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10 Surprising Side Effects To Legalizing Marijuana
Listverse ^ | July 27th, 2018 | Mark Oliver

Posted on 07/28/2018 10:14:10 AM PDT by Mariner

We’re seeing an experiment in action. Over the past few years, more and more countries and states have been legalizing marijuana, and we’re finally getting to see what effect it really has.

There have been all kinds of predictions. The naysayers have been sure that legalizing pot will all but bring the world to its doom, with drug abuse and crime running rampant. And on the other side, pot advocates have all but suggested that it’ll usher in a new era of peace and prosperity, where mankind finally settles its differences over a toke.

Enough time has passed now, though, that we can pretty definitively say what really happened—and it’s not all what you might expect.

10 Car Crashes Go Up, But Fatalities Go Down

When you legalize weed, it seems, you replace a lot of your drunk drivers with high drivers. And that has some interesting side effects.

First off, legalizing marijuana definitely leads to more people smoking marijuana. In Colorado, adult marijuana use has gone up by 29 percent since it was legalized. But a lot of those people picking up joints are putting down beer bottles, especially before driving.

Drunk driving, in Washington state, has gone down nearly 33 percent since 2007. High driving has gone up about 50 percent—but its hard to get much meaning out of that, because marijuana stays in the bloodstream for weeks after the effects wear off.

(Excerpt) Read more at listverse.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cannabis; medicine; potheads
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To: Mariner

It’s going to be net positive. The main problem as I see it is places like California that refuse to enforce the law against anyone. Yes, legalize it, but keep it out of the hands of minors, educate people about the dangers, prohibit public consumption and advertising. In certain places in California, you can’t avoid the smoke wafting through public places, and minors are getting to it too easily.


21 posted on 07/28/2018 10:41:57 AM PDT by Behind the Blue Wall
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To: Behind the Blue Wall
In certain places in California, you can’t avoid the smoke wafting through public places, and minors are getting to it too easily.

Tell me, after about 30 years of government's BS war on drugs, costing tens of hundreds of billions while expanding the size and scope of government in every direction, when was it minors couldn't get pot?

22 posted on 07/28/2018 10:47:37 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Mariner

Stupidity never stops it just changes products once was.
Hold my beer
Now it’s watch this hold my joint.
Notice how many fat teens we have now.


23 posted on 07/28/2018 10:48:13 AM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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To: FatherofFive

“More money does NOT result in better schools. “

Witness Chicago, D.C. etc


24 posted on 07/28/2018 10:49:23 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: Mariner

Stoned people drive slower. I’m just sayin’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPlW2lkB2HM


25 posted on 07/28/2018 10:49:56 AM PDT by Captain Compassion (I'm just sayin')
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To: dragnet2

Totally agree, I just think that the first dibs on the revenue from legal pot should go towards doing a better job of keeping it away from minors as much as possible. In theory, to the extent that the market transitions from black market to legal, then it should get harder not easier for minors to get it.


26 posted on 07/28/2018 10:53:49 AM PDT by Behind the Blue Wall
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To: Mariner

Medical marijuana has been legal for several years in Michigan. There are many times more pot shops in my area of town than there are bars. I still see a lot of cars whose drivers drive stupidly or recklessly but I can’t say if there are more than there were pre-legalization.

One thing I have noticed, though, is young black men seem to act considerably more politely and are much less outwardly hostile (not so with young black women - they’re still mostly nasty). Cause and effect? No, not necessarily...just an observation.

Full legalization (i.e. including recreationally) will be a ballot proposal in November. It will likely pass. I have mixed feelings about it. Not sure yet how I’ll vote, but I like having a say in it.


27 posted on 07/28/2018 10:54:18 AM PDT by be-baw (still seeking...)
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To: TexasGator
"Car Crashes Go Up..."

Probably from rear enders where someone is going 5 mph on the interstate.


28 posted on 07/28/2018 10:55:45 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: RegulatorCountry
"Marijuana has no more negative societal impact than alcohol, perhaps it even has less."

Butt, but you just said.....ah never mind..

I suppose if you can live with the massive tent city's, the crime and don't mind walking in human dung to the top of your shoes then, what the hell.. I guess It's all part of the human experience… Maybe it's a good thing... The old joke about gathering flies comes to mind... :)

29 posted on 07/28/2018 10:56:07 AM PDT by unread (Joe McCarthy was right.......)
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To: Behind the Blue Wall
Totally agree, I just think that the first dibs on the revenue from legal pot should go towards doing a better job of keeping it away from minors as much as possible.

Again, after 30+ years of the BS war on drugs costing tens of hundreds of billions, while expanding government in every direction, minors could still readily get pot.

So what do you suggest?

30 posted on 07/28/2018 10:59:12 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Mariner

Consequences of legal MJ. More junk food consumed. More laziness, less productivity. Use of caffeine and energy drinks to wake back up again. Did I mention speed pills and meth to awaken the doped out pot head?! More visits to the illegal dope dealer to get downers to counter act the uppers. Alcohol to counter act the uppers. More MJ to counter act the uppers. More uppers to counter act the MJ. Crabbiness from too much chemistry. Burn out from too much chemistry. Meth addiction and theft from drug cycle craziness. Too much money spent on smoke and not spent on new shoes and new socks. Demand for socialism to purchase new socks and shoes.


31 posted on 07/28/2018 11:03:00 AM PDT by Trumpet 1 (US Constitution is my guide.)
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To: Trumpet 1

Except there’s no data to support your dire assertions.


32 posted on 07/28/2018 11:05:42 AM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Bonemaker
“More money does NOT result in better schools. Witness Chicago, D.C. etc “

So would you agree, the tens of hundreds of billions in tax dollars totally blown on government's failed war on drugs, all while expanding government in every direction, was a total failure?

33 posted on 07/28/2018 11:05:53 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: dragnet2

But of course.


34 posted on 07/28/2018 11:09:04 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: dragnet2

Well, for starters, we could have enforceable standards for retail across the country. The confusion in it has meant that in Los Angeles for example where I lived for 13 years, there were pot dispensaries commonly located across the street from high schools. Additionally, there ought to be a big cliff in punishment, likelihood of enforcement between legal for adults, illegal to provide it to minors.

I think you’re overstating it to say that it’s just always been available to minors. No, even where I grew up in northern California where pot is about as ubiquitous as anywhere, we didn’t have access to it in elementary school, barely in middle school, and it wasn’t automatic in high school. It’s all relative, but I do believe that the longer you can keep kids away from it as they hit their teens, the better for everyone.


35 posted on 07/28/2018 11:10:40 AM PDT by Behind the Blue Wall
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To: dragnet2

Eliminate funding for ICE and the wall, also?


36 posted on 07/28/2018 11:11:31 AM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: Bonemaker

You bet. If most people realized just how much the WOD epic con-job cost them over the decades, all while expanding government and taxes in every direction, they’d recoil.


37 posted on 07/28/2018 11:12:26 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Mariner

Being a child of the 60s, been there done that. I do not agree with legalizing recreational pot for the message that it sends to our young. It is not the benign drug that many believe, especially to those who are under age. As I have personally witnessed, most kids who subject themselves to it on a daily or similar daily basis will not develop mentally to their full potential. It makes them obtuse and lazy, proven fact. Yeah, without much effort kids can get it anywhere at anytime now, but when it is legalized, like I said, the message the kids get is that it must be harmless. Nothing could be further from the truth.


38 posted on 07/28/2018 11:13:22 AM PDT by drypowder
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To: Mariner
Public Schools Get Better

No. Public schools get more money, perhaps, but more money does not make them better.

39 posted on 07/28/2018 11:15:28 AM PDT by arthurus (|l|0||o|;|"|.|-|+)
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To: TexasGator

ICE and the wall?? That has zip to do with my comments.

But did notice ya walked right by the question. Instead of answering a question with a question like ya did, go ahead and respond to the question.


40 posted on 07/28/2018 11:15:50 AM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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