Pot Is Basically Legal in California

Weed hasn't been legalized, but Californians seem to think it has

Have you ever told a doctor a medicine has worked in the past, and perhaps it would work again for the same symptoms? Usually they prescribe it. And that's what happens when you ask for medical marijuana in California.

So every Californian with access to a doctor can get a regular supply of high-quality weed, without having to do any shady back-alley deals.

Meanwhile, pot-smoking has become utterly accepted in the most respectable Californian circles.

"It's shocking, from my perspective, the number of people that we all know who are recreational marijuana users," lieutenant governor Gavin Newsom told the NYTimes. "These are incredibly upstanding citizens." Recent studies support Newsom's claim: 47% of Californians say they've smoked pot, and drivers are more likely to be under the influence of weed than alcohol.

You can smell pot throughout the Golden State, too. In Los Angeles, the smoke wafts out of suburban backyards and from the crowds at nightspots where cigarette smoking is banned, according to the Times. In my experience, it's totally normal to walk through San Francisco and the Bay Area suburbs and smell weed on the night air. And in rural Northern California, local shops overflow with "grow your own" magazines and glass pipes.

Via the New York Times.

Do you like California's approach to marijuana?

[Souljah]

Why Not there are so many Potential Uses for this plant.. I think it's silly that we havent taken advantage of that as a country yet..

[woodtick57]

hemp and marijauna are two different things. yes, the silly ban on hemp comes from the same idiotic fears...

[marine1]

is second hand pot smoke as bad for you as cigaette smoke?Is pot smoke less harmfull on your lungs than cigarette smoke?Is this a phony world we live in?

[Polusalo]

@marine1

Dude, I honestly don't know. The "research" changes from day to day.

I've never smoked it and never will, legal or not, but it would be nice to have the facts about it without being concerned that on whether or not it's bias.

[woodtick57]

The studies on lung cancer rates for post smokers shows a far less risk. most likely due to the fact that they don't smoke a joint every twenty minutes...@marine1

[Quantummist]

@woodtick57.... There was a study done at one time that hinted that smoking pot helps clear the lungs of the tars from cigg's... But if you look at the difference between pot and tobacco it makes sense as being much safer and actually reversing the effects of tobacco smoking... Tobacco produces non water soluble tars just as pot does by the Pot Tars are THC residuals which the body breaks down quickly and are metabolized as they travel to receptors in the brain.... Tobacco Tars are not metabolized for use by the body except for the nicotine molecule... They do get absorbed some and do break down over time but they tend to remain in the lungs for much, much longer...

So it would make sense that if you smoked pot that it would be soluble with the tar from cigg smoke and help clear it from the lungs as the assorted THC and CBN tars are metabolized .....

[PoliticalSpice]

I pressed yes, and it registered no. DEA is obviously tampering with the voting machine. Could I have missed it, I'll go with the conspiracy theory, reminds me pf my time in Berkeley. Really miss that place, loved the availability of high quality weed, hash, kif, candy, cookies....

[woodtick57]

Man, I loved smoking hash. such a nice clean high...wonder if it is still popular in the US?

[PoliticalSpice]

@woodtick57 in califotnia you walk in with your medical vard you can het several different kinds. I'm no
Longer living there :(

[kirbstomp1]

@woodtick57 I make my own hash, and butane honey oil.

[Fishbone345]

Arguing in favor of legalization simply for the purpose of "getting high" isn't necessarily going to help the argument or win over the opposition.
We need to argue in favor of States Rights, and Constitutional guarantee's of that. The fact that the Drug War is a costly and colossal waste of resources. That the Federal Government oversteps its bounds and needs to be reigned in, enforcement of drugs can be handled on the states level and should be. Tax money shouldn't be spent on this sort of thing, and that reduction of that aspect of the budget would reduce expenditures.
These sorts of arguments are the sorts of arguments that win over fiscal conservatives, the ones listening to Dr. Ron Paul.

[PoliticalSpice]

@kirbstomp1 Honey oil? I am an official FDA tester, I need to come down and access quality...
Don't you need sulfuric acid and ether fir that? Are you a chemist?

[woodtick57]

I'm all for catchin a nice buszz now and then, but if i have to be random tested for pot to get my CDL, shouldn't all drivers have to do the same? if the stoner infront of me wrecks, my 80,000lb rig is still gonna kill people. The NTSB and all state patrols will tell you most Semi/car crashes are caused by the PUV...

if we want to toke it up, time to pee in the cup.

[Fishbone345]

The problem with your cute catch phrase, is the fact that peeing in a cup will turn out a positive result several weeks after the "toking up" has taken place. You don't have to be high to get a positive result.
The other night my son engaged me in a conversation how he thinks that places of business shouldn't be able to fire someone because they turn up a positive result. I explained to him that if you are on the job and turn up positive for alcohol, despite it being very much legal, they will fire you as well. And are fully within their rights to do so.
I think perhaps a test of peoples cognitive ability should be the test for marijuana perhaps on the job. Not necessarily of its presence. Hell, I can go to a Grateful Dead concert (not that I would, I hate that band), and get a positive result just from standing in the audience (dependent on the test given, some are more powerful than others).

[woodtick57]

@Fishbone345 And if those positive results are enough to prevent me from driving, shouldnt they be for all drivers? You don't advocate driving while impaired, do you?

Actaully, there is a limit of THC allowed just for that "contact high" exclusion in the DOT tests. How is driving impaired from pot different from on alcohol?

[Fishbone345]

@woodtick57 Where in my response did you see a place where I advocated driving impaired on pot? Before you respond with such a blanket statement, be sure that I said something which in fact I did not.
I said that "peeing in a cup" shows up results well after the incident. IE someone could test positive and be fully aware and cognizant despite having gotten high on the weekend. We need a more comprehensive test of the immediate level of awareness. Pretty sure a field test could take care of that much the way it does with alcohol.

[woodtick57]

@Fishbone345

Soory I dshouldn't have implied that. You need to be a rebular user for it to show up. I have tested the day after taking two pinch hits and passed, but I ahdn't smoked any for months before that and that was just a few hits then. It is the buildup of it in your fatty tissues that triggers the positive result, and is what makes teh law think you could still be under the influencE,a nd if its in your system, that is a resonable assumption.

I 'm just pointing out that if it is legalized, and I think it should be, we have a whole can of worms to deal with on this issue.

[Fishbone345]

@woodtick57 "You need to be a rebular user for it to show up."
Not necessarily true. It depends on if they are just screening, or testing as well. Both together are a bit more in depth and more able to pick up recent use.
Perhaps a bit of interesting information, the DOT test is hardest to pass if someone doesn't use a detoxifying agent. If one is used its the easiest to pass.
"I 'm just pointing out that if it is legalized, and I think it should be, we have a whole can of worms to deal with on this issue."
Absolutely, and I agree 100%. What I'm saying is someone shouldn't have previous use used against them. If someone gets into an accident now, perhaps you for example. We don't test you, and find out that you drank two days ago at a company Christmas party, and then in turn use it against you in the accident procedures. See how that could be a problem? That's what we are looking at now with current drug testing. Something, perhaps field testing or the drug equivalent of a breath alcohol test perhaps.

[CitizenX]

This isn't really true for the majority of Californians. At least for ones in middle to lower class economic strata. It's not true in the ghetto.

[DARSB]

Circumventing a law instead of repealing it diminishes respect for all laws. Just legalize it already.

[marine1]

we have spent years and millions of dollars trying to get people to stop smoking and now we are wanting to make legal another weed to smoke and this makes sense how. Should there be health warnings printed on the bag?

[Heavy-Fed]

@marine1 When you can show me what health problems smoking Marijuana causes... then you can put them on the label. FACTS, not theories. Marijuana has never caused the death of a single human being.

[DARSB]

@Heavy-Fed while it's true there is no lethal dose of THC, pot smoking has been weakly associated with emphysema and chronic bronchitis. We can't make too much of those studies, though, because marijuana had never been through the FDA approval processes, which requires rigorous clinical study.

[Zazziness]

@marine1 There are health warnings printed on the bag. "May cause drowsinesss. Do not operate heavy machinery or drive while under the influence of marijuana. As with all medication, keep out of reach of children." As for the concerns about smoking, I think they're valid. Though they have looked for a cancer link and were surprised not to find one, the body is really not built to inhale smoke on a regular basis.(Then again, it's also not built to ingest alcohol, which is outright poisonous.) A vaporizer solves the problem by taking smoke out of the equation.

[marine1]

@Zazziness it was my attempt at be facetious. I have no problem with smoking anything you can afford. the irony is that this country is hell bent on regulating anything that appears to pose a health risk but they are going to leagalize another supposed health risk.

[Zazziness]

Things are getting better but it is a far cry from the "basically legal" this Politix blurb claims. http://www.canorml.org/arrestsprisoners.html

[CitizenX]

Yep. This is misinformation at its best.

[tomincali]

in my state is is nothing new for those in office to go around federal laws. seems to me they pick and choose which laws to enforce or even obey themselves. then again the feds do the same thing. makes me wonder why any bother with an oath.

[Heavy-Fed]

That's why I moved to California from Texas, got tired of being treated like a criminal for celebrating the Tree of Life according to my religion... and got tired of having to deal with criminals to get it!!!

[KyleMFb]

There are zero ill effects with weed its healthy to use its natural and 1 joint can fight multiple symptoms with pills it's one or two pills per symptom and they have a risk of killing you weed can't kill you no matter how much you take the only people who don't want weed legal is pharmaceutical company's bc they can't patient it thats what's taken so long for legalization

[woodtick57]

As the beloved Todd Snyder said ewhen it comes to drug use in the US, "It isn't WHAT drugs you take, but WHOSE..."

[paperdragons81]

I used to smoke it as a teen I don't anymore but I think do legalizing and taxing is a good idea. One thing is there is more jobs growing, selling, ect, another is we would have less people made into crimanals ,and another is the government could tax it and would make billions that could help pay off the national dept.

[RoyFloyd]

I know 90 year old lady who uses a cannabis balm for arthritis pain relief. It's also available in a variety of drinks and edibles which is the likely future of medical marijuana. Of course inhaling smoke is harmful, from cigarettes, reefers, smog, or a BBQ, which is why lots of doctors see value in cannabis for treating sundry diseases/symptoms, but can't recommend it being smoked. For those who have a need for a mood-adjusting recreational drug, pot is less harmful to the user and produces miniscule collateral damage compared to alcohol.

[freaky6smurf]

If they want 2 smoke pot so much.. I think they should not have a problem with cigarette smokers..

[racemonkey]

It's against the law. Funny the way it is that many people who like to get high pay no attention to the death and destruction their law breaking supports in the U.S. and abroad. Everyday people are killed to supply the illegal drugs that Americans so enjoy. If you're in favor of legalized weed then by all means campaign for it. Until it becomes legal admit you are a criminal and that there is blood on your hands.

[RoyFloyd]

If your concern is the carnage the drug trade causes abroad, then you should have no problem with folks here growing their own weed. Regarding your indignation over criminals with blood on their hands, you must be outraged over those who aid and abet drug lords in laundering BILLIONS, yet are let off with a relatively small fine. This coddling of corporate criminals making blood money off the drug trade reveals the War on Drugs to be a fraud.

[racemonkey]

@RoyFloyd That's not my only concern but it is one of them. I don't have a problem with stoners anymore than I do with drinkers. If they don't drive or come to work stoned then toke up. Most dope users I know are not worried about the damage their habit causes to others here or abroad they just want to get high. I certainly agree the war on drugs is a fraud just as much as the war on poverty has been. The fact the government refuses to secure the border but spends millions arresting incarcerating and harassing Americans rather than increasing our presence there is proof. Truth is I believe it's big business on both the legal and illegal side that prevents any real change. The government needs enemies to maintain military and law enforcement spending. That being said and since I do agree with you I think you should also be able to see my position. I'm all for activism and civil disobedience to prove a point and bring about change but is that really what most users are doing? As the man said in No Country for Old Men, "There would be no drug sellers if there were no drug users." That is the bottom line for me.

[jessejaymes]

I will smoke to smoking.

[Jeff_Woehrle]

Californians also seem to believe that they can vote themselves endless entitlements without worry about how to pay for it.

Must be all that pot.

[OhWiseOne]

Then what is the Republican excuse for outrageous spending on unnecessary wars? Toe tapping under toilet stalls?

[Jeff_Woehrle]

@OhWiseOne Focus, focus. This is about California's outrageous spending and the voters' refusal to acknowledge it. I blame the pot.

[Keyjo]

I spent much of my childhood in Hawaii. It's always been accepted there. Up an ounce was a $25 fine, though any arrest for simple possession was rare.
I remember a couple of detectives coming to serve a warrant on me. My lanai was full of plants. They kicked a couple over while cuffing me, but never charged me or even mentioned the marijuana plants.

[SavageMazx]

This will make it difficult to find guys that can pass a whiz quiz...federal projects require a drug free work place and randoms....this opens a whole new can of worms

[papa46368]

I use to think marijuana should be legalized so that it could be taxed. However, over the summer I visited LA and while at Venice Beach the stench of pot was so bad that my grand kids and I had to leave the beach. It's a shame that one cannot take children to Venice Beach anymore.

[PattyD]

Land of the fruits and nuts. Whatta way to advertise to the rest of the country..breaking the law is ok!

[ConserveUSA]

State of California, it is like entering into Iranian Territory.

[PattyD]

@ConserveUSA well Ive had some bizzar experiences with California folk and its all off beat and totally society as a whole! For some odd reason , some people literally believe marijuana is good for you. But those heavy pot smokers have no employment and leech off others. It only makes sense to them

[hwyangel]

The continued dumbing. Down of America is fitting in well to the UN agenda.