# Social Weed Smoking in Denver - Rocking the Boat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 8, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597 "2015-07-08T17:28:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/41 "2015-07-10T23:05:42Z")
My inlaws have a place in Seattle where they go to escape FL heat (with the heat in Seattle lately, that didn’t work very well did it) and they are very much complaining about MJ smell _everywhere_. They are not anti-drug per se, but the smell gets to them. I don’t get it - if I was in CO or WA and wanted to do some mary jane, I would definitely NOT smoke it. Why? It is bad for your health, and not as convenient as drinking something or eating something (I understand there are lots of edible options). So - why insist on smoking it and stinking the place up? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/42 "2015-07-10T23:13:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Do you think this is a right or do you think they’re rocking the boat a bit considering so many other states haven’t yet legalized, nor have the feds. A right? No. But I don’t see why it wouldn’t be treated basically just like alcohol and cigarettes to be honest. There are dry counties, after all, and cigarettes are regulated differently wrt their use in public spaces differently, so this would be the same. So, in states where it’s legal, I don’t see why there shouldn’t be a tie in to existing laws on public intoxication and whatever they are calling the issue of nasty tobacco smoke disturbing the public these days…it’s all the same thing and should be treated the same way with the same regulations and laws already on the books merely being expanded to encompass MJ smoke or other use. Simple really, though I’m sure it won’t work out that way in the short term. > [@](#): > > I wouldn’t mind having a smoke outside of my home personally. The problem is that while you might not mind it, others would. Take it from me, neighbors have complained about cigar smoke emanating to infiltrate their houses (100 yards away) from my back yard in the past, so it would be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/43 "2015-07-10T23:28:49Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > So - why insist on smoking it and stinking the place up? The sincere answer to that is because it’s not the same. Edibles take longer to kick in, last longer, and feel different. Also, smoking has been the norm throughout prohibition and well before; it’s what people know. That said, I don’t care for the smell of pot smoke either, or for other people’s cigarette or cigar smoke. I’d rather vape, personally (yes, I recognize that makes me a Portland hipster delta bravo), if I want a hit. I like edibles, too, but not all the time. Like beer vs. wine vs. liquor in some ways. It’ll happen. Smoking is dying out all the way around, so I’m not fashed by it. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/44 "2015-07-11T00:18:04Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > What always annoyed me about this concern is that there isn’t any big drive to develop roadside tests for the many other legal drugs that could affect someone’s driving. Not to mention the fact that the argument against impaired driving is the drop in judgement and reaction time yet neither of those are tested when obtaining a license. I meant more that I would like objective measures rather than say cops pulling over a car that “looks” like a pot smoker and giving a roadside test. Not that they can make a test as easy as a breathalyzer. > [@Terr](#): > > I don’t get it - if I was in CO or WA and wanted to do some mary jane, I would definitely NOT smoke it. Why? It is bad for your health, and not as convenient as drinking something or eating something (I understand there are lots of edible options). Have you actually done both? YMMV with potency, but edibles seem to require that you clear the entire afternoon and it is **much** harder to estimate when you’ve had “enough.” > [@](#): > > So - why insist on smoking it and stinking the place up? Marijiuana smoke does not linger _ **anywhere** _ near as long as cigarette smoke. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/45 "2015-07-11T00:25:17Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Marijiuana smoke does not linger _ **anywhere** _ near as long as cigarette smoke. Only because the quantity of smoke is so much less. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/46 "2015-07-11T00:34:40Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Marijiuana smoke does not linger _ **anywhere** _ near as long as cigarette smoke. It’s not the smoke lingering. It’s the smell. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/47 "2015-07-11T01:04:11Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > If I can’t walk down the street drinking a beer, why should they be able to walk down the street smoking a joint? …and they can blow it right in your face and you’ll just have to stand there grooooovin’ on it. ---
**Author:** ![MegaNazz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@MegaNazz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaNazz)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/48 "2015-07-13T17:35:51Z")
I agree that in legal states, the laws for cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption should just be extended to include smoking weed. I think most smokers are pretty considerate of those around them but it’s good to have laws in place to reinforce that courtesy. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/49 "2015-07-13T17:38:22Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > It’s not the smoke lingering. It’s the smell. Exactly. But go visit someone who smokes tobacco inside and someone who smokes marijuana, and notice the difference in stale stench, discolored walls, etc. ---
**Author:** ![MegaNazz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@MegaNazz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaNazz)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/50 "2015-07-14T16:25:55Z")
Yeah, I’ve never smoke nicotine cigarettes but a lot of my girlfriends have. I think I’m allergic to the nicotine or something so my girlfriend used to go into the bathroom to smoke when it was too cold out. In no time, it looked like our bathroom wall was covered in tar. It must have been a combination of the smoke and shower condensation or something. Whatever the case, it helped her quit smoking! ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/51 "2015-07-14T18:43:43Z")
Allowing pot smoking in areas where cigarette smoking has been banned? This is a non-starter for me. Pot should be disallowed in any place that cigarette smoking is banned, it is just fair treatment allowance for people who do not like either kind of smoke. Restaurants, bars, public parks and buildings, no smoking means no smoking. Now there are designated cigar bars in Oregon where you know what you are getting into. Do not like cigar smoke, don’t go to a cigar bar. Want to enjoy your preference with like-minded connoisseurs, fine. I can see that the same sort of bars for pot would be a reasonable accommodation. All of the years it took to get tobacco smoke out of public places, well, we are not going to be going backwards by allowing pot while still prohibiting tobacco. Even vaping of nicotine products is highly discouraged in bars by the OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control) and is not allowed in the bars I frequent. A friend’s son from Ohio found this out the hard way when he tried to argue about the legalities of vaping. He was promptly '86’d and told not to come back. Pot/cigarettes in your home, car, private property, designated smoking establishment, fine with me. There should be no allowance for fouling the air in public places for either. This attempt at in-your-face pot smoking is very detrimental to the legalization cause. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/52 "2015-07-18T03:41:29Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I mean “marijuana should be legalized”, and “marijuana isn’t useful as medicine except in a few cases”, and “it is silly to pretend that most marijuana users want it for medicine”. > > Regards, > Shodan I completely agree with you, except … treating it as medicine seems to be exact silliness needed to stop legislators running for cover every time marijuana is mentioned. Sometimes you have to fight silliness with silliness I guess. As for the OP. We fought for many years to limit smoke in public places. I can’t see why we would want to go back for some other kind of smoke. ---
**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:** [July 19, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/53 "2015-07-19T12:39:21Z")
I’d be more comfortable with arguing that it’s needed for medicine if it weren’t for the fact that every news report that ran long enough eventually got around to interviewing some white kid with dreadlocks who said that once it was “legal” then anybody could get a “prescription” for their “constant pain”. Dude, if you want to get baked, then say so. Own it. ---
**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:** [July 19, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597/54 "2015-07-19T12:46:02Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I’d be more comfortable with arguing that it’s needed for medicine if it weren’t for the fact that every news report that ran long enough eventually got around to interviewing some white kid with dreadlocks who said that once it was “legal” then anybody could get a “prescription” for their “constant pain”. I was watching some Canadian border patrol show once, and they took some 20 year old white dude’s “medicinal” pot. He made sure, when explaining himself to the camera, to say “medicine” about 20 times in the span of 10 seconds. He can’t believe they took his medicine, because it’s medicine that he has a medical prescription for, and now he’ll have to get more medicine when he gets home, and it’s terrible that he can’t have his medicine on his trip. Yeah right. Although the medicine scam is better than putting people in jail, I guess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-weed-smoking-in-denver-rocking-the-boat/724597.md?page=2)