So as everybody must have heard by now possession of weed up to 1 oz is legal by State law in two States now. As far as I understand it anyway.
Two States that feature a significant brewing and foodie culture I might add!
I don’t think it violates forum rules so it intrigues me as to the opinions of others. Will there be an exodus to these two States? How does this impact the workforce? How about traffic stops? On and on (don’t get political keep it somewhat objective)…
Enjoy. 8)
Here’s what our governor Hickenlooper said, “Federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug, so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.”
We are getting a lot of people from California moving to CO already, so I’m not sure if it will bring that much more people. CU may have record admissions applications though!
You guys elected someone named Hickenlooper? hehehe No wonder I think half the battle is done already…
Hey, in Idaho, we got Butch Otter. :-\
As far as I know it is also legal, and has been for quite a while in Alaska. but I don’t see people MOVING there just cause of that. visiting alot more often perhaps. And I wouldn’t be totally suprised to see an uptick in admissions to local colleges and universities.
I suspect it’s going to turn out to be a non-issue for the most part. the feds will continue to bust people, just as they do in CA. The state authorities will hem and haw, cops will like it but be annoyed because they will be expected to help the feds out on all those busts. same same. just because you have to go spend 20 minutes in a waiting room and 5 minutes with a doctor here in CA to make it legal doesn’t really change anything. It’s more or less the same thing as the CO or WA laws, just with ‘medical’ tacked on.
Prosecutors are already dismissing possession cases (under an ounce) because they don’t see any point in prosecuting people for something that will be legal next month.
This is Seattle specific but here it is anyway. It talks about some of the expected impact and rules around it. Note, this is the official Seattle government website - be sure to watch the video at the bottom. 
What a great government site! Very straight forward, pun intended.
It doesn’t say where one is allowed to buy it. Only that you can possess an ounce.
That’s going to be the tricky part. State authorities aren’t going to arrest people for having it. But give the federal government a fixed location that sells it and they’ll be showing up sooner or later.
The Feds aren’t listening to the states.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/opinion/the-fight-over-medical-marijuana.html
Just legalize it and stop the war on American citizens…
Tom that cleared a few misconceptions for me.
“…there is already a city ordinance making marijuana enforcement the lowest law enforcement priority.” Better not jay-walk then. My sister actually got a ticket in Seattle for jaywalking. 
We’ve some draconian marijuana laws here. Individuals can have some serious penalties placed upon them for possessing even very small amounts. There was a measure passed a few years back that allows certain municipalities (not the state) to decide whether they want to decriminalize MJ or not- mine is one of them. So far this hasn’t come up again so I think the powers that be have decided not to decide.
The ramifications are unknown at this point. Years ago I was discussing with my colleagues this very issue. I was concerned about how employers would deal with this. Many have post job offer screening followed up annually. My former employer states that they do so every year but never did. What they would do is UA anyone hurt on he job whether it was their fault or not. A person could have residue in their system from the weekend before- be innocently injured on the job via someone else’s carelessness and subsequently have their reputation ruined, livelihood jeopardized and pay the medical expenses out of their own pocket. This bothers me.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable however, for an employer to expect their employees to show up to work and not be under the influence of intoxicants. The system that I’ve recently interviewed with proudly states that they are “nicotine-free” and that testing will be performed. They will not hire anyone who smokes or uses tobacco. I think these types of attitudes will persist in States that have decriminalized marijuana. Sure one can partake of it all they want since it is legal- but their job prospects may be slim if they can’t show up without the evidence in their system.
Seems to me casual and small-time users will have little to fear from the Feds. It will be the growers and sellers who should expect to be prosecuted.
My $.02 - why can’t we just legalize it and then tax the shit out of it? Then law enforcement can spend their time focusing on real crimes and we get a nice revenue stream to boot…
It’s not like they have it all figured out. From what I’ve read here in CO, they haven’t figured out the details in terms of regulation and taxation.
I would have voted for the law, but I didn’t just based on the fact that all the details were not ironed out. Seems like most of the ballot measures lately are “vote now and figure it all out later.” So many times you may agree w/ the principal of the law, but the outcome is nothing what you were hoping for. Yea government!
FYI… Govenor Hickenlooper was a homebrewer, and started the Wynkoop Brewery in downtown Denver…
I thought it was an interesting conflict of interest for a governor (former brewer) to vote against MJ. Just saying.
I’m not sure I see the connection… what’s his interest?
Neighboring State Highway Patrols are bristling at the borders… :o
Alternative mind-altering drugs?
Well, duh and/or hello. I didn’t even make the connection.
I don’t see people moving just so that they could smoke weed. It just seems too far fetched.
I agree with the “let’s legalize, tax the sh*t out of it, and focus on real crimes” opinion and believe that’s what eventually going to happen.
FWIW, here in NYC you can hardly go for a walk anywhere after dark and not smell weed. In ghetto areas (where I go every day) you don’t even have to wait for the dark… I often see people just walking down the street with a joint between their teeth, spreading the skunk around. Also as far as I know they stopped arresting people with less than an oz. You just get a fine, a record, and pay for your own college tuition from then on if you’re a student. I’ve met homebrewers who brewed with weed, but I’ve never been interested in drugs anyway. Alcohol is enough for me so even if it becomes legal I’ll be completely indifferent.