those of you from Oregon

[callmeslick]

slow down, take your time, please:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oregon ... li=AAa0dzB

[callmeslick]

the real E and C type issue: now that we have 3 states up and running, is there any early observations from news, anecdotes, etc? I ask because here in the East we don't get a lot of feedback, yet several states are considering the move(including some pols in Delaware).

[Tunnelcat]

I haven't even tried any yet. I don't want to smoke the stuff, so I'm waiting until the state get's all it's regulations in order and the shops can sell edibles by next year. For now, I haven't noticed anything or anyone any different yet. Time will tell.

[Tunnelcat]

Actually, we have run into a problem. Since banks won't deal with marijuana sales money because it's still illegal at the federal level, the marijuana shops don't know what to do with all that cash profit, and there's A LOT of profit to have to stash somewhere.

[callmeslick]

same problem everywhere with the cash thing.

An aside regarding edibles. I have a HUGE problem with how that is being done in Colorado. A lot of that stuff is WAY too 'fun' looking to even think about having in a home with kids. Plus, it's only a matter of time before someone is giving out gummy candies or some such to kids at Halloween. Watch this space in the coming weeks.

[Spidey]

“Houlihan says shops are seeing customers coming back to pot after years of not smoking it.”

Of course when the people against legalization said that would happen, they were called nuts.

I personally believe pot should be legal, but the other side has made some points that were ignored.

Pure hypocrisy in my opinion when it comes to the vices…the government is all for keeping something illegal until they can cash in on it. (gambling as the example) Wait till the lie that pot is hard to grow wears off, and some regret sets in.

When that happens there will be a rush to control how much can be cultivated for personal use, as per what happened with alcohol, because they want that tax revenue, and big Jim’s pot party where they are serving all home grown, won’t bring in the bacon.

There will also be some big time regret when the price falls through the floor when everyone and their brother get into the business, and then pot will be like cigarettes, where the price will be high only because of the taxes, and that will only encourage even more people to home grow…and pot isn’t like tobacco…pot will grow in any climate, and has only a few basic needs to grow. (light, water, good drainage and the proper PH)

But, I do admire how all of the people who are invested in this business are trying very hard to spread the lie, and make it stick.

[Tunnelcat]

same problem everywhere with the cash thing.

An aside regarding edibles. I have a HUGE problem with how that is being done in Colorado. A lot of that stuff is WAY too 'fun' looking to even think about having in a home with kids. Plus, it's only a matter of time before someone is giving out gummy candies or some such to kids at Halloween. Watch this space in the coming weeks.

That's why edibles aren't available yet. There's some regulations that need to be put in place here as to concentrations, availability and such forth. Personally, I've never smoked anything and don't want to start. Plus, it stinks up the house. Once edibles come out, then I'll try it.

[vision]

The whole pot legalization movement is a mess. I hate it, but I guess it really couldn't be any other way. There are so many fragmented camps and many of their arguments are contradictory. Over the summer I was at a barbecue and I proved to a pot evangelist that he had no idea what he actually believed. So much of the pro-marijuana movement is completely divorced from science (and reality in general).

I got aggravated last summer when my girlfriend tried edibles as a means to relieve chronic headaches from a previous concussion. She ate half of one of these things and was wasted, then completely freaked out because she has a kid who can't take care of himself. She had no intention of getting high, let alone so high she couldn't function. She just didn't want her head to hurt. Needless to say she abandoned marijuana as a cure for anything, thankfully. The whole thing is a farce. It needs to be categorized as a drug and regulated by the FDA, not a food and not sold like candy.

[Jeff250]

I can't imagine what would lead someone to think that a pot brownie couldn't get them high any more than I can imagine what would lead someone to think that cotton-candy-flavored vodka couldn't get them drunk. I suspect one contributing factor to this is the government's misinformation campaign all of these years and that once people reject it as misinformation then some don't have the right resources to fill that information vacuum. I suspect another is that due to marijuana's prohibition there is a lack of shared cultural knowledge of dosage and best practices (even if you've never drunk alcohol, you will know that a pint of beer and a pint of whiskey are going to put you in very different places).

[Tunnelcat]

I can't imagine what would lead someone to think that a pot brownie couldn't get them high any more than I can imagine what would lead someone to think that cotton-candy-flavored vodka couldn't get them drunk. I suspect one contributing factor to this is the government's misinformation campaign all of these years and that once people reject it as misinformation then some don't have the right resources to fill that information vacuum. I suspect another is that due to marijuana's prohibition there is a lack of shared cultural knowledge of dosage and best practices (even if you've never drunk alcohol, you will know that a pint of beer and a pint of whiskey are going to put you in very different places).

I definitely agree with that. I know how much alcohol it takes to make me drunk, or sick and I can regulate my intake from past experiences and from the known alcohol content currently displayed on alcohol containers. Plus, I just know what types of alcohol are strong from experience.

The way the legalized marijuana system is right now, I don't know how much it would take to get high, nor are there any current regulations as to the strength and content of THC in anything these shops sell. It's the wild west right now. As to using marijuana, I want to at least try it once, just to see what it's like to get high. I don't want to over do it however.

[callmeslick]

edibles are dangerous for the reason noted: once ingested, you are off to the races, and there is no going back for a little while. It's a freaking hallucinogen, people......albeit by far the weakest(even in current varieties)of the major hallucinogens, but still capable of inducing hallucinations. When eaten, the effect is slow to materialize, as it takes a while for the gut to process and get the active ingredients into the bloodstream. Not so when smoking, which gets it into the blood FAST.

[Tunnelcat]

Thanks for the warning slick. I've never taken marijuana in my entire life. I was always pretty much straight laced when I was younger. Never smoked or really drank alcohol much. Never did any drugs. I always thought life was best when I was clear headed. Maybe I should just take a couple of tokes of the stuff first to see what it does. I don't have an addictive personality though, so I would try it and probably say; "Meh, whats the big deal" and that's that. It's so expensive anyway and it's going to get even more expensive once the state tacks on their taxes.

I got aggravated last summer when my girlfriend tried edibles as a means to relieve chronic headaches from a previous concussion. She ate half of one of these things and was wasted, then completely freaked out because she has a kid who can't take care of himself. She had no intention of getting high, let alone so high she couldn't function. She just didn't want her head to hurt. Needless to say she abandoned marijuana as a cure for anything, thankfully. The whole thing is a farce. It needs to be categorized as a drug and regulated by the FDA, not a food and not sold like candy.

By the way vision, did marijuana actually DO anything for your girlfriend's headaches, other than make her wasted? For me, there's no point in trying the stuff if it doesn't do anything for pain. I don't particularly want to go around wasted for the fun of it and that's what most people seem to want to use if for. Plus, you get the munchies, then you get fat on top of being stoned all the time. Kind of a stupid reason for entertainment if you ask me.

[callmeslick]

TC, to your question: the proper strains will likely do WONDERS for headaches(my wife has fibro and swears by it), but I'd strongly recommend smoking it, not eating the stuff, because you can control the dose. The nature of how cannabis works should relieve headaches due to effects upon the vascular system, as much as the hallucinogenic effect. A medical dispensary would point you to the best strains for that. Your state, fortunately, has the medical dispensaries selling to everyone now, so the stores have the know how.
As inebrients go, weed to me is FAR,FAR preferable to alcohol, and considering any comparison with other major drugs on the black market is ludicrous. It is not physically addictive, has no real side effects of note, and doesn't(unlike alcohol) tend to make the user into an ★■◆●.

[Tunnelcat]

Considering alcohol GIVES me headaches, weed might be a great alternative in moderation. I get a lot of headaches without alcohol and I also have fibro pain issues. As for medical use, I'd have to find a doctor who will prescribe it for me. Otherwise, I'd have to pay more for the recreational stuff without the good medical advice.

[callmeslick]

TC, I think you've seen enough from me to expect the following: it's your health, pay for the expert advice.

[Tunnelcat]

What's funny about that is that if I HAD listened to some of that "expert" advice, I'd be either dead, or sick and broke from some prescription drug I was taking on their advice. It's been my experience that there are no "experts", only pill pushers looking for a disease or disorder that matches what their pills treat. If they can't figure out what's wrong, there's nothing wrong with you. Trust me on this from personal experience. If you don't believe me, just wait until you get an illness they can't figure out, or one they think they can figure out then try to treat you for.

[Foil]

From the perspective of a non-user in Colorado (me):

The hype and business frenzy seems to be settling down out here, nearly a couple of years in. From day-to-day I haven't seen much difference, other than seeing occasional smokers in the open (rather than hidden) when I go downtown for band rehearsal. Business-wise, there are more dispensaries than a couple of years ago, but new ones aren't popping up every couple weeks anymore.

I'm still a skeptic about the results (which appear somewhat mixed in early statistics) - I'm reserving judgement for now, but so far I haven't seen the kind of apocalypse or utopia asserted by each side in popular debate.

[callmeslick]

thanks, Foil, for the evenhanded assessment. I would expect nothing less of you.

[woodchip]

Kiss ass

[callmeslick]

Kiss ass

speaking of living up to expectations......

seriously, I have been hoping to hear from someone more or less outside the fray but living in Colorado on the status quo. Far too much romantacism and/or hysteria in the media.

[Lothar]

I haven't noticed any difference in public behavior.

There are plenty of shops around. No indication that there's been any significant increase in crime. Some issues with smuggling out of state. Great tax revenue. I don't know anyone who's done anything stupid as a result.

[Tunnelcat]

From the perspective of a non-user in Colorado (me):

The hype and business frenzy seems to be settling down out here, nearly a couple of years in. From day-to-day I haven't seen much difference, other than seeing occasional smokers in the open (rather than hidden) when I go downtown for band rehearsal. Business-wise, there are more dispensaries than a couple of years ago, but new ones aren't popping up every couple weeks anymore.

I'm still a skeptic about the results (which appear somewhat mixed in early statistics) - I'm reserving judgement for now, but so far I haven't seen the kind of apocalypse or utopia asserted by each side in popular debate.

Isn't that usually what happens once things settle down? Once the hype is over, some semblance of normalcy returns, which is usually just more of the same everyday grind. In fact, I haven't seen any more lines at the pot shops in our town since that first day. The shine has worn off already. I'm just hoping that we don't start getting stoned drivers causing accidents. It's bad enough here with drunk driver students after midnight.

[callmeslick]

I can't recall ever HEARING of anyone getting into an accident because they were stoned. Heck, most of the time they can't be bothered to get out of the house unless they are on a snack run.

[Foil]

For the first couple of weeks after the legalization happened in Colorado, I noticed a few more inattentive drivers than normal.

Not sure if it was just a cognitive attention bias, but driving-wise, things seem normal around here now.

[Tunnelcat]

What still gets me is the idiots who still insist upon texting while driving. I swear I see at least 2 or 3 every time I go out around town, and they're usually making mistakes like running red lights, or not moving once it turns green.....

[Foil]

Holy crap, yes. Those people scare the living %^&* outta me.

The statistics clearly show that people texting while driving are many times more likely to cause a crash.

[callmeslick]

Holy crap, yes. Those people scare the living %^&* outta me.

The statistics clearly show that people texting while driving are many times more likely to cause a crash.

I have sat at intersections here in Delaware (much more so than in rural VA) and watched literally EVERY driver passing me holding a phone while driving.....scares the crap out of me.

[Tunnelcat]

Holy crap, yes. Those people scare the living %^&* outta me.

The statistics clearly show that people texting while driving are many times more likely to cause a crash.

Especially when they're behind me. Where's a cop when you need one.

[woodchip]

Maybe we should have a mental check up before anyone can get a cell phone.

[callmeslick]

Maybe we should have a mental check up before anyone can get a cell phone.

use one for about 20 years, and that won't be necessary......that is the guy whose grad school work was in cancer biochemistry.....