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Executives Who Inhale
New York Business ^ | July 25, 2005 | Matthew Flamm

Posted on 07/25/2005 5:01:43 PM PDT by Wolfie

Executives Who Inhale

New York -- Some New York executives unwind in the evening with a glass of wine. Others go out for a beer. And some take the edge off in a way they rarely discuss with their colleagues. Particularly in the summer, when children are at camp, these Gothamites are kicking back in a fashion reminiscent of their college days. "When my son's away, I keep my bong and my bag out on the dining room table," says Jim, co-owner of a furniture manufacturing company, who, like every other pot smoker interviewed in this article, asked not to be identified. "It makes me feel young again.

Despite the ongoing war on drugs and the stigma surrounding any illegal activity, a certain portion of the New York business community never turned in its rolling papers. For many of these otherwise law-abiding citizens, taking a few tokes of their favorite illicit substance is simply their preferred way to decompress. Though they might conceal their after-hours smoking from their co-workers, they insist that, used in moderation, the evil weed doesn't have to hurt job performance.

"It's an asset to the conceptualizing part of the business," Jim says. "It's a liability to the implementation part."

Among New York professionals, smokers tend to be discreet, even when children aren't in the picture. There's too much to lose from being typecast as a stoner. After all, Cheech and Chong--the pothead comedians of the 1970s--weren't exactly known for productivity.

"It's not something I would discuss with clients, even if they brought the subject up," says Sam, who has his own architecture firm. "And I only smoke with close friends."

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But statistics suggest that some of those clients are probably indulging as well. According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, 97 million Americans have smoked marijuana at least once, and it is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States.

In the marijuana underground, New York has a reputation not only for widespread use but for the buying habits of its upscale users. City dwellers fork over as much as $600 an ounce for top-quality product, while dealers brag about selling strains grown from winners of the Amsterdam Cannabis Cup.

The city is also famous for its efficient delivery services.

"It's the only place in the country where you can get cannabis delivered, uptown and downtown, faster than pizza or Chinese food," says Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, based in Washington.

New York is also known for strict enforcement of laws against marijuana. Under the Giuliani administration, marijuana-related arrests peaked in 2000 at about 74,000; about 90% of those busts were for possession.

Arrests for grass have dropped by more than half under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to about 34,000 last year--a number that still makes the city among the national leaders in marijuana arrests per capita, according to NORML.

Though there is disagreement about government policy, even critics of the laws warn that heavy pot use can stunt ambition and accomplishment, as well as destroy personal relationships.

Growing Use

"Marijuana is the most difficult drug to get people to give up, because it allows them to keep functioning," says Andrew Park, a Manhattan psychotherapist who specializes in addiction. "You can't see the damage to a person's life that you would if they were smoking crack or shooting dope."

But neither the law nor the dangers of abuse have dampened the nation's appetite for cannabis: the government's survey recorded 15 million current users in 2003, compared with 10 million in 1995.

"Alcohol dulls everything," says Abe, a litigator at a Manhattan law firm who says he would rather toke than imbibe. "Pot sharpens certain things, like creativity."

Marijuana is also the one illicit substance that appears to enjoy widespread appeal across social and economic lines.

"Lawyers, accountants, actors, cooks ... I deal with people across the board," says Jason, who has been selling marijuana full time in New York since 1996. "From people living in hellholes who can't really afford it, to people whose secretaries I have to talk to before I can talk to them."

But longtime aficionados find that, just like the sports they played in college, the drug is something they can no longer partake of as often as they did when they were young.

"The lifestyle changed when I had kids," says Bill, who manages a short-term apartment complex in midtown Manhattan and smokes only on those rare occasions when his children are not around. "Yet I still have a roach, wrapped in aluminum foil, in the back of my sock drawer."


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: anslingerslegacy; bongbrigade; jackbootedthugs; lawbreakers; potheads; weaklings; wodlist
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To: AppyPappy

"I'm not sure the government is capable of regulating marijuana as it wants."

They sure as heck aren't regulating it now. They have zero control over it. All they are accomplishing now is seizing a couple of thousand tons a year and locking lots of people up at considerable expense to us taxpayers. Even seizing all they seize the last government estimate was that between 12,000 and 25,000 metric tons of marijuana were available on the market in 2002 as opposed to 10,000 to 24,000 that was on the market in the U.S. 2001. They're just throwing money away trying to stop this massive industry. Any control over it through regulation would be a lot more control than they have now.


81 posted on 07/26/2005 2:40:10 PM PDT by TKDietz
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To: TKDietz

yeah, and the wine Jesus drank was non alcoholic, because they had the ability to make such wine......


82 posted on 07/26/2005 2:40:15 PM PDT by vin-one (REMEMBER the WTC !!!!!!!!)
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To: Uriah
Attending all the meetings I see

Nope, never been to one. You?

83 posted on 07/26/2005 2:45:27 PM PDT by Dark Skies ("The sleeper must awaken!")
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To: TKDietz

I certainly wouldn't advocate smoking dope to anyone, but sending people to jail for having an ounce or less of the stuff is absurd.


84 posted on 07/26/2005 2:59:34 PM PDT by somemoreequalthanothers
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To: AppyPappy

"With tobacco being slowly outlawed, there is probably no chance of that happening."

I think it will happen within twenty years, maybe a little sooner, or it might take a little longer (but not much). People are eventually going to get tired of blowing all the money fighting a losing battle that causes more problems than it solves. Moreover, the older folks who are most terrified of pot are dying off and being replaced by people who have more likely than not at least tried the stuff. Most American adults under 55 have smoked marijuana. According to government surveys only something like 7% of those 65 and older have tried pot (at least by the last survey in 2003, the percentage should be a little higher now.) The percentage who have smoked it drops off sharply as people age past around 55.

Along with a growing frustration over our marijuana laws in the future, what we are going to see is that more of the senior politicians, judges, and the older class of citizens who tend to out vote younger people by a substantial margin will be people likely to have smoked pot before themselves and not as likely to have unrealistic overblown notions about how terrible the stuff is. As it is the percentage of Americans who think marijuana should be regulated and controlled similar to the way alcohol is controlled has grown to somewhere between one third and a little over 40%, depending on which surveys you look at. Regardless of which surveys you look at, if you look at results from previous years it is clear that support for treating marijuana similar to the way we treat alcohol is growing. I believe that trend will continue. My guess is that in the future politicians will not be so afraid to discuss changing the marijuana laws. Voters, especially the older set that actually vote, will be far less likely to penalize politicians that want practical workable marijuana laws. It's only a matter of time before people say enough is enough and change the laws.


85 posted on 07/26/2005 3:17:10 PM PDT by TKDietz
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To: vin-one

"yeah, and the wine Jesus drank was non alcoholic, because they had the ability to make such wine......"

What? I don't get you point.


86 posted on 07/26/2005 3:20:24 PM PDT by TKDietz
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To: somemoreequalthanothers
"I certainly wouldn't advocate smoking dope to anyone, but sending people to jail for having an ounce or less of the stuff is absurd."

I think it's pretty absurd to send them to jail for having any amount. It doesn't do us a bit of good. Even locking up pot dealers is pointless because the people who would have bought it from them just end up getting it from someone else. We are wasting our time and money. Pot is here to stay and we can't change that. It's not even worth it to keep trying. Pot isn't that big of a deal. It's not weapons or mass destruction, not heroin or meth. It's just a mildly harmful drug that can be a big waste of time if people smoke it all the time. It's no worse than alcohol.

I say it needs to be legalized. I'm tired of us sending all these people to prison like we do in my county. We get plenty of marijuana mules here carrying big loads they don't own themselves and send them to prison for a long time like they are major drug kingpins. If it was legal the guys hauling pot would be like the guys driving the Budweiser trucks. People working in the industry or regulating it will be tax paying law abiding citizens for the most part instead of a bunch of criminals and young people fooling around whose lives will be ruined if they are caught. Instead of wasting all this money fighting a losing battle that causes more problems than it solves the government could be raising revenues. I'm really frustrated watching this whole stupid thing unfold day in and day out in my job as public defender.

And regardless of what some people say, people do go to jail all the time for having less than an ounce of pot. Where I live they'll go to jail and have to bond out. If it is a first offense at least in my county they won't be sentenced to any additional jail time. For a second offense, even for a couple of joints, they might actually get a prison sentence. One county over from where I live the prosecutor will not ever give a suspended sentence offer on a second offense for simple possession of marijuana. It's always a prison offer. In some counties in my state everyone gets some jail time for a first offense. Then there are some counties where it's generally just a fine but the plea agreement is structured such that the conviction won't go on people's records. The laws vary considerably from state to state and the way they are enforced varies considerably from county to county, city to city, prosecutor to prosecutor, day to day. It's willy nilly the way it works out, and frustrating as hell.
87 posted on 07/26/2005 3:47:16 PM PDT by TKDietz
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To: Servant of the 9
Do you really think drugs like meth, coke, and heroin are cheaper than pot? Personally, I doubt many people even in New York City are actually paying anywhere close to $600 an ounce. People with more money than sense might pay that, but my guess is that most who smoke pot there pay considerably less, and even if some are paying $600 an ounce, I doubt very seriously that they are spending more on their pot habit than they would on a meth, coke, or heroin habit. At $600 an ounce, it better be one or two hit stuff or not even idiots with more money than sense would by it. Most people paying that much probably have good jobs and they smoke a couple of hits in the evenings. Even at $600 an ounce a hit or two would only cost somewhere around $2 to $5. That's still cheaper than having a couple of cocktails in a bar. People paying maybe $60 or $80 an ounce for pretty strong Mexican like they do around here for the most part are only paying pennies for a buzz, less than they would from a buzz from "Old Milwaukee" bought by the case.
88 posted on 07/26/2005 4:14:35 PM PDT by TKDietz
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To: dhs12345

I bet those corporate-turned 60's hippies are a helluva lot easier to work for than your typical CEOs. I'd LOVE to burn one w/ my boss! I think it's absolutely WONDERFUL that more & more folks are beginnin' to speak up & say that they emjoy smoking marijuana.


89 posted on 07/26/2005 5:37:35 PM PDT by libertyman (It's time to make marijuana legal AGAIN!!!)
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To: RichInOC
[gives the thumbs up]

...& says, "Helllll yeah!"

90 posted on 07/26/2005 5:41:02 PM PDT by libertyman (It's time to make marijuana legal AGAIN!!!)
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To: DumpsterDiver

I agree w/ u wholeheartedly...I love the fragrance of pot, both smoked & unsmoked. The taste, look, high, & smell of the various varieties are incredible!


91 posted on 07/26/2005 5:47:15 PM PDT by libertyman (It's time to make marijuana legal AGAIN!!!)
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To: spanalot
...& I think it was George Washington who said, "Remember the Indian hemp seed...sow it everywhere".
92 posted on 07/26/2005 5:52:56 PM PDT by libertyman (It's time to make marijuana legal AGAIN!!!)
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To: Wolfie

Hey, ya' takes your chances.


93 posted on 07/26/2005 6:33:51 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: TKDietz
"People are eventually going to get tired of blowing all the money fighting a losing battle that causes more problems than it solves."

Call me pessimistic, but I think they'd bankrupt the country to keep the WOD afloat.

94 posted on 07/27/2005 7:06:11 AM PDT by sweet_diane ("Will I dance for you Jesus? Or in awe of You be still? I can only imagine..I can only imagine.")
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To: sweet_diane
I don't think so. First, while the War on Drugs is an expensive endeavor showing little or no returns, it's not so expensive that it is likely to bankrupt the country. Also, when the economy goes sour people really tend to notice wasteful programs like those that are part of the WOD. Look at what happened with alcohol prohibition. It didn't end until the economy went sour. That helped frustration swell over all the money that was being wasted on a program that didn't work and it made people really start looking at revenues that could be raised through taxing all the alcohol that was already being sold whether it was legal or not. I wouldn't be surprised if similar condition exists when marijuana is finally legalized.

I doubt very seriously though that we'll ever see drugs like meth and heroin legalized and in fact I would be strongly against that. These drugs are just too addictive and too prone to causing problems for innocent people. It is clear that the overwhelming majority share my opinion on this and while support may grow to legalize even these drugs I don't think there will ever be anywhere close to a majority pushing for it so I don't think it will ever happen. I wouldn't be surprised to see changes made in the laws to save money that reflect an attitude that we'll never be able to completely eradicate these drugs or get all of the hardcore addicts off of them, but I don't believe we'll ever see these drugs regulated like alcohol as I am confident marijuana will someday be.
95 posted on 07/27/2005 9:47:22 AM PDT by TKDietz
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To: Abram; AlexandriaDuke; Annie03; Baby Bear; bassmaner; Bernard; BJClinton; BlackbirdSST; ...
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
96 posted on 07/27/2005 10:32:39 AM PDT by freepatriot32 (I WONDERED WHY THE FRISBEE WAS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER... THEN IT HIT ME)
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To: Wolfie
"It's the only place in the country where you can get cannabis delivered, uptown and downtown, faster than pizza or Chinese food," says Allen St. Pierre

St. Pierre has obviously never been to San Francisco.

97 posted on 07/27/2005 10:36:30 AM PDT by GSWarrior
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To: Dinsdale
No puritans come to mind

John Bunyan comes to mind.

98 posted on 07/27/2005 10:53:12 AM PDT by Bear_Slayer (DOC - 81mm Mortars, Wpns Co. 2/3 KMCAS 86-89)
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To: libertyman
True. But it is interesting that they are working for the "establishment", now. When they were highly (no pun intended) critical of the "establishment" back then.

Maybe reality hit -- sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and living on a commune will only get you so far.

They are "the man", now.
99 posted on 07/27/2005 11:05:58 AM PDT by dhs12345 (w)
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To: Bear_Slayer
John Bunyan comes to mind.

I was looking for great authors. Not terrible ones.

Pilgrams progress, a great book, LOL.

100 posted on 07/27/2005 11:09:53 AM PDT by Dinsdale
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