Stoned: How Colorado's 5 Years of Legal Pot Is 'Devastating Communities'

CBN News ^ | 11-21-2017 | Dale Hurd

[fwdude]

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Colorado's legalization of the commercial marijuana trade, and the reviews aren't good.

An editorial in the Colorado Springs Gazette reports, "Five years of retail pot coincide with five years of a homelessness growth rate that ranks among the highest rates in the country. Directors of homeless shelters, and people who live on the streets, tell us homeless substance abusers migrate here for easy access to pot."

The paper says, "Five years of Big Marijuana ushered in a doubling in the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for marijuana, based on research by the pro-legalization Denver Post. Five years of commercial pot have been five years of more marijuana in schools than teachers and administrators ever feared."

[morphing libertarian]

Freedom

[Responsibility2nd]

As we look at current pros and cons between pot and alcohol; we see a definite need for restricting and making this dangerous drug illegal again.

I, of course, refer to alcohol. It’s far more detrimental to society than pot.

[Wolfie]

Of the items in your scenarios, only revenue...tax and profit...matters. Capitalism rocks.

[so_real]

Bingo. Colorado is the canary in the coal mine. We need 50 independent experiments for this reason. (Which is why unifying departments, like the Department of Education, are just plain wrong for the U.S.A)

[Teacher317]

homeless substance abusers migrate here for easy access to pot."

So... it isn't creating homeless substance abusers, it is merely attracting them... which means that the numbers for every other location are dwindling. Yet another benefit of legal pot.

Further, if they are switching from harder drugs to pot, because it is legal, this is a truly massive benefit in the War on Drugs. Yet another benefit of legal pot.

[Responsibility2nd]

Yes. Colorado was the guinea pig. Now other states can look at what happened there and say; “No Thanks”.

Although I am for limited measures of decriminalization - it should be obvious to even a stoner - Open legalization is a disaster.

[Teacher317]

And the source cited in the article by the social conservative outlet with a pre-formed opinion to justify?? Yeah... it’s an EDITORIAL. Not an analysis of crime reports, not a set of statistics, not a long-term study... no, it is an OPINION piece. Pathetic.

[Uversabound]

Open legalization is a disaster.
I knew it!

[stylin19a]

How Colorado's 5 Years of Legal Pot Is 'Devastating Communities'

crisis...constantly no cereal on any grocery shelves.

[Newbomb Turk]

Check out todays FOX News article on Portland Oregon. Its so bad, Columbia Sportswear is thinking of moving their corporate offices because of all the homeless people camping on their doorstep, threating employees, defecating on the sidewalk, breaking into parked cars.

Other businesses have already called it done and closed up shop there.

[SaxxonWoods]

And here on the western slope of Colorado, I’d never know it was legal.

[fatez]

Well it is soon to be legal in Cali and I am hoping the weather takes them out to my very liberal relatives...

[Truthoverpower]

Smoking grass is silly Eat the chocolate 🍫;) Only ONE piece though ! Hee hee

[simon says what]

I know the libs (ertarians) will soon be along to deny these reports, but it is what it is.

Marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol. If you support the legalized sale of alcohol, libertarian or not, you have no grounds to criminalize marijuana.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I know the libs (ertarians) will soon be along to deny these reports, but it is what it is.

---

These marijuana threads tend to attract comments in two major categories. One is the libertarian opinion, that marijuana should be legal, based on people’s own personal responsibility and personal desires whether or not to use pot.

The other is that marijuana use can be dangerous, that it was made illegal for a reason, and that legalization/commercialization gives a societal and government endorsement of drug use.

And then people argue back and forth, with libertarian types saying they have the right to use any substance they want, and nanny staters have no right to restrict them. Then others say that marijuana use/abuse imposes great social costs on all of us, and thus such use should not be legal for those reasons.

[Teacher317]

Yes. Colorado was the guinea pig. Now other states can look at what happened there and say; “No Thanks”.

You might want to look at the recent election results... more states are saying "yes", every cycle.

[Ouderkirk]

I see Colorado as the canary in the coal mine.

Agreed, a necessary step to end the discussion one way or the another.

[Fungi]

What did they expect? People who live their life around delta 9-THC leave room for little else other than getting stoned.

[HereInTheHeartland]

Saw it first hand in Manitou Springs next door to Colorado Springs

[JoSixChip]

I live in Fort Collins Colorado. Though I do not use pot, I have seen no real evidence of deterioration since it’s legalization. I was very frustrated when we had medical marijuana laws where anyone could get a prescription for any reason. In other words it was all a lie, medical marijuana is no different then recreational. But at least recreational is what it says it is.