Young Vote Prevails: Marijuana now recreationally legal in Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia

[Alex]

On November 4th 2014, citizens of Oregon, Alaska and D.C. voted on their respective propositions to legalize, tax and control recreational marijuana. Florida also voted on an Amendment to legalize medical marijuana, but unfortunately fell short of needed majority by roughly 3% in order for it to pass. An amendment in Florida needs a consensus of at least 60% and the vote went 57-43. There are now 4 states in the US where recreational marijuana is legal, including Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, and the District of Columbia.

Oregon's Measure 91 now legalizes the possession and use of marijuana for adults 21 years of age or older. Adults can carry up to one ounce of marijuana, keep up to eight ounces at home per household, and grow up to four plants per household. Retail outlets will be set up by Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

Alaska's Measure 2 now legalizes the possession and use of marijuana for adults of 21 years of age or older, and will allow for one to carry up to one ounce and six plants. It will also make the manufacture, sale and possession of marijuana paraphernalia legal.

And in DC, a person of 21 years of age or older can possess up to two ounces of marijuana for personal use. They may grow no more than six plants, three or fewer of which being mature, flowering plants, within the person's principal residence. They may transfer without payment (but not sell) up to one ounce of marijuana to another person 21 years of age or older. And use or sell drug paraphernalia for the use, growing, or processing of marijuana or cannabis.

As well, Guam is the first US territory to legalize marijuana.

What does everyone think of this? The assumed "domino-effect" is holding true so far. It has been 2 years since Colorado and Washington pushed the first block, and more states are following suit. Is legalization the right path? Will regulation and taxation make it harder to put in the hands of middle and high school kids? Or will the nation spiral deep into a gateway-drug addiction?

 

[Thursday]

I think this will cause a huge surge in marijuana sales at the beginning (because people just have to buy something the moment it's out legally) but mellow out after a while. Give it 10-20 years and if marijuana is still legal it'll be like buying cigarettes.

Will it make it harder for middle/high schoolers to buy? No. Same problem as cigarettes: They'll get it one way or another.

 

[maccrash]

Supposedly Colorado has seen an 8% increase in marijuana DUI's.

does this come as a surprise to you? as far as I'm concerned, it's par for the course: when you make something legal, to start off with more people are gonna do it, so it does follow that something like that would increase.

as far as the topic at hand goes, I'm perfectly fine with the legalization of marijuana; it doesn't really affect me either way as I don't smoke it (as of right now).

 

[£]

Not really the most important thing to pass in the world, is it? People were prolly gonna do it anyway, or people weren't going to do it regardless. Maybe there'll be the odd person who tries it now because they can, or the odd person who doesn't try it because it's no longer REBELLIOUS enough for their liking. Surprised nobody's been paying much attention to Tennessee tbh. Thought there'd be some people genuinely concerned about what passed there.

 

[Alex]

Will it make it harder for middle/high schoolers to buy? No. Same problem as cigarettes: They'll get it one way or another.

The only way to reduce the ease of access young people have is having the state offer competitive prices against the street dealers, or somehow offering some other benefit that will eventually run black market dealers out of business. The issue with legalizing it after such a long time letting an alternative market solidly establish itself is how hard it will be to make that market crumble. But the sooner you legalize it the sooner we'll take control away from that market, which has proven to be OK with anarchy and intimidation as a business model.

Not really the most important thing to pass in the world, is it? People were prolly gonna do it anyway, or people weren't going to do it regardless. Maybe there'll be the odd person who tries it now because they can, or the odd person who doesn't try it because it's no longer REBELLIOUS enough for their liking. Surprised nobody's been paying much attention to Tennessee tbh. Thought there'd be some people genuinely concerned about what passed there.

I suppose not, but I believe it is an untapped market for the economy to thrive from. Users generally consider it on par with alcohol in the sense that it's great to relax after work and smoke a bowl. There are very few immediate negative effects (provided you control yourself with it) and even less day-after effects. And as long as we provide some good programs encouraging things like designated drivers for cannabis users, we should not see a surge in DUI and fatal car accidents.

 

[ShinyUmbreon189]

Will regulation and taxation make it harder to put in the hands of middle and high school kids? Or will the nation spiral deep into a gateway-drug addiction?

No. If someone, as long as their a reasonable age wants something they will find a way to get it. They get cigarettes, liquor, hell even more hardcore drugs like pills, blow, etc

First off marijuana is not a gateway drug. It's only a gateway for the weak minded, the ones that allow to abuse themselves with substances. Some have a dependency of it but that's because they don't know how to control it.

 

[Magic Christmas Lights]

You do realize the reason why weed is a gateway drug is because it's illegal, right? The gateway drug hypothesis revolves around the idea that your dealer allows you easier access to different kinds of drugs.

I'm so excited about this. Weed is the best.

 

[Oryx]

You do realize the reason why weed is a gateway drug is because it's illegal, right? The gateway drug hypothesis revolves around the idea that your dealer allows you easier access to different kinds of drugs.

I'm so excited about this. Weed is the best.

I've never heard it like that. Everything I've heard about it has been that it's a gateway drug because you try it and think "drugs aren't that bad" and thus are tempted to try something more.

 

[Magic Christmas Lights]

I've never heard it like that. Everything I've heard about it has been that it's a gateway drug because you try it and think "drugs aren't that bad" and thus are tempted to try something more.

Even if that were the central caveat, that still revolves around weed being illegal. Alcohol is a much more intense drug than weed ever will be and it's not a gateway drug since it's legal.

 

[Oryx]

Even if that were the central caveat, that still revolves around weed being illegal. Alcohol is a much more intense drug than weed ever will be and it's not a gateway drug since it's legal.

I wasn't disagreeing with the point you were trying to make, just the sentence I was responding directly to.

Hopefully if it's legal it becomes like caffeine - some people (like me) abuse it to stay awake when we should be sleeping, some people use it sparingly to get through tough days, and some people avoid it. It would be nice for people to see pot for its helpful qualities and decide "hey, I'm really stressed over something I can't control, I'll smoke some pot to relax" without thinking too hard about it.

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

I've never heard it like that. Everything I've heard about it has been that it's a gateway drug because you try it and think "drugs aren't that bad" and thus are tempted to try something more.

The idea is pretty simple - the reason why it's called a "gateway" drug is because a lot of dealers deal more than just pot, and may try to encourage someone to try other substances. I once knew a dealer who distributed shrooms, LSD, DTD and other hallucinogens along with just the standard marijuana. If you get rid of the middle man and allow dispensaries to distribute legally, then there is no more "gateway".

The "drugs aren't bad" thing is something that I hear a lot from people who've never done drugs. I've been interested in trying various hallucinogenic substances but that's not because I think that "drugs can't be bad", it's because I've done my research on how dangerous they are and how easy or hard they are to abuse - and hallucinogens are pretty low on both accounts. They are hella expensive though and some, like DTD, can be dangerous if you try to extract it yourself and don't do it properly. I would never try anything like opiates (outside of a prescription), cocaine, ecstacy, ect. unless I was gonna die anyways lol.

Anyways I'm all on board with this. If you know much about me you know why lol. I hope it spreads to Michigan but that's going to take some time I think. I've thought about going medicinal but it's too prohibitively expensive. (I technically do qualify for it though due to my chronic back pain lol). Even if I didn't partake though I think the ban is stupid and it's always been something that's confounded me.

Also, on the problem with people driving under the influence and all that, that will happen but it's to be expected, because 1) you suddenly have a surge of people who are using a substance that was only obtainable in illegal ways 2) people not used to MJ tend to overestimate their capabilities while high and 3) people new to MJ are not familiar with the feelings and their own unique sensitivity to the substance. It's impossible to OD but it's pretty easy to accidentally get "too high" where everything is just totally screwed up, so I could see some newbies screwing that up.

Protip, anyone who ever does pot, just stay at home and watch Youtube or play video games or something. You'll be much less likely to get in trouble, you won't put yourself in danger and regardless of what you watch it will be awesome. Please if you ever partake and some idiot tells you how fun driving is while high, PLEASE DON'T DO IT.

 

[Oryx]

The idea is pretty simple - the reason why it's called a "gateway" drug is because a lot of dealers deal more than just pot, and may try to encourage someone to try other substances. I once knew a dealer who distributed shrooms, LSD, DTD and other hallucinogens along with just the standard marijuana. If you get rid of the middle man and allow dispensaries to distribute legally, then there is no more "gateway".

Looking it up, both definitions are used. So it's not that simple.

Because a tolerance builds up, marijuana can lead users to consume stronger drugs to achieve the same high. When the effects start to wear off, the person may turn to more potent drugs to rid himself of the unwanted conditions that caused him to take marijuana in the first place. Marijuana itself does not lead the person to the other drugs; people take drugs to get rid of unwanted situations or feelings. The drug (marijuana) masks the problem for a time (while the user is high). When the "high" fades, the problem, unwanted condition or situation returns more intensely than before. The user may then turn to stronger drugs since marijuana no longer "works."

Source

George Koob, M.D., of the Scripps Research Institute says that studies of long-term exposure to cannabinoids, the active ingredient in marijuana, suggest that addiction to one drug could make a person vulnerable to abuse and addiction to other drugs.

Source

Note, I'm not saying I agree with these people that it is a gateway drug. What I'm saying is that there isn't agreement that weed being a gateway drug has to do with legality at all.

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

Legality regarding weed has always been extremely convoluted though, on pretty much all subjects. I'm not one of those who thinks there's a giant conspiracy behind it but it's a clusterf@#$.

 

[ShinyUmbreon189]

You do realize the reason why weed is a gateway drug is because it's illegal, right? The gateway drug hypothesis revolves around the idea that your dealer allows you easier access to different kinds of drugs.

False. It's a gateway drug because people allow it to be and don't have self control when it comes to drug use, or they're easily manipulated by friends or dealers to take the next step. Taking the next step is by choice and choice only. Someone with good self control smoking weed has a very slim chance of turning it into a gateway drug while others would rather turn to hardcore drugs either because A. They're an idiot B. They're curious C. They can't handle life or D. They were easily manipulated or peer pressure

I've never heard it like that. Everything I've heard about it has been that it's a gateway drug because you try it and think "drugs aren't that bad" and thus are tempted to try something more.

Compare cannabis side effects to drugs like crack/cocaine, Dissociatives, meth, heroin, etc. The hardest drug I've tried was cocaine and that was a one time deal and tbh, there's nothing special about it, it literally did nothing to me but make me overly confident with a little bit of body warmth. It's also $120 a gram which makes me wonder why people do it in the first place. It was a free 2 lines so I was like, wth? Not doing it again nor am I doing anything more extreme.
The side effects and risks is what sways me away from using hardcore drugs. But some people never learn, even after they've been in the hospital on numerous occasions from drug overdoses seconds away from death, or being put in a coma. That alone should turn people away from hardcore drugs.

Studies have also shown that younger marijuana users have a higher percentage of turning it into a gateway drug or trying harder drugs than someone that started at an older age. Which is no surprise since they're brain and body isn't fully developed.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

Exactly, like wise Alcohol can also be a gateway drug if one doesn't drink moderately.

While I did vote yes for Marijuana (btw the West coast in my profile is a hint to my home state being Oregon) I did it for the tax revenue (I'm personally (as in for myself) very anti-drug even avoiding medicine).

 

[Magic Christmas Lights]

False. It's a gateway drug because people allow it to be and don't have self control when it comes to drug use, or they're easily manipulated by friends or dealers to take the next step. Taking the next step is by choice and choice only. Someone with good self control smoking weed has a very slim chance of turning it into a gateway drug while others would rather turn to hardcore drugs either because A. They're an idiot B. They're curious C. They can't handle life or D. They were easily manipulated or peer pressure
.

I actually went and looked at the literature on the gateway drug hypothesis since it's been a while since I read up on it (to think I used to work in anti-drug research.) There's actually several different perspectives on the gateway drug hypothesis, including biological, societal, etc. The societal perspective is more or less what I said, what Oryx said, and also that people who are likely to smoke in the first place are more likely to be attracted to heavier drugs. See here. Your hypothesis is not used at all, aside from C., where things like depression and mental health issues are definitely associated with increased incidence of self-medication, although that's not really related to the gateway drug hypothesis. D is also a separate issue from the gateway drug hypothesis.

 

[Alex]

You do realize the reason why weed is a gateway drug is because it's illegal, right? The gateway drug hypothesis revolves around the idea that your dealer allows you easier access to different kinds of drugs.

I'm so excited about this. Weed is the best.

No I've always figured the gateway drug theory was based on the idea that, without proper education of the effects of drugs, somebody will use marijuana and think "oh this aint so bad" and after continued use may be enticed to use different drugs, therefore having marijuana act as the gateway to the next substance. I know for sure that I never would have considered using acid, shrooms or salvia had I never smoked weed. I haven't actually done more than drank alcohol, smoke pot and smoke cigarettes, but now knowing the effects of state-of-mind altering substances, and how to handle them in both good times and bad, I could more confidently approach the idea of trying other drugs, even with an excited and eager attitude.

The fact that my dealer could either supply me with those drugs, or easily point me to somebody else, is just a positive (in this case) result of prohibition. Additionally, prohibition will never silence the demand for these drugs. It'll be an endless game of whack-a-mole. Legalize and tax it, regulate your citizen's consumption and treat substance abuse as an illness, not a crime.

 

[Magic Christmas Lights]

No I've always figured the gateway drug theory was based on the idea that, without proper education of the effects of drugs, somebody will use marijuana and think "oh this aint so bad" and after continued use may be enticed to use different drugs, therefore having marijuana act as the gateway to the next substance. I know for sure that I never would have considered using acid, shrooms or salvia had I never smoked weed. I haven't actually done more than drank alcohol, smoke pot and smoke cigarettes, but now knowing the effects of state-of-mind altering substances, and how to handle them in both good times and bad, I could more confidently approach the idea of trying other drugs, even with an excited and eager attitude.

The fact that my dealer could either supply me with those drugs, or easily point me to somebody else, is just a positive (in this case) result of prohibition. Additionally, prohibition will never silence the demand for these drugs. It'll be an endless game of whack-a-mole. Legalize and tax it, regulate your citizen's consumption and treat substance abuse as an illness, not a crime.

I actually went and looked at the literature on the gateway drug hypothesis since it's been a while since I read up on it (to think I used to work in anti-drug research.) There's actually several different perspectives on the gateway drug hypothesis, including biological, societal, etc. The societal perspective is more or less what I said, what Oryx said, and also that people who are likely to smoke in the first place are more likely to be attracted to heavier drugs. See here. .

It's worth noting that cigs and alcohol are now also considered gateway drugs.

Acid and shrooms are awesome, you won't be disappointed if you try them. Some of the most profound moments of my life happened while I was tripping. It changes your life. Though I always wanted to trip ever since I saw LSD discussed in the DARE program, weed wasn't particularly a gateway drug for me. I went and sought out LSD and shrooms based on what I had read about them.

 

[Alex]

It's worth noting that cigs and alcohol are now also considered gateway drugs.

Acid and shrooms are awesome, you won't be disappointed if you try them. Some of the most profound moments of my life happened while I was tripping. It changes your life. Though I always wanted to trip ever since I saw LSD discussed in the DARE program, weed wasn't particularly a gateway drug for me. I went and sought out LSD and shrooms based on what I had read about them.

Fair enough, I kind of glanced over your post saying you read up on gateway drug theory.

I've heard people say such great things about LSD and shrooms. I really do want to try them, I have such a drive to experience alternate state of minds. My problem is I still do get anxious about taking these drugs, and even feel that way about weed if I take a prolonged break (like I am right now). I would need to get into the groove of taking drugs frequently before I could jump on board with LSD or mushrooms. I reeeeally want to try mushrooms. Though I'm afraid if I step into it with the intention of having some life-changing experience, I'll end up ruining it for myself. What do you think?

 

[Magic Christmas Lights]

Fair enough, I kind of glanced over your post saying you read up on gateway drug theory.

I've heard people say such great things about LSD and shrooms. I really do want to try them, I have such a drive to experience alternate state of minds. My problem is I still do get anxious about taking these drugs, and even feel that way about weed if I take a prolonged break (like I am right now). I would need to get into the groove of taking drugs frequently before I could jump on board with LSD or mushrooms. I reeeeally want to try mushrooms. Though I'm afraid if I step into it with the intention of having some life-changing experience, I'll end up ruining it for myself. What do you think?

As long as you're open to the experience and don't take a weak dose, it'll be beyond what you're expecting. It is impossible to convey what the experience is like - it is totally ineffable. It will be different from your expectations. I know it was different from mine. Anxiety before taking psychedelics is normal. I've done them over sixty times (mostly LSD, LSD is my drug of choice) and I still get that pre-trip anxiety. It melts away after I start tripping for real though. I don't understand the notion of having to get into taking drugs frequently to trip - I started tripping almost immediately after I started smoking weed so I didn't do it that way, haha.