Dear Commons Community,
The news media are reporting on the new law that went into effect yesterday in Colorado legalizing the sale of marijuana. Accounts of hundreds of people waiting in the cold and snow to purchase “weed” came in across the state. CNN reported:
“Even three hours after the stores opened, one downtown Denver dispensary had a line of about 100 people outside the front door to the corner. The snow had stopped falling by then, and the gray skies were clearing to blue.
While patrons — young and the old, men and women — waited patiently in line, the demographic at the downtown dispensary tilted more toward 20- and 30-somethings.
When many buyers emerged from the store and nudged through the line, they raised their bags of newly purchased pot above their heads.
People waiting on the sidewalk cheered them.
Even though recreational weed is now legal, some purchasers declined to disclose their last names.
One woman, Dee, who didn’t want to use her surname, said she waited in line for almost three hours to buy her cannabis. She and a male companion bought a small amount, she said, just to commemorate the occasion.
“We voted for it, and now it’s here,” Dee said of the recreational marijuana law. “We just went in and celebrated the new law. It’s a new day.”
In terms of price, eight ounces costs about $60.00.
Tony
People who smoke are looked down upon in an appalling way in the United States. It is simply amazing, because pot is one of the most harmless drugs, period. Alcohol has caused millions more deaths, both directly from alcohol poisoning and indirectly from driving and such, yet everyone is content to drink their beer and sneer at the kid with a joint.
With the legalisation and reform of cannabis spreading across the world, many wonder exactly who it is that will be targeted by this flourishing industry. It may not be who most people would think.
A well established argument in the repertoire of the old school prohibitionists is that cannabis poses a threat to the children. Legalisation, they argued, will get pre-teens hooked and lead to rampant childhood addiction. Well, nothing could be further from the truth: new research suggests that it is actually the older adults that are showing the most marked increase in heavy cannabis use.
A demographical shift
Recent research shows a large and quite sudden change in the demographical use of cannabis over the last year, shifting from 12-21 year olds, to the over 50’s. What’s more, over the last year, daily use of cannabis in Americans aged 18-21 has dropped from 26 percent to 21 percent, while use by those aged 22 and over rose from 63 percent to 72 percent. These are significant findings that show that the legalisation of cannabis doesn‘t increase youth use. (original article: http://www.zamnesia.com/blog-majority-of-us-cannabis-users-are-older-adults-n157)
makes total sence 😉 If you look at the Netherlands, where people have been able to legaly purchase pot, the general usage has been the lowest in Europe in the last 12 years.