in the parking lot for free.

Those people were already high.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by philfree

The laws are still messed up if a person can't sit by his campfire and smoke a doobie.

In many cases, ski lifts and camping sites are on federal land anyway, so it has nothing to do with the Colorado law.

Aside from that, the challenge is finding the delicate balance between allowing people to use it and not annoying others. Those are the things that our state is undoubtedly the guinea pig for and will hopefully eventually find good solutions.

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by hometeam

As long as its illegal on a federal level, no one will have a leg to stand on legally to fight that.

Even if its legal on the federal level, you will still likely see a lengthy court battle before all is said and done on drug testing for legal substances.

It will take a cultural change rather than a legal change. If an employer loses out on too much talent because they drug test, they'll stop doing it. I'm fine with that. The Feds have said that they are backing off states where it is being decriminalized to allow the experiment. There will still be specific instances where they will get involved, but the AG stated that the administration wants to see how this pans out.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by DaFace

In many cases, ski lifts and camping sites are on federal land anyway, so it has nothing to do with the Colorado law.

Aside from that, the challenge is finding the delicate balance between allowing people to use it and not annoying others. Those are the things that our state is undoubtedly the guinea pig for and will hopefully eventually find good solutions.

Technically, none of it has anything to do with Colorado law. It's still a federal crime.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

That's what we're hoping. I'm also curious about whether there'll be a notable culture change. My worry is that if you're an unemployed stoner you're going to come here and make a marijuana store your first stop and social services your second stop.

My initial theories are:

Positive outcomes:

Tax revenues
Prison savings

Negative outcomes

Increase in TANF
Influx of ne'er do wells and their related problems
More traffic crashes
Jerks who smoke it in public and annoy me since I don't like the smell


Note that I'm not saying that all marijuana users are ne'er do wells. I just think that if you are a ne'er do well and you smoke marijuana, Colorado will seem like a good place to come and live.

Even as a big proponent to this whole thing, this stuff worries me. I'm all for pot tourists coming in and spending money in our state, but I don't want the quality of our workforce to suffer in the long run.

On the other hand, I also believe it's a remote possibility that there are a ton of productive pot smokers out there in the world that we've never heard about because of the obvious social stigma associated with it. Who knows - it's not completely out of the question that many perfectly productive people will be attracted to the state too.

Time will tell.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Technically, none of it has anything to do with Colorado law. It's still a federal crime.

While (obviously) true, I don't know what that adds to the conversation given the feds' statements about how they're approaching this. They've basically said "we'll let state laws fly with some exceptions," and one of those exceptions is federal land.