Colorado's Marijuana Woes...

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drusso

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As a pain medicine physician and locally elected school board member, I think that this is a failed experiment in pubic policy:


"On Colorado’s northern plains, for example, a fourth grader showed up on the playground one day in April and sold some of his grandmother’s marijuana to three classmates. The next day, one of those students returned the favor by bringing in a marijuana edible he had swiped from his own grandmother.

“This was kind of an unintended consequence of Colorado’s new law,” said John Gates, the district’s director of school safety and security. “For crying out loud, secure your weed. If you can legally possess it, that’s fine. But it has no place in an elementary school.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/u...o-sees-the-downside-of-a-legal-high.html?_r=0

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Unfortunately we are on track to replicate their failure in OR.
 
How is this different than kids bringing ETOH or Rx meds to school...used to happen when I was in elementary school 35 years ago
 
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This is no different from similar idiots who don't lock their liquor cabinet.

If this means we outlaw MJ for what's described above, we should also outlaw alcohol.
 
FL is trying to push a MM law that would allow minors to possess.
 
i dont know the individual state laws, but when i looked at NORML, i did not specifically see that marijuana possession by a minor is illegal under state law for Washington or Oregon (selling it to a minor is a felony).

perhaps 101N knows specifically where to find it in the statutes?
 
i dont know the individual state laws, but when i looked at NORML, i did not specifically see that marijuana possession by a minor is illegal under state law for Washington or Oregon (selling it to a minor is a felony).

perhaps 101N knows specifically where to find it in the statutes?

It is illegal for minors to possess

Colorado law

5-10-3. Unlawful to Sell or Give to or Procure for Minors.
No person shall sell, serve, deliver, or give away any marijuana or any product containing marijuana to any underage person or purchase marijuana or marijuana-infused product for an underage person.

Ordinance No. 7892 (2013)


5-10-4 Possession and Sale by Minors Unlawful

(a) No underage person shall consume, possess, or have under such person's control or request that any other person purchase for such underage person or sell, serve, give away, or offer for sale any marijuana or any product containing marijuana.
 
It is illegal for minors to possess

Colorado law

5-10-4 Possession and Sale by Minors Unlawful

(a) No underage person shall consume, possess, or have under such person's control or request that any other person purchase for such underage person or sell, serve, give away, or offer for sale any marijuana or any product containing marijuana.
Did not see similar ordinances for wash or Oregon. They may be there....
 
Most medical use is recreational. There is no difference.
The article is about Recreational MJ in Colorado

that being said I think MM is pretty bogus and that they should legalize just like ETOH
 
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Think they should have bigger fish to fry
 
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"DENVER (AP) — Officials at some Denver homeless shelters say the legalization of marijuana has contributed to an increase in the number of younger people living on the city's streets... the majority are saying they're here because of the weed..."


http://news.yahoo.com/pot-seen-reason-rise-denver-homeless-175115981.html


As in, people who would have been homeless or marginal in other places are travelling to Denver to be homeless so that they can at least get high without legal consequences or people who would not have been homeless became so because of weed?

I'm going to guess the former, rather than the latter. There are a lot of bohemian young people who would be living rough and smoking dope any where... they are going to be drawn to the place where they can do it without going to jail for it.
 
As in, people who would have been homeless or marginal in other places are travelling to Denver to be homeless so that they can at least get high without legal consequences ...?

That's how I read it.
 
There are always unintended consequences. I think the entire nation is watching Colorado to see how their experiment works out. If the net harm is less than that caused by the expensive and ineffectual War on Drug, then I think you will see more States try it. That should reduce the migration of young potheads.
 
Agree completely. Having went over a number of articles on the subject I just don't see any use in most chronic pain states and plan on saying as much when asked.
 
Hmmm...

Cocaine's fall and marijuana's rise: questions and insights based on new estimates of consumption and expenditures in US drug markets
  1. Jonathan P. Caulkins1,2,
  2. Beau Kilmer2,*,
  3. Peter H. Reuter2,3 and
  4. Greg Midgette2,4
Article first published online: 14 JUL 2014

Abstract
Aims
Drug policy strategies and discussions often use prevalence of drug use as a primary performance indicator. However, three other indicators are at least as relevant: the number of heavy users, total expenditures and total amount consumed. This paper stems from our efforts to develop annual estimates of these three measures for cocaine (including crack), heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine in the United States.

Methods
The estimates exploit complementary strengths of a general population survey (National Survey on Drug Use and Health) and both survey and urinalysis test result data for arrestees (Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program), supplemented by many other data sources.

Results
Throughout the 2000s US drug users spent in the order of $100 billion annually on these drugs, although the spending distribution and use patterns changed dramatically. From 2006 to 2010, the amount of marijuana consumed in the United States probably increased by more than 30%, while the amount of cocaine consumed in the United States fell by approximately 50%. These figures are consistent with supply-side indicators, such as seizures and production estimates. For all the drugs, total consumption and expenditures are driven by the minority of users who consume on 21 or more days each month.

Conclusions
Even for established drugs, consumption can change rapidly. The halving of the cocaine market in five years and the parallel (but independent) large rise in daily/near-daily marijuana use are major events that were not anticipated by the expert community and raise important theoretical, research, and policy issues.
 
Stoners > Crackheads/Cokeheads
 
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to me, interesting factoid, and bias in the reporting:

http://money.cnn.com/2014/09/02/news/economy/marijuana-taxes-colorado/index.html?hpt=hp_t2


Colorado's missing marijuana taxes
By Katie Lobosco @KatieLobosco September 2, 2014: 8:01 AM ET

Colorado is missing $21.5 million in pot taxes.
Voters legalized retail marijuana (pot for everyone, not just medical patients) in 2012. And they were told the state wouldpull in $33.5 million from two new taxes in the first six months of 2014. It turns out, the projections were way off. Here's why.
the interesting part of this? Not the fact that Colorado is not getting as much taxes as anticipated, which they call "missing" instead of "not collected" or "nonexistent"...

when i went to the site, the video was NOT about "missing" marijuana taxes, but a video about "Banks 'just say no' to pot cash" - a video about how pot growers are not able to secure the cash that they have gotten from sales, and how this is inhibiting sales of marijuana...
 
Their revenues from pot taxes will be enough to build a few miles of new interstate. LOL.

What are the cost in terms of potheads that move to your state that sit around collecting Social Security Disability, Food Stamps and living in Section-8 homes, or in terms of kids run over by stoned drivers?

The Netherlands has backtracked on their once liberal approach to marijuana, because it wasn't worth the social costs and problems, which the pro-pot enthusiasts always downplay. They make it seem like pot has to be legalized either directly or indirectly because all the crime and other problems we have is because the cops are too busy hunting down potheads quietly smoking joints in their own homes all day.
 
Paddington tell me more. How did the Netherlands backtrack. This is interesting
 
Their revenues from pot taxes will be enough to build a few miles of new interstate. LOL.

What are the cost in terms of potheads that move to your state that sit around collecting Social Security Disability, Food Stamps and living in Section-8 homes, or in terms of kids run over by stoned drivers?

The Netherlands has backtracked on their once liberal approach to marijuana, because it wasn't worth the social costs and problems, which the pro-pot enthusiasts always downplay. They make it seem like pot has to be legalized either directly or indirectly because all the crime and other problems we have is because the cops are too busy hunting down potheads quietly smoking joints in their own homes all day.

Was there 2 months ago, not sure what you are talking about in regards to their approach to MJ.
 
i know you were just there, but there are regulations. the site i found with most info was http://www.amsterdam.info/drugs/

As a result smoking of cannabis even in public, is not prosecuted as well as selling it although technically illegal under still valid Opium Act (dating from 1919, cannabis added as drug in 1950), is widely tolerated provided that it happens in a limited, controlled way (in a coffee shop, small portions, 5 grams maximum transaction, not many portions on stock, sale only to adults, no minors on the premises, no advertisement of drugs, the local municipality did not give the order to close the coffee shop).
 
For me here in Colorado, it's kind of been a blessing. I have a blanket policy to not prescribe opioids to anyone who smokes marijuana. Makes having the discussion for why I won't prescribe an opioid to many patients a whole lot easier. Also makes discharging patients who have positive utox results a lot easier.
 
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"Welfare recipients can’t use their EBT cards at liquor stores but they can at marijuana dispensaries in states such as Colorado that have legalized pot..."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...jeff-sessions-tackles-loophole/#ixzz3Cui5E8TI

It's illegal to drink and drive, illegal to text and drive in most states, but you can get stoned to high heaven on weed and there's no way for cops to measure that or check a level. Has to be one of the most poorly thought out policies in a long time. Driving around on opiates, benzos and weed = totally legal. Nice.
 
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"Welfare recipients can’t use their EBT cards at liquor stores but they can at marijuana dispensaries in states such as Colorado that have legalized pot..."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...jeff-sessions-tackles-loophole/#ixzz3Cui5E8TI

It's illegal to drink and drive, illegal to text and drive in most states, but you can get stoned to high heaven on weed and there's no way for cops to measure that or check a level. Has to be one of the most poorly thought out policies in a long time. Driving around on opiates, benzos and weed = totally legal. Nice.

Not Exactly
http://www.drugfree.org/join-togeth...nder-the-influence-of-marijuana-takes-effect/
 
Well that's good then. I stand corrected. But there's still no on-scene MJ breathalyzer, or is there? That still makes it very hard for a cop who would have to haul every single person to the ER to draw blood, and send blood to the lab, doesn't it? I don't know. Just seems there's enough people getting high on enough things, we don't need to make it any easier. That being said, they've never been able to keep drugs out of this country with any shred of success, either. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
 
Well that's good then. I stand corrected. But there's still no on-scene MJ breathalyzer, or is there? That still makes it very hard for a cop who would have to haul every single person to the ER to draw blood, and send blood to the lab, doesn't it? I don't know. Just seems there's enough people getting high on enough things, we don't need to make it any easier. That being said, they've never been able to keep drugs out of this country with any shred of success, either. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

If a cop feels you are impaired they take you into custody just the same as ETOH, or other drugs. They don't do a breathalyzer on the scene. Breathalyzers or blood work has to be done in certified labs or they don't mean anything in court.
Having tried both things and been around people that have...there is no question MJ is preferable to ETOH when operating equipment is involved.
 
I agree etoh is way worse than MJ for driving but I still think sober is better.

I'm glad we have this on a state by state basis. That way we have the state by state experiments where the effects (or lack thereof) can be monitored, before it does (or doesn't) go national.
 
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