# Can I post a thread about something entirely legal in one state, but not elsewhere? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 12, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874 "2015-05-12T17:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/1 "2015-05-12T17:58:53Z")
For instance, “What are the best pot stores in Colorado?” as the subject of a thread? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/2 "2015-05-12T18:03:02Z")
Pot is not “entirely legal” in Colorado. It is illegal according to federal law. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/3 "2015-05-12T18:05:03Z")
No, because, as far as I know–in the past–staff has defined “against the law” to mean against federal laws, not local/state laws. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/4 "2015-05-12T18:07:16Z")
As I was driving down the expressway in Washington at 70 mph, I reflected how glad I was to not be driving in Oregon where the speed limit is only 65. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/5 "2015-05-12T23:11:59Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > As I was driving down the expressway in Washington at 70 mph, I reflected how glad I was to not be driving in Oregon where the speed limit is only 65. Bahn him! Bahn him! Yeah, ok to post, but bannable offense for anyone elsewhere who opens and reads the post. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/6 "2015-05-12T23:25:37Z")
Autobahn him! ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/7 "2015-05-12T23:28:37Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > No, because, as far as I know–in the past–staff has defined “against the law” to mean against federal laws, not local/state laws. Apparently kratom is legal federally, but illegal in a few states. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/8 "2015-05-12T23:49:35Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Autobahn him! …you are going to hell for that pun. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/9 "2015-05-13T00:21:17Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > …you are going to hell for that pun. :mad: And rather quickly, too! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/10 "2015-05-13T00:21:15Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > No, because, as far as I know–in the past–staff has defined “against the law” to mean against federal laws, not local/state laws. How silly. More than half the country has either fully legal weed, medical marijuana, or have decriminalized possession. Are we not allowed to talk about prostitution in Nevada, too? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/11 "2015-05-13T00:30:29Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > No, because, as far as I know–in the past–staff has defined “against the law” to mean against federal laws, not local/state laws. By that logic I could post instructions on getting away with spousal abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/12 "2015-05-13T00:41:06Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > How silly. More than half the country has either fully legal weed, medical marijuana, or have decriminalized possession. It is illegal to buy, sell, or possess in all 50 states. Many states have chosen not to have or enforce their own duplicate laws, which given federal enforcement priorities makes it very likely that marijuana users will get away with it, but the United States is a country in which marijuana is illegal everywhere. The rule about discussing anything illegal is probably over the top and paranoid, but discussing where to buy a substance that is illegal everywhere in the United States is obviously prohibited by it. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/13 "2015-05-13T01:07:20Z")
How about the following hypothetical question: “I’m going on a trip to Amsterdam next week, I’d like to try their legal pot for the first time, recommendations please” Would that be allowed? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/14 "2015-05-13T01:29:16Z")
We talked about this before. You know, it’s still illegal to take your pet lion to the movies in Maryland. That’s why I will never open or read a Lion King thread in Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/15 "2015-05-13T02:22:44Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > How silly. More than half the country has either fully legal weed, medical marijuana, or have decriminalized possession. > > Are we not allowed to talk about prostitution in Nevada, too? Prostitution is not a federal crime. Nevada has legal prostitution in non-urban areas. Discussing how to find those areas, which are the best, prices, etc, would not be illegal. Start a conversation about finding prostitutes in Vegas and you will likely be shut down, too. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/16 "2015-05-13T05:58:54Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > We talked about this before. You know, it’s still illegal to take your pet lion to the movies in Maryland. That’s why I will never open or read a Lion King thread in Cafe Society. It’s also illegal to fish from a giraffe’s neck in Chicago. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/17 "2015-05-13T13:24:02Z")
There is no rule prohibiting the discussion of illegal activities. One may discuss the ramifications of breaking a law. One may actively campaign that a law be changed. What is prohibited is advocating or providing instructions to violate a law. So, asking where one can score good weed in Alabama would violate the prohibition. Asking the location of a good head shop in Denver, where the state explicitly permits it to operate and the Feds are not moving to close it down is not prohibited. Posting from Alabama to ask the best way to smoke a joint with friends without bogarting it is permitted on the grounds that we do not (yet) prohibit stupid questions and we are not running IP checks to make sure that one is posting from a legal jurisdiction. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/18 "2015-05-13T13:55:30Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Prostitution is not a federal crime… Actually, it is, under some circumstances: [http://prostitution.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000119](http://prostitution.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000119). You are correct in that it is typically prohibited under state law. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/19 "2015-05-13T14:19:18Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > By that logic I could post instructions on getting away with spousal abuse. Without being perceived as a jerk? Good luck with that. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874/20 "2015-05-13T17:50:04Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > No, because, as far as I know–in the past–staff has defined “against the law” to mean against federal laws, not local/state laws. > [@tomndebb](#): > > There is no rule prohibiting the discussion of illegal activities. One may discuss the ramifications of breaking a law. One may actively campaign that a law be changed. > > What is prohibited is advocating or providing instructions to violate a law. > > So, asking where one can score good weed in Alabama would violate the prohibition. Asking the location of a good head shop in Denver, where the state explicitly permits it to operate and the Feds are not moving to close it down is not prohibited. > > Posting from Alabama to ask the best way to smoke a joint with friends without bogarting it is permitted on the grounds that we do not (yet) prohibit stupid questions and we are not running IP checks to make sure that one is posting from a legal jurisdiction. Sibce I have conflicting information from two different mods, can you folks discuss it and give me a definitive answer? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-post-a-thread-about-something-entirely-legal-in-one-state-but-not-elsewhere/719874.md?page=2)