# Will marijuana be legalized this fall? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 1, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429 "2012-10-01T22:00:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/81 "2012-10-22T21:05:19Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I have been hearing this little “factoid” for decades, always by people that don’t even begin to have the inking of a clue. I assure you that Philip Morris isn’t going to get into the marijuana business, precisely because it is a weed. Given that it’s a weed, anyone can do it. Tobacco growing is hard, marijuana is easy. Philip Morris isn’t growing fennel and they aren’t going to start with pot. I would like to see some discussion on this. I’ve always assumed (I know, I know) that if marijuana were legal that I would be able to buy it all rolled up for me just like cigarettes. One of my biggest problems with marijuana is I always get something different from it.\* One time I was so hungry that I ate until my stomach hurt but was still hungry. Another time I just giggled like an idiot at a sitcom that was surely not as funny as it seemed at the time. Other times I’ve gotten paranoid. I’d like to know exactly what I’m getting. So, would Phillip Morris or other tobacco companies (that already have the tools to roll and package them) get into the business? And I can start another thread if y’all think that this question deserves it. \*(The other is that I don’t know how to roll a joint). ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/82 "2012-10-23T11:10:45Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > I would like to see some discussion on this. I’ve always assumed (I know, I know) that if marijuana were legal that I would be able to buy it all rolled up for me just like cigarettes. One of my biggest problems with marijuana is I always get something different from it. Hm, let me take a whack at this. Weed chemistry is interesting, it is not just THC, there is a suite of chemicals present in various proportions - there are 3 rough types of weed, sativa, indica and ruderalis [the low thc industrial strain]. Ignoring ruderalis, you choose between sativa and indica depending on whether you prefer the sedative properties of indica or the more intellectual exciting effect of sativa. There are crossbreeds that can tweak towards one end of the spectrum or the other. I prefer indica for the more sedative and pain reducing properties, my brother prefers sativa for the less stony and more intoxication effects. If you are buying from the average street dealer who doesn’t really care what subspecies he gets and sells more as generic weed you will get random effects from your weed. If you buy from someone who notices and cares what they are selling, and can sell you either indica or sativa then you can get more standardized effects. [or you can buy and grow specific types of weed, but that is illegal.] ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/83 "2012-10-24T03:53:27Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Guess it’s time for a “Smokey and the Bandit” remake. But in this one, which one is Smokey, and which one is the Bandit? ---
**Author:** ![humblebumble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@humblebumble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/humblebumble)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/84 "2012-10-24T03:55:42Z")
Not this again. Who cares? “Oh no, they won’t let me smoke weed. They are evil.” Ugh. Just don’t smoke. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/85 "2012-10-25T04:23:14Z")
Arkansas, yes, Arkansas, has it on the ballot, too. I voted for it. > [@humblebumble](#): > > Not this again. Who cares? > > “Oh no, they won’t let me smoke weed. They are evil.” > > Ugh. Just don’t smoke. People who care about other people and are capable of actually thinking about it. Something of which your post seems to show a large lack. Seriously, actually show some thought about it if you’re going to post about it here. This isn’t Yahoo Answers. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/86 "2012-10-28T06:03:47Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > No it’s not legal and I’m not just picking nits. If it were legal anywhere in the US or in the Netherlands, Philip Morris would enter the business and the price would crash to that of hay. Hemp _is_ a weed after all. Why do people think that Philip-Morris or any other large tobacco corporation would swoop in all of a sudden and start growing marijuana and producing pot products if marijuana was legalized? I have never understood this at all. If pot was legalized in the USA it is not too great a leap to expect we would see marijuana sold in much the way it is now sold in the Netherlands and in the U.S. states where medicinal marijuana is currently legal. In neither of those situations has “big tobacco” entered the picture in the slightest (AFAIK). Where does this idea come from? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/87 "2012-10-28T13:06:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > This isn’t Yahoo Answers. Yet. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/88 "2012-11-02T21:58:01Z")
Any Colorado Dopers (or SDMB Members-;)) know if Prop 64 does indeed pass, how soon after next Tuesday could a 21 year-old walk into a dispensary and openly, legally buy themselves an ounce of marijuana? Is there a waiting period of any kind (like maybe while it’s challenged in the courts) or if the Prop. passes does it legally go into effect immediately? Do you think that all Medical Marijuana outlets will throw open their doors to the general public ASAP or will they continue to only sell to Rx holders until they see what the Feds response is? (PSXer’s friend really wants to know) ---
**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:** [November 2, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/89 "2012-11-02T22:07:21Z")
I’ve looked into this a little (a friend wants me to partner with him in a business). Regulations have to be written no later than July 1 of 2013, then you would have to apply for a licence, get approved, and open a shop. My guess is that it would be a year from next Tuesday before the first shop opens. That’s assuming the Feds don’t sue the state. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/90 "2012-11-02T22:16:29Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Any Colorado Dopers (or SDMB Members-;)) know if Prop 64 does indeed pass, how soon after next Tuesday could a 21 year-old walk into a dispensary and openly, legally buy themselves an ounce of marijuana? > > Is there a waiting period of any kind (like maybe while it’s challenged in the courts) or if the Prop. passes does it legally go into effect immediately? > > Do you think that all Medical Marijuana outlets will throw open their doors to the general public ASAP or will they continue to only sell to Rx holders until they see what the Feds response is? > > (PSXer’s friend really wants to know) Medical Marijuana laws and regulations remain unchanged. To purchase MMJ at a dispensary, you’ll need an MMJ registry card. I believe it will be at least a year for regulators to hash out how new MJ businesses are going to be handled. AFAIK, MMJ dispensaries can’t be anything else. They’ll have to wait a bit and see how it looks. They could all close down and reopen as new businesses. Maybe big out-of-state money will swoop in and monopolize the whole industry with its own mega pot farms. We really don’t know yet. ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/91 "2012-11-05T21:24:35Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Why do people think that Philip-Morris or any other large tobacco corporation would swoop in all of a sudden and start growing marijuana and producing pot products if marijuana was legalized? I have never understood this at all. > > If pot was legalized in the USA it is not too great a leap to expect we would see marijuana sold in much the way it is now sold in the Netherlands and in the U.S. states where medicinal marijuana is currently legal. In neither of those situations has “big tobacco” entered the picture in the slightest (AFAIK). > > Where does this idea come from? A.) This is how alcohol has been produced and sold since Prohibition ended. B.) They already have the machines to roll and box them up. C.) I suspect that the reason that they haven’t done it here yet is because it is currently a legal minefield. If it were completely legalized/decriminalized ala alcohol then they might decided that getting into the business was a good idea. I’m not saying that this will happen, I’m just answering the question “Where does this idea come from?” from my POV. ---
**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:** [November 5, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/92 "2012-11-05T21:45:59Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Why do people think that Philip-Morris or any other large tobacco corporation would swoop in all of a sudden and start growing marijuana and producing pot products if marijuana was legalized? I have never understood this at all. > > If pot was legalized in the USA it is not too great a leap to expect we would see marijuana sold in much the way it is now sold in the Netherlands and in the U.S. states where medicinal marijuana is currently legal. In neither of those situations has “big tobacco” entered the picture in the slightest (AFAIK). > > Where does this idea come from? Tobacco growers are faced with a mounting pile of evidence that they are growing & distributing a product that flat-out kills their customers, even when used properly. If marijuana is legalized, they may want to start shifting some of their production over to something that doesn’t kill people, in order to stay in business. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/93 "2012-11-06T01:10:50Z")
> [@Rucksinator](#): > > A.) This is how alcohol has been produced and sold since Prohibition ended. > B.) They already have the machines to roll and box them up. > C.) I suspect that the reason that they haven’t done it here yet is because it is currently a legal minefield. If it were completely legalized/decriminalized ala alcohol then they might decided that getting into the business was a good idea. > > I’m not saying that this will happen, I’m just answering the question “Where does this idea come from?” from my POV. Good news: a spliff the length and girth of cigarette will take a week to smoke and there’s twenty of them in a pack. Bad news: the pack costs a hundred bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/94 "2012-11-06T01:18:59Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Good news: a spliff the length and girth of cigarette will take a week to smoke and there’s twenty of them in a pack. > > Bad news: the pack costs a hundred bucks. 20 week supply for only $100? Where was the bad news again? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/95 "2012-11-06T03:46:25Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Any Colorado Dopers (or SDMB Members-;)) know if Prop 64 does indeed pass, how soon after next Tuesday could a 21 year-old walk into a dispensary and openly, legally buy themselves an ounce of marijuana? About half past never, since the DEA will shut the place down before it ever opens. The state of Colorado can’t nullify the Controlled Substances Act any more than Arizona can declare Obama is ineligible for the presidency. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2012, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/96 "2012-11-07T05:08:24Z")
Holy crap, do I have a decision to make. I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/97 "2012-11-07T05:36:47Z")
Cool! I can’t wait to hear the DEA’s reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/98 "2012-11-07T05:44:44Z")
It would appear that CO and WA have passed their initiatives. What happens next should be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/99 "2012-11-07T17:31:17Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It would appear that CO and WA have passed their initiatives. > > What happens next should be interesting. In the Chinese sense. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429/100 "2012-11-07T18:12:13Z")
State run “Smoke-Easies” “_Run! It’s the Feds!_” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-marijuana-be-legalized-this-fall/636429.md?page=6)