So, the stores in CO sold out by noon

[VaBusa]

I'll have to remember that one....

I've also told them about my cousin that dropped LSD and fell from a fire escape and died from severe head trauma, and their father's cousin that was drunk and decided running from the cops on his motorcycle was not going to cost him his life. I always end with how great both of these guys were, because they were, but they made life-ending mistakes...I'm not afraid to tell my kids, now 11 and 13, the dark realities of that one bad decision...I wish more parents did the same.

 

[Gpmo]

Well the Colorado Department of Transportation had to remove the Road Mile Marker Sign 420 on I-70 again. So they changed it to 419.99.

Man this makes me happy, but i kindof want this sign.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

Completely agree no doubt... I guess my resistance to the way I hear everyone justify legalizing MJ because it isn't as bad as alcohol.. that is just a terrible argument...

Actually no, it's a perfect argument. Herb is habit forming but not addictive. Alcohol is addictive and some can't live without it. I think you'd be surprised to find out who actually smokes Capt. Folks all around you do and they come from all professions. I think it would be difficult for you to find an article titled 'he smoked too much and died'. The dangers of its use are minimal but it's benefits are multiple.
Some things worry me though. There is no way to measure someone roadside for marijuana intoxication and there is no standardized level for what would be considered intoxicated or not. Unlike alcohol where a breathalyzer works well you can't figure out how much someone has smoked. Eyes are red and they are smiling but that's about it. A pee or blood test would show but I don't think Colorado has enacted any laws demanding samples for traffic violations or accidents? So someone could delay that request long enough to be clean.

If someone could invent an accurate rapid way of testing thc levels and establishing exactly what is too much to drive they could make an awful lot of money.

 

[StrtRac3r]

Actually no, it's a perfect argument. Herb is habit forming but not addictive. Alcohol is addictive and some can't live without it. I think you'd be surprised to find out who actually smokes Capt. Folks all around you do and they come from all professions. I think it would be difficult for you to find an article titled 'he smoked too much and died'. The dangers of its use are minimal but it's benefits are multiple.
Some things worry me though. There is no way to measure someone roadside for marijuana intoxication and there is no standardized level for what would be considered intoxicated or not. Unlike alcohol where a breathalyzer works well you can't figure out how much someone has smoked. Eyes are red and they are smiling but that's about it. A pee or blood test would show but I don't think Colorado has enacted any laws demanding samples for traffic violations or accidents? So someone could delay that request long enough to be clean.

If someone could invent an accurate rapid way of testing thc levels and establishing exactly what is too much to drive they could make an awful lot of money.

From what I was told is that it is possible to tell if there is active impairing thc in someone's system, or if its residual. But that's my concern as well. They need more than just a standard road side observational test.

 

[Gpmo]

Cheek swaps are quick and dont require a lab. think 15 minutes. also they are cheap. Problem is they show positive for uptp 12 hours after. if I remember correctly.

 

[outlawbusa]

Cheek swaps are quick and dont require a lab. think 15 minutes. also they are cheap. Problem is they show positive for uptp 12 hours after. if I remember correctly.

I believe there would be an argument started over the government stealing and recording DNA...

 

[captain]

Actually no, it's a perfect argument. Herb is habit forming but not addictive. Alcohol is addictive and some can't live without it. I think you'd be surprised to find out who actually smokes Capt. Folks all around you do and they come from all professions. I think it would be difficult for you to find an article titled 'he smoked too much and died'. The dangers of its use are minimal but it's benefits are multiple.
Some things worry me though. There is no way to measure someone roadside for marijuana intoxication and there is no standardized level for what would be considered intoxicated or not. Unlike alcohol where a breathalyzer works well you can't figure out how much someone has smoked. Eyes are red and they are smiling but that's about it. A pee or blood test would show but I don't think Colorado has enacted any laws demanding samples for traffic violations or accidents? So someone could delay that request long enough to be clean.

If someone could invent an accurate rapid way of testing thc levels and establishing exactly what is too much to drive they could make an awful lot of money.

I still disagree, I don't care if it's habit forming or addictive... I am speaking to the consequences either way, if you choose to drink you suffer the consequences if something goes bad the same with Pot... We don't need the govt telling us what we can / can't do but when our actions are the causal factor to injury or death from being impaired the ramifications and punishment should be steep...

Does the govt really need to tell people not to huff gasoline or paint? Or should we just say if you hurt or kill someone driving a car or because you wanted to "Try Bathsalts" and you ate someone's face off you pay the price...

 

[StrtRac3r]

I still disagree, I don't care if it's habit forming or addictive... I am speaking to the consequences either way, if you choose to drink you suffer the consequences if something goes bad the same with Pot... We don't need the govt telling us what we can / can't do but when our actions are the causal factor to injury or death from being impaired the ramifications and punishment should be steep...

Does the govt really need to tell people not to huff gasoline or paint? Or should we just say if you hurt or kill someone driving a car or because you wanted to "Try Bathsalts" and you ate someone's face off you pay the price...

I don't disagree with that at all. I don't mind if they find a way to do a proven roadside "test". But until that happens if its in your system it's a DUI, that is the appropriate consequence in my book even if its from the day before.

In our society it's harder and harder to get people to accept their actions as being their own. And I just don't wanna see a bunch of court cases being thrown out because a lawyer says there isn't a way to prove this person was under the influence at the time they were doing what they were doing. With anything that can cause doubt the law needs to stay black and white. So if its anything over 0 thc in your system is a DUI then so be it, that is the consequence. And if a reliable way to test is in fact there then I'm ok with that too.

I haven't read hardly anything about the laws they passed. So this may already be how it is, at least I hope so.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

I still disagree, I don't care if it's habit forming or addictive... I am speaking to the consequences either way, if you choose to drink you suffer the consequences if something goes bad the same with Pot... We don't need the govt telling us what we can / can't do but when our actions are the causal factor to injury or death from being impaired the ramifications and punishment should be steep...

Does the govt really need to tell people not to huff gasoline or paint? Or should we just say if you hurt or kill someone driving a car or because you wanted to "Try Bathsalts" and you ate someone's face off you pay the price...

So then we as ADULTS need to re-establish common sense and Mj should be legal.
Ok cool.
The cheek swabs only show positive or negative. They do not address actual levels like breathalyzers do.
Here in Fl the legal limit is .08. You blow a .07 or under and can pass other tests you may go home.
So what level of thc in a person is acceptable? One beer for dinner doesn't impair most but a Sixpack will.
Again ones breath will show the amount you've drunk. There needs to be established legal thresholds for 'I just had a couple puffs in the park' compared to 'you look like you smoked an ounce!'.

So Gpmo let me ask a couple questions of the one who's there.
Since it is legal now what happens if you get stopped and the car smells like weed?
Everyone out and they verify nobody has more than legal limit on them?
Are drivers cited for being under the influence of a legal substance same as alcohol?
Or is it a free for all?

 

[StrtRac3r]

So blood or urine seem the only way. This is what they say. "The law states that in instances where THC is identified in a driver's blood in quantities of 5ng/ml or higher, "such fact gives rise to permissible inference that the defendant was under the influence."
Affirmative Defense
The fact that any person charged is or has been entitled to use one or more drugs under the laws of this state, including, but not limited to, the legal or medical use of marijuana shall not constitute a defense against any charge of violating this subsection. Id. § 42-4-1301(1)(e)."

And if trying to avoid or refusing the testing. "The department shall revoke the license of a person for refusal of test for one year for a first refusal, two years for a second refusal of test and three years for a third or subsequent refusal. Id. § 42-2-126(3)(c)(I)."

And since its supposed to be a private used substance, I would imagine a car that is reeking of weed would be subject to search. Just as it would with alcohol.

 

[captain]

So blood or urine seem the only way. This is what they say. "The law states that in instances where THC is identified in a driver's blood in quantities of 5ng/ml or higher, "such fact gives rise to permissible inference that the defendant was under the influence."
Affirmative Defense
The fact that any person charged is or has been entitled to use one or more drugs under the laws of this state, including, but not limited to, the legal or medical use of marijuana shall not constitute a defense against any charge of violating this subsection. Id. § 42-4-1301(1)(e)."

And if trying to avoid or refusing the testing. "The department shall revoke the license of a person for refusal of test for one year for a first refusal, two years for a second refusal of test and three years for a third or subsequent refusal. Id. § 42-2-126(3)(c)(I)."

And since its supposed to be a private used substance, I would imagine a car that is reeking of weed would be subject to search. Just as it would with alcohol.

It's not too complicated, the laws have been on the books for years... a person can be intoxicated by alcohol or other substance... if you can smell alcohol on a person and give them a test for DUI, the same holds true for pot... If they fail the test you take them into custody and then to the hospital for a blood test... Its not that difficult... actions lead to probable cause which leads to arrest... If you've been smoking pot and get stopped as long as you aren't impaired your fine... If a blood test shows above a certain level then WHAMMO, hear the doors slamming?

 

[Gpmo]

Smell equals probable cause i believe. Or wafting smoke. Which can lead to a roadside test. Problem is the tests aren't very effective in my experience.

Also THC metabolizes different that Alcohol and it can show high levels in the blood stream and or urine even though you used it days before. This is one of the problems washington is having. The active levels just vary to much by person.

Pot being legalized is going to be a pita for LEOs and for politicians. But ultimately its the best decision to be made after these growing pains. I was just talking to some folks that hit up their first pot shop this week. The owner stated he averaged 100 customers a day when he was straight medical. He is now over 600 average customers per day. He stated he was about average for the 14 shops in denver area. So much for the idea that folks will not shop there and go to the street dealers.

 

[captain]

Smell equals probable cause i believe. Or wafting smoke. Which can lead to a roadside test. Problem is the tests aren't very effective in my experience.

Also THC metabolizes different that Alcohol and it can show high levels in the blood stream and or urine even though you used it days before. This is one of the problems washington is having. The active levels just vary to much by person.

Pot being legalized is going to be a pita for LEOs and for politicians. But ultimately its the best decision to be made after these growing pains. I was just talking to some folks that hit up their first pot shop this week. The owner stated he averaged 100 customers a day when he was straight medical. He is now over 600 average customers per day. He stated he was about average for the 14 shops in denver area. So much for the idea that folks will not shop there and go to the street dealers.

If it's legal to have then there wouldn't be any need for a traffic stop... If you smell it and see smoke then there might be cause for arrest for smoking it in public but that wouldn't mean a person was intoxicated, to me smoking it would be like transporting an open container of alcohol in a car...

 

[Gpmo]

If it's legal to have then there wouldn't be any need for a traffic stop... If you smell it and see smoke then there might be cause for arrest for smoking it in public but that wouldn't mean a person was intoxicated, to me smoking it would be like transporting an open container of alcohol in a car...

This sounds right, I know theres going to be a lot of subjective decisions made by LEOs. I just hope the folks that are excited about legalization give the LEOs a bit of leeway, they have to learn the system more so than anyone else. This is going to be challenging for everyone.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

Needless to say traffic has become a problem......

 

[BUSA CRUSEN]

Man, I smoke that stuff every day up here in WA and it has changed my life around for the better

Everyone can have an ounce with no problems from the police. If they smell it on you and you're driving, they might do a field sobriety test on you if they think that you could be under the influence (same as alcohol). If they feel that you are under the influence of something, they will take a blood sample from you and let the courts figure it out. It isn't complicated.

Weed has no known negative effects. People say that it just makes you lazy and stupid, but they don't have a clue what they are talking about. Are they using Sativa? Indica? Hybrid? High CBD? There are so many strains out there that have many different effects. Some leave you clear headed, some give you tons of energy and motivation. Ya, there are some that give you couch lock too. It can increase laziness or it can give you the effects of drinking a quadruple shot mocha.

You naysayers need to chill out, smoke a fat joint, and let those that break the law get caught and go to jail. People are freaking out and acting like the world is going to end. Cannabis has been LEGAL in this country LONGER than it has been ILLEGAL! Last time I checked, this place can't get much worse and it ain't because of a plant! Check out some facts...

Keep in mind that our founders loved the plant.
Washington wrote about sitting on his porch smoking the Hemp Plant (it wasn't Industrial Hemp because smoking that will give you a killer headache)
Our first flag was made of Hemp.
Every farmer had to grow a certain % of Hemp to send back to England in the colonial days.
The first drafts of the Declaration of Independence was written on Hemp Paper.
Cannabis works with our bodies own endocannabinoid system (look it up, out body works better using it)
Nobody in the history of the world has been shown to have died from Cannabis
Henry Ford made a Hemp car fueled with Hemp Fuel
It helps protect brain cell
The US Government has a patent on Cannabis (Google 6630507) That is good for binge drinkers, Stroke victims, ETC...
It isn't a gateway drug. Studies are no showing that it can help ween people off addictive substances. I have personal experience with this!
Smoking it doesn't cause cancer. 30 year study by Dr. Donald Tashkin UCLA
It promotes the growth of new brain cells.
It has many different medical uses and has no major side effects (I wonder why Big Pharma lobbies so hard against it?)

The strength of Cannabis hasn't changed. People just want to think it has, but there has always been different qualities of Cannabis. ie Mexican Schwag, or Columbian. Now, there is more "Columbian" because it is more desirable. Just like there is hard liquor and beer, it doesn't mean that you are going to smoke or use more, but you will just need less to get to where you want to be. Sure people will abuse it. Who are you to take away their freedom to do what they want with their own body?!! If the make it somebody else's problem or break the law then there are consequences for that. Weed has been used by us measly humans for at least the last 5000 years. I think we can handle legalizing it...

I could go on and on, but you guys have probably already made up your own opinions.

 

[BUSA CRUSEN]

And about the dangers of driving with it, I agree that people shouldn't drive while stoned unless they use high Cannabidiol strains. I personally don't think that weed is as dangerous as alcohol while driving. When my wife is driving me around I feel like we're doing 50mph while we're going 25mph. I don't think that anybody should chance it though. I have one DUI from alcohol and I don't recall feeling drunk before I crashed head on into a telephone pole at 60mph. It just isn't worth the chance of killing yourself, or even worse, killing somebody else.

 

[outlawbusa]

Henry Ford made a Hemp car fueled with Hemp Fuel

I could have sworn that was Mr Marin and Mr Chong!

 

[Gpmo]

[Editor's Note: The University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project (UMPMC) tested seized marijuana from all 50 states to determine the percentage of THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
The average potency of all marijuana in the US, according to the UMPMC's Dec. 2008 – Mar. 2009 quarterly report, was 8.52% (5.62% domestic and 9.57% nondomestic).
The highest tested sample had 22.04% THC (domestic) and 27.30% THC (nondomestic). The highest tested sample ever tested between 1975 and 2009 had 33.12% THC (domestic) and 37.20% THC (nondomestic).
For comparison, the national average of marijuana's THC content in 1978 was 1.37%, in 1988 it was 3.59%, in 1998 4.43%, and in 2008 8.49%.
Although average potencies have increased, the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported in the June 4, 2002 Washington Post article "The Real Dope: Tried the 'Today's Pot Is Stronger' Claim With Your Kids? Your Cover Is Blown" that "joint sizes have dropped over the years from half a gram to about a quarter of a gram." In addition, pipes, water pipes, and vaporizers typically require less marijuana per use than joints and these items have become increasingly popular over the last 30 years. Some medical marijuana advocates contend that more potent marijuana means less marijuana is needed to achieve the desired medical benefit.

ProCon.org compiled a table of marijuana potency from 1975-2003. The data was tabulated from the Annual Reports of Mahmoud A. ElSohly, PhD, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Marijuana Project at the National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi. See NIDA's chart in PDF format.]

 

[TallTom]

Man, I smoke that stuff every day up here in WA and it has changed my life around for the better

Everyone can have an ounce with no problems from the police. If they smell it on you and you're driving, they might do a field sobriety test on you if they think that you could be under the influence (same as alcohol). If they feel that you are under the influence of something, they will take a blood sample from you and let the courts figure it out. It isn't complicated.

Weed has no known negative effects. People say that it just makes you lazy and stupid, but they don't have a clue what they are talking about. Are they using Sativa? Indica? Hybrid? High CBD? There are so many strains out there that have many different effects. Some leave you clear headed, some give you tons of energy and motivation. Ya, there are some that give you couch lock too. It can increase laziness or it can give you the effects of drinking a quadruple shot mocha.

You naysayers need to chill out, smoke a fat joint, and let those that break the law get caught and go to jail. People are freaking out and acting like the world is going to end. Cannabis has been LEGAL in this country LONGER than it has been ILLEGAL! Last time I checked, this place can't get much worse and it ain't because of a plant! Check out some facts...

Keep in mind that our founders loved the plant.
Washington wrote about sitting on his porch smoking the Hemp Plant (it wasn't Industrial Hemp because smoking that will give you a killer headache)
Our first flag was made of Hemp.
Every farmer had to grow a certain % of Hemp to send back to England in the colonial days.
The first drafts of the Declaration of Independence was written on Hemp Paper.
Cannabis works with our bodies own endocannabinoid system (look it up, out body works better using it)
Nobody in the history of the world has been shown to have died from Cannabis
Henry Ford made a Hemp car fueled with Hemp Fuel
It helps protect brain cell
The US Government has a patent on Cannabis (Google 6630507) That is good for binge drinkers, Stroke victims, ETC...
It isn't a gateway drug. Studies are no showing that it can help ween people off addictive substances. I have personal experience with this!
Smoking it doesn't cause cancer. 30 year study by Dr. Donald Tashkin UCLA
It promotes the growth of new brain cells.
It has many different medical uses and has no major side effects (I wonder why Big Pharma lobbies so hard against it?)

The strength of Cannabis hasn't changed. People just want to think it has, but there has always been different qualities of Cannabis. ie Mexican Schwag, or Columbian. Now, there is more "Columbian" because it is more desirable. Just like there is hard liquor and beer, it doesn't mean that you are going to smoke or use more, but you will just need less to get to where you want to be. Sure people will abuse it. Who are you to take away their freedom to do what they want with their own body?!! If the make it somebody else's problem or break the law then there are consequences for that. Weed has been used by us measly humans for at least the last 5000 years. I think we can handle legalizing it...

I could go on and on, but you guys have probably already made up your own opinions.

Very good post. While I don't smoke it, I have seen more positive evidence than negative evidence towards its affects on the body. One of my best friends made a fortune in business. His wife got cancer and in Ca the medical use was legal. She was prescribed it for the pain and nausea from Chemo. It helped her function at 100% during her treatments and she survived it. My friend was so impressed that he began to research and got his license to grow it. He applied his business savvy to pot just like he did in all of his business dealings. These people are not potheads looking to get high. They study the genetics. Grow strains for various uses and are actually dedicated to its positive uses.

It is very effective for glaucoma treatment, sleep disorders the list goes on and on.

Right now his biggest hurdle is Big Tobacco Big and Pharmacy companies trying to lobby to get into the business of growing it. If that happens the small business growers will get crushed.

Just like any drug or substance it can be abused, but we need to get over it being some devil's playground. Sniffing glue frys the brain of abusers. Do most of us feel that glue should be made illegal? Idiots are going to get high on anything anytime anyhow. There is nothing we can do about that.