I’m up in Durango, CO, and there are Marijuana dispensaries all over town. In Arizona, “Medical Marijuana” is available if you pay Dr. Nick for a card.
Before these dispensaries were common, there was much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth about how they would lead to the downfall of society. But, honestly, I don’t really see any changes.
Does anyone know of any studies about how legal Pot has affected society?
No studies that I’m aware of (other than a few informal metastudies of the impact of marijuana smoking on emphysema and lung cancer) but since the legalization of recreational marijuana the customers at the bar downstairs from my place have taken the front deck to be their gathering place to spark up, frequently creating an indelible reek of pot smoke that has infused everything in the area. I now have to keep a fan blowing outward at all operating hours, and even when they are closed the area stinks of stale marijuana to the point that the building managers have taken to putting out industrial grade odor masking emitters, which somehow just make everything smell worse. Ugh.
Stranger
I used to travel for a living and was subject to drug / alcohol testing as part of the job. The last time I was “randomed” and had to fill a cup was in… Durango! Also, the first legal dispensary I ever saw was in Aspen, Colorado. Now I’m wondering if that test wasn’t so random and it was because I was in the land of much weed. But alas, I’ve never been a user.
But to answer your question, I’d have to say no. On the occasions I’ve seen people using marijuana it was completely un-troubling. In my narrow slice of the world there have been few, if any, apparent effects.
I think we would observe much, much bigger societal effects if there were changes in how we consume alcohol. By which I mean, less drinking. Besides drunk driving still being a big problem, I suspect alcohol is a major factor underlying a lot of violence.
I’m in CO.
My brother is basically a MAGA – also in CO. The last time we talked of this issue, he mentioned that the “rate of ER visits due to pot has tripled since legalization.”
To which I said, “Yeah. From three people to nine – most of whom were simply anxious or had concurrently drank too much booze.”
Or eaten a whole chocolate bar instead of a square (what happens if you drink a liter of Cuervo instead of a shot??)
Do I know that to be the case? No. But I have seen no evidence of any real downside since CO legalized “weed” (do the news outlets call alcohol ‘booze?’).
Much like everything else the social conservatives have sworn was the “beginning of the end,” I’d say the dystopian prognostications about legal pot were … flat wrong.
I’m astonished that the dangers of marijuana have not been recognised. After all, it causes lung cancer and alcoholism… 
As far as I know, the states that have legalized it are enjoying some serious tax revenue benefits.
Good point.
And the term is “cannabis” for the legalized retail market.
I’ve heard anecdotal stories about DUI, alcohol poisoning deaths, etc. going down wherever it’s been legalized, but, well, potheads like to swap their bullshit stories, so I cannot point to any cites besides, “Someone I know said…”
I regret that although it is quite nice to be able to drive to the dispensary and buy a batch of Skywalker to take home and smoke, civilization as we know it appears to be persisting.
Question about designated drivers:
the phrase did not exist back in the 70’s when I and my friends needed it.
Nowadays the kids seem to take care that one person in their group at the bar doesn’t drink. But do pot smokers also take the same care?
The end of civilization as we know it? Hardly.
Caused new/old problems and corruption? Certainly. I mean down the road in Manitou (I’m in Colorado Springs which opted out for recreational sales in the city limits) there was a major retailer, and a well regarded one that shut all of their doors suddenly after it was found that they’d been doing pretty much ALL the tax fraud (cash business). But that has a lot more to do with the cash business and opportunities I just mentioned than the product.
Similarly, I know of many people who have (more so in NM than CO) decided this was the time to open their own business, and found they could license cannabis more easily/cheaply than a liquor license, who then lost all their savings in a hyper competitive market, but again, that’s an old problem of “get rich quick” schemes not panning out.
The worst “real” problem is that the number of young/underage users is uncomfortably high (yes, pun intended, you may boo me). But even so, I doubt it’s much different than the number of young/underage users of alcohol, and for the same reason. If you can get it from your family, your friends, or your friends older brother/sister/uncle, then the legal restrictions don’t mean all that much.
And speaking from my experience trying it in the past (back in College, decades ago, before it was legal) while it was not my cup of tea, it was certainly less mind altering/damaging/risky than the few times I got drunk!
Wait. Using weed caused alcoholism? Cite, please.
I live in NJ where recreational cannabis is legal. While its probably too soon to tell, I haven’t seen any decline in society or any large scale negative effects other than the pervasive smell on the boardwalk.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s glee’s post.
I’m sorry if my sarcasm was not recognisable.
I meant that cigarettes and alcohol cause devastating problems, yet are legal.
The insurance institute for highway safety is full of cranky conservatives, and when cannabis was first legalized they worked very hard to demonstrate that it would increase traffic accidents and deaths. It took them several years to find a very small impact. It’s well known that drivers who are high are physically impaired, similar to drunk drivers, but legalizing barely registers (if at all) in the overall stats. The two leading theories of why legalizing cannabis wasn’t like adding a lot more alcohol are:
Florida has extensive “medical” marijuana. And might legalize recreational this election, but it appears the proposition is a mixed bag of legalization of consumption and “for big corporations only” restrictions on selling. So the libertarians and other freedom-first folks are totally torn about which way to vote.
So far all I can tell the only effect on society is that we’ve returned to the 1960s where everywhere there’s people, there’s a reeking stench of smoke in the air. It’s just a different-smelling smoke.
I for one would totally vote for total legalization of products containing cannabis as long as they are in a form that cannot be smoked or vaped. Public smoking of anything is a scourge. Sez the guy who enjoys a stogie or two … at a cigar bar … indoors.
Recreational cannabis has been legal in Maryland for a bit over a year. Civilization seems to have gone on as usual, but then I live in Amish country, so I doubt I’d see much effect. I did notice that one store has come and gone, not sure what others are operation in the county. But then I never had any desire to try the stuff.
If they tax it enough to keep my taxes down, I’m good.
About the only real downside I can see here in Missouri is that, once the voters put forth (and passed) a ballot initiative to legalize the Sticky Icky, frightened conservatives realized that if we could do it for weed, we could do it for abortion. So they started valiantly trying to make it harder for constitutional ballot initiatives to be put for by the voters.
Well guess what? It didn’t work and now we’ll be voting on a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights, conservative efforts to the contrary be damned.
So yeah, the downside to leglizing pot in Missouri is that it’s riled up the conservatives to fight harder against other freedoms.
To me, this is a problem. Do the legislatures legalize pot in the best interest of the populace, or did they do it to increase the amount of money they get to spend. I feel the same way about the proliferation of gambling in the past 50 years.
Or they did it to decrease other taxes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CdVTCDdEwI
(I’ll be here all week. Don’t forget to tip your waitress.)
Of course it does, no cite needed. My cleaning lady’s daughter’s husband’s best friend’s uncle told her so and it cannot be doubted.
When I was in school, the current meme was that chewing gum causes prostitution. Because if you chew gum you will probably smoke; if you smoke you will probably drink; if you drink you will probably use drugs; if you use drugs you will probably become a prostitute or pimp to pay for them.
Very true. Alcohol impairs judgment and reduces inhibitions, which means that a drunk individual is much more likely than one stoned on cannabis to decide that driving is just fine. As someone who enjoys wine and Caesars and vodka martinis and the occasional rum and Coke to probably a greater extent than is good for me, that’s why I have an ironclad rule to avoid making bad judgments: just one drink and driving is off the table, period, no exceptions allowed, no judgments required.
Another major difference is that alcohol seriously impairs coordination and reflexes, while cannabis mostly acts on the higher brain functions. So while driving under the influence of cannabis is dangerous and illegal, the fact is that alcohol is much worse.
On the general subject of the thread, cannabis has been legal across all of Canada for six years now. Although the legalization itself was of course a major turning point, it’s been amusing watching the evolution of the actual process. Initially, only flowers (the stuff that you smoke or vape) or oils (the stuff that you ingest) were available; edibles were viewed with suspicion because of dosage concerns. There was also controversy over where retail outlets were going to be allowed, with some municipalities vowing “not here, you don’t!”.
All of that seems to have fallen by the wayside. All kinds of edibles are now available, as are concentrates – stuff so powerful that a mere drop on a cracker will send you off. Cannabis stores have popped up all over the place. My general sense of the whole scene is “nobody cares”. Canada is still standing, and legalization has had no impact on anything except I guess billions in government revenue from cannabis taxes. I certainly don’t much care as I’m not much of a cannabis user. Give me my Caesars and rum – I’m “old school” that way! 