Trump says he's likely to support ending federal pot ban

[KingsGambit]

I've hated the smell ever since my dad took me to see the Allman Brothers in middle school.

[rogue06]

I'm not opposed to making it legal. I hope its treated like alcohol. I don't much care for the smell. Ever since it became decriminalized in Missouri you can smell it EVERYWHERE. Police aren't really inclined to do much about it unless they have another reason to write a citation because unless they see it being bought or sold they legally can't do anything about it anymore. Unless they catch a felon.

FWIU, being decriminalized doesn't mean you can smoke it in public. Considering how many police departments rigorously enforce public drinking laws and to a lesser extent prohibitions against smoking (tobacco) in public (I had a boss who was confronted during the 96 Olympics because he was smoking -- in a park), I have to wonder if they "legally can't do anything about it anymore."

[Cow Poke]

I've hated the smell ever since my dad took me to see the Allman Brothers in middle school.

When people ask me "what does it smell like", it's one of those "once you smell it, you'll never forget it, and will always know what it is" things.

Some of my high school buddies used to believe that by burning incense, they could mask the smell of the Dona Juana.

[rogue06]

When people ask me "what does it smell like", it's one of those "once you smell it, you'll never forget it, and will always know what it is" things.

Some of my high school buddies used to believe that by burning incense, they could mask the smell of the Dona Juana.

Meh. My mother never figured it out when I smoked it back in High School. She just assumed any burning smell was pot.

[KingsGambit]

When people ask me "what does it smell like", it's one of those "once you smell it, you'll never forget it, and will always know what it is" things.

Some of my high school buddies used to believe that by burning incense, they could mask the smell of the Dona Juana.

One thing I thought was silly was when I did dorm security in college, I wasn't allowed to report marijuana smell because it would be considered incriminating for me to know what it smelled like. (I've never touched it in my life but I know what it smells like.) I was only allowed to report a "suspicious smell" to senior staff who had been trained on what marijuana smells like by police, and by that point, the smell was always gone. I didn't understand how that would have incriminated anything as there was no physical evidence of me committing any crime.

[Cow Poke]

One thing I thought was silly was when I did dorm security in college, I wasn't allowed to report marijuana smell because it would be considered incriminating for me to know what it smelled like. (I've never touched it in my life but I know what it smells like.) I was only allowed to report a "suspicious smell" to senior staff who had been trained on what marijuana smells like by police, and by that point, the smell was always gone. I didn't understand how that would have incriminated anything as there was no physical evidence of me committing any crime.

Maybe they wanted the credit for the bust!

Seriously, yeah, that sounds dumb.

[rogue06]

One thing I thought was silly was when I did dorm security in college, I wasn't allowed to report marijuana smell because it would be considered incriminating for me to know what it smelled like. (I've never touched it in my life but I know what it smells like.) I was only allowed to report a "suspicious smell" to senior staff who had been trained on what marijuana smells like by police, and by that point, the smell was always gone. I didn't understand how that would have incriminated anything as there was no physical evidence of me committing any crime.

That sounds dumb. All you'd have to say is "my neighbor's smoke it" or "my brother/sister/cousin smoke it" and that's how I know what it smells like.

[TheWall]

Hojestly i think it should be legalized. Though honestly i think hemp has far more capabilities. Hemp is good for producing ripe fabric and paper.

[KingsGambit]

The only other issue I can remember seeing public opinion shift so rapidly on is same sex marriage.

[Terraceth]

I don't see marijuana as any different from alcohol and tobacco. I think it should be treated as they are.

Marijuana may actually be safer than tobacco and alcohol.

[Starlight]

Marijuana may actually be safer than tobacco and alcohol.

I don't think there's much 'may' about it. I don't think I've ever seen any expert opinion that thinks it's as harmful as those.

If alcohol and tobacco are truly to the be the standard of harm that is legal, there are all sorts of other substances that should be legalized...

(from here)

I would love to see drug policy actually be evidenced-based and harm-based, as opposed to a matter of politics (and big-pharma buying politicians).

[Starlight]

Also a lot of the lighter drugs seem to be good gateway drugs out of the more harmful ones. So people who have issues with alcohol or heroin or tobacco seem to often be able to use the lighter drugs like marijuana or kratom or mushrooms to transition off the hard drugs.

[rogue06]

I don't think there's much 'may' about it. I don't think I've ever seen any expert opinion that thinks it's as harmful as those.

If alcohol and tobacco are truly to the be the standard of harm that is legal, there are all sorts of other substances that should be legalized...https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...est-mysteries/

That of course could have a lot to do with the fact that a lot more tobacco and alcohol are consumed than is pot. If pot were consumed as much as they are I'm not so sure this would be true.

[rogue06]

The only other issue I can remember seeing public opinion shift so rapidly on is same sex marriage.

It appears that most of the shift has been among Republicans.

[Starlight]

That of course could have a lot to do with the fact that a lot more tobacco and alcohol are consumed than is pot. If pot were consumed as much as they are I'm not so sure this would be true.

The expert analyses of level of harmfulness have to do with the substance itself, not the levels it happens to currently be used by society. Increased use of pot isn't going to make the drug itself more harmful.


Also, one feature of chart from the Lancet that I posted that I find quite interesting is: Alcohol is the only recreational drug they list that poses more harm to others (mostly via drunk-driving I imagine) than it does to the user.

As a strong believer in personal freedom, I think if someone in full knowledge and education of what they are doing, chooses to ingest a substance that it harmful to them, they should be able to, because freedom.

But once the substances they are ingesting cause harm to others, it is a matter for the government to draw a line and step in to protect others in the society from their anti-social actions. With those drugs that (a) aren't very harmful to others, and (b) are much more harmful to the user themselves than to others, I am not all that concerned because of the low harm to others and at least the person is not inflicting on others a risk that they aren't taking themselves. But with alcohol, it's really disturbing (1) that the harm to others is so high in absolute terms, and (2) that the harm to others is higher than the harm to self, so the person is not themselves experiencing the same level of risk as a result of their choices that they are inflicting on others.

So, just looking at that chart, makes me think the government should really try to get people off the incredibly dangerous drug of alcohol. Obviously history teaches that "prohibition" as a policy doesn't work. But perhaps there are others methods applicable in the modern era? e.g. encouraging the use of less dangerous drugs instead? High taxes on alcohol? etc.