Even if marijuana is legalized in California this fall, what this gentleman is doing will still be illegal, and net him a $250 fine, and the driver is absolutely justified in refusing him service.
Besides…that’s somebody’s personal vehicle…it’s just rude…
Except that there is digital evidence…
Well, it’s decriminalized in the sense that the police now have “greater latitude on pot possession” (i.e. they don’t have to arrest you on the spot). That just means they can still arrest you for possession if they want to - as that article mentions, “Local officers still have the option to arrest someone for simple possession under Louisiana’s stricter state law,” and that latitude doesn’t even hold true near schools, parks or churches. So I should have said it hasn’t been meaningfully decriminalized. The smoker was using “decriminalization” to mean “legalization” which it definitely hasn’t been.
You’re obviously not from NOLA. You know what’s normal in NOLA? Normal tobacco. Not cannabis, not crack.
As someone who vapes nicotine and smokes pot, both daily for some time, I’m disheartened at the degree of entitlement coming from others who engage in those activities.
If you have conviction in your activities then don’t be an evasive coward. You say “Excuse me, I’d like to smoke marijuana in your vehicle. I understand if you’re not ok with that, perhaps a tip might change your mind or could you ask other drivers how they feel about it and refer me to a driver who is cool with it?” Some kind of clear communication and open dialogue showing you are confident in yourself and respect the other person instead of trying to hide behind obfuscation.
If you go to someone like a human being and say “Hey, I like to break this bullshit rule. Are you ok with that?” As long as it really is a bullshit rule or at least one people don’t feel strongly about and you haven’t been a jerk 99% of the people out there will be at least cool about it.
And if you just want to transgress for the sake of transgression well then take your lumps for it. You don’t get “cool points” for non-risk taking.
Although cannabis research in the United States has been largely suppressed for decades there are nevertheless tens of thousands of studies worldwide on its use for various ailments. Here’s just one summary: http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/study.php
Furthermore, my colleague has worked with patients for over a decade and has had people who use cannabis to successfully mitigate the symptoms of almost every conceivable ailment. Because it can act as a general tonic for all sorts of physical and mental conditions – without any serious long-term physical side effects and many benefits – cannabis is probably the single most versatile healing plant on the planet. I don’t believe it can help every patient but I do think the list of ailments for which can provide some relief is extremely vast.
Maybe I missed something…
[edit: yes, yes I did]
decriminalized verb): cease by legislation to treat (something) as illegal.
“Police can now issue a summons”… So it’s a misdemeanor illegal instead of something more consequential? That still makes it very much illegal, and a criminal offense.
edit: that’s a partial, and misleading, definition of the word decriminalization. While it may remain illegal, it’s correct to say it’s decriminalized due to the lessening of the penalities.
As a non-smoker living in San Francisco I disagree with #5.
I’m amazed when I walk by someone smoking a pleasant pack of Parliaments compared to the regular cloud hanging over my neighborhood. From lending friends a leather jacket here and there I’d disagree with the assertion that cannabis airs out quickly. My closet certainly provides evidence to the contrary.
Relevant to the discussion, let’s just clarify that cannabis is most definitely not “legal” anywhere in Louisiana.
http://norml.org/laws/item/louisiana-penalties-2
The New Orleans City Council passed an ordinance to decriminalize cannabis in the city but the police still have the right to issue a citation for its use. It’s “up to their discretion.” (What could possibly go wrong?)
Louisiana has a “medical marijuana” law that is not yet in effect and is still considered unworkable.
http://norml.org/legal/item/louisiana-medical-marijuana-law
I stand corrected; thanks! I didn’t know the definition of decriminalization included the lessening of penalties component (nor did the first website I pulled include that 
).
So it seems the more accurate phrase is: marijuana in nola has been decriminalized but not yet legalized.
Agreed. People forget that ride sharing drivers are using their own vehicle. I had a run where a passenger asked if we could stop to get cigarettes and I said “sure. I just ask that you don’t smoke in the car” and he was cool with that.
Yeah, to be correct I should have said it isn’t meaningfully decriminalized, given the wide latitude given to police (and number of exemptions to even that). But the smoker was using the term to mean “legalized” which is what I was really responding to.
Vaping really doesn’t stink. Like at all. I could blow a huge vape cloud at you from 4 feet and you wouldn’t smell anything but my coffee breath.
Wait, so you are vaping coffee? Hmm…
It doesn’t stink like regular smoke but it’s not odorless either. And as someone who is sensitive to smells i find being around people who vape just as uncomfortable as regular smokers. And in both cases i can tolerate it for the most part but some days it just gives me headaches so i tend to avoid being around it.
As an aside but somewhat related, hell for me is being near a candle shop or a Bath & Body Works (or similar type stores).
Hehehe. Well I am going to now! Why didn’t I think of that? Sweet spaghetti monster, Skeptic you are a friggin’ genius! And to think I have been drinking it like a chump all this time. To the lab!
Careful there. Caffeine overdose can be dangerous. Drinking it gives your body the chance to purge it before it is absorbed. Vaping, not so much.
So, uhm, snorting ground up NoDoze would be bad? Asking for an orange friend.
Good to know. Thanks for the info.
