Actually, there is at least one person on this very BBS (whose handle I can’t recall, and am too lazy to look up from previous pot threads) who will argue, quite vehemently, that when THEY drive stoned, it’s totally safe. I’m surprised to not see him/her in this thread yet.
There are tons of reasons to believe that the libertarian sort of pro-legalization people not only don’t care about minorities, but are actively hostile towards us. I think they’re basically talking about the mass incarceration of Black people to help get weed legalized, not end the mass incarceration of Black people.
And if the state simply switches to different tactics in the wake of legalization, as it looks like the police in Colorado may be doing, and the pro-legalization folks that have been talking up this issue are silent on it, some of us are going to ask where they hell they are.
Wow!!! How did nobody predict this???
The shock and awe here in Colorado from those of us who supported this from the very beginning is palpable. Very, very palpable.
All of his comments are like this. Good luck parsing. 
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Er, so you’re referring to those “libertarian” sort of pro-legalization people? Not all pro-legalization people? How can you tell which is which – or do we all look alike?
And, who is “us”?
Do you think for some reason that there are no black libertarians who support decriminalization?
And if the state simply switches to different tactics in the wake of legalization, as it looks like the police in Colorado may be doing, and the pro-legalization folks that have been talking up this issue are silent on it, some of us are going to ask where they hell they are.
Where the hell are you?
I’m one of those pro-legalization folks you keep disparaging here in Colorado (although I’m not a libertarian, so I don’t know if that makes me ok).
Many of us are busting our asses to make sure people who have been charged with non-violent drug offenses that disproportionately affect minorities are overturned and permanently expunged from their records here in Colorado. What’s your state up to?
After that happens, I’d like to take it a step further and offer some restitution for those who were adversely affected by this bullshit drug war (which also disproportionately affects minorities).
If you care to join us or just keep disparaging us and our intentions, lemme know.
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In Cory’s link, anyway, the comparison was to the same months in the previous year so it wasn’t seasonal. It is possible that it could still be weather though. I don’t know how this past winter was for Colorado, but where I am we got an atypically large amount of snow. That tends to drive down certain types of crime.
But really, we really shouldn’t expect crime to move to it’s post-legalization steady state in a few months. It isn’t like all dealers are going to instantly transform into legitimate Pot Businessmen.
Also, using percentages for changes in a small integer value is misleading. If a community had only 1 burglary last year, any change at all – even by 1 – would have magnitude at least 100%.
HOW did you know he was high? Did you have him pee in a cup? You’re just making assumptions and ultimately making shit up. And I’m rather wondering if your story is even true (probably not).
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And his condition is immaterial because, contrary to the insinuations of prohibition advocates, driving while impaired is illegal and will always be illegal.
There are plenty (I’d speculate the majority, but you’re free to speculate in a different direction) or pro-legalization folks who aren’t (gasp!) libertarian – just about every moderate who has actually through rationally about the issue and examined the data – so I’m a bit confused as to why you keep conflating pro-legalization with libertarian. If you want to talk about “libertarian sort of pro-legalization” people, fine, but when you say (as you say in your original post) " libertarians and pro-legalization people" I just kind of have to scratch my head, because they aren’t the same group.
“I didn’t want to have to say it, but, I told you so”
-Bunny Colvin
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That’s a ridiculous statement. Are you telling me that increased availability and an influx of first-time users who don’t know their limits will have no effect on the number of impaired drivers simply because the activity is illegal?
Or, flip it around: You do understand that weed was illegal, yet plenty of people disregarded the law and smoked it anyway. What makes you think that impaired driving won’t happen just because it’s illegal?
I’m not trying to be a jerk about this… honest! But to say that I’m not allowed to consider the mental state of others is to put myself in physical danger. You bet I’m extra cautious when I’m driving late at night near bars and in the college area where I know I’m likely to hit a drunk.
That’s not what’s being claimed. Rather, the claim is that the people who would disregard laws banning driving under the influence are more or less the same people who would smoke weed whether it was legal or not.
Fun fact: Arrests of drunk drivers actually increased 81 percent during alcohol prohibition. Make of that what you will.
So, what you probably don’t realize is that the effect of marijuana is miles apart from the the effects of alcohol. Pot makes users, especially first time users, very nervous and paranoid. Typically the idea of operating a car is terrifying. Whereas alcohol creates feeling of invincibility.
So if one of these two substances should be banned for the effect it has on drivers, that would be alcohol. Are you suggesting that we should ban alcohol? Because an awful lot of people are killed by drunk drivers. I’d think you’d have a better case.
Yes, there will be people doing stupid stuff immediately after legalization. This is the legacy of the drug war. And to some degree an increased availability will probably result in more driving while impaired, but if some former drunk drivers become stoned drivers, it could result in a net win.
No one should drive while impaired, and as always there are ways to educate that will cost a lot less than prohibition.
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Just goes to show, you shouldn’t post while high.
No, wait.
“Blu cartridge” refers to electronic cigarets;
“levotthyroxin” is used to treat hypothyroidism, enlarged thyroid gland and thyroid cancer;
“vaporizer connected to argon or other carrier gas” means the driver may be getting too much carrier gas in his vaporizer & is being asphyxiated;
“hypermile app” is a cellphone application that calculates mile per gallon when driving a car;
“pentesting Cupertino’s street-legal AGVs” they are testing a visor over their eyes;
“short hairs” as opposed to long hairs (hippies/potheads)?
“pull your pulse sensor app out” cellphone app to measure heart rate from a sensor.
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You’ll notice they also cherry-picked their data within that murder stat. They say the murder rate dropped 52.9% between January and April, even though data is also available for May, which shows the same number of murders, 2, both pre and post legalization.
I voted for legalization here, and am glad I did. But I’ve concluded that there needs to be more regulation for edibles, drinks, candy, etc. There need to be alternatives to smoking, but dosages, packaging, and safety all need a closer look.
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I appreciate the translation, and it hints at some kind of narrative, but I just can’t figure it out… or what it’s in response to
Unless Colorado has seceded from the USA since the last time I checked the headline is incorrect. Anyone partaking of the weed economy in Colorado is at liberty only subject to the whims of Federal law enforcement.
Yet you did anyway. (Yes, I’m choosing to ignore your prudent smattering of weasel words.)
I think the most interesting aspect of all of this from a Coloradoan perspective (7th generation) is how much of a non-story this is to the average citizen here.
While it’s getting a huge amount of press outside the state, internally, it’s really not that big of a deal. Most people I talk to haven’t noticed much, if any difference other than the jokes being passed around.
The basic gist seems to be, if you’re into getting high then it’s great not have to worry about being harassed by the po-po; and if you’re not, then who gives a shit?
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