Pot: The Big Surprise

potIf you asked 18 year Geoff if marijuana would ever be sold legally in the United States, the answer would be, “No!” Granted, he was probably stoned at the time. But even grownup Geoff is surprised at what just happened.

Unless you have no short term memory, you probably know marijuana sales became legal in Colorado on January 1. Medical marijuana (wink, wink, nod, nod) was already legal in Colorado and a bunch of other states.

Conventional wisdom says governments are risk averse. Pols don’t want the blame should legalization go bad. The status quo has much less downside.

So, again, big surprise this would happen.

Some friends are worried about their children. Valid concern. I don’t want my doctor/dentist/airline pilot going to work stoned either. Will legalization change that? No.

Too many people are in jail for simple drug offenses. They’re not from everywhere. We enforce our laws more stringently against the poor and non-whites. That’s unfair.

This morning in the Times, David Brooks wrote in opposition to Colorado’s change. He told stories of his teen years, when he was stoned–which he now regrets.

Only luck and privilege kept him from going to jail. That’s what today’s drug laws do.

Business is brisk in Colorado. There are lines to get in.

The price of pot, predicted to fall over time, has gone up. The AP reports one dispensary selling 1/8 ounce for $70.

Doesn’t anyone else find this a bit surreal? People are walking into stores and buying pot! Through my entire life those who govern have said exactly the opposite. Some still do.

Big surprise, all of it.

5 thoughts on “Pot: The Big Surprise”

  1. Personally I didn’t think it would ever happen that it would be sold in stores, like liquor. I do think that medical marijuana is very good. In fact I suggested it to a friend recently. She said she never smoked, but I told her she could mix the grass into Alice B. Toklas brownies or something similar and eat them. You can’t taste the flavor if you eat marijuana in conjunction with something else, yet it should relieve the pain in her hip.

    Geoff, did you go to Woodstock?

  2. I said 20 years back that if the Government ever discovered a way to TAX the sale of Pot it would become legal… so now folks have to pay $70 for 1/8th of an oz…(black market I understand runs half that)instead of being allowed to grow their own. Same kind of limitations and laws should be true for Pot usage that are in place for Alcohol. Same DWI rules, etc. Too bad that responsible users will be saddled with the taxes these dispensaries are demanding. Same true for medical marijuana where the current rules will put it out of reach financially for people it could help.

  3. As you say, you don’t want your doctor/dentist/airline pilot going to work stoned, presently some have gone to work drunk. Is that any safer than being stoned? Neither is acceptable. I’m sure policies will be put into place regarding pot, just as there is with alcohol in the workplace. What a person does with their recreational time is their own business until it compromises the safety and well-being of others. With alcohol we have a breathalyzer to identify over indulgence of alcohol. Someone will have to come up with a test for pot that will identify people who are stoned.

  4. Good call no one has ever died of a marijuana overdose, hopefully more states will legalize… liquor & cigarettes are legal so why not a little kush…Amsterdam is still on the map & you don’t hear of any mass killings over there & besides there will ALWAYS be a call for marijuana because many people LIKE it, it has medicinal properties & people should use it to relax at home & not have to worry about a doctor dentist or airline pilot using it as you shouldn’t have to worry about them taking a shot or two of booze while working either right?

  5. Cynthia S, you are right about the clubs in Amsterdam. I remember being over there in the 70’s and noticed the smell of pot. Consuming a small amount of pot can relieve pain too. It is better then popping pills. I wouldn’t want my doctor, dentist or being in a plane where the pilot is high, nor would I want the guy driving next to me on the road high on pot, alcohol or texting.

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