- Marijuana is becoming more mainstream: more than 20 states have legalized it in some form, and several others are mulling relaxing their pot laws. Many public-health experts speculate that if marijuana becomes a substitute for alcohol, this shift may have a positive overall influence on the health of American adults. But many of these same experts worry that the blaze of decriminalization will harm young people, who suffer disproportionately from pot’s ill effects. Is there a way to let adults toke while keeping marijuana out of the hands of high-schoolers?
This is one of the most naive things I've seen in a while. Growing up we could always get marijuana (and a few other things). The people who sold it were already operation outside of the law, they were fine with selling to kids. Alcohol was much harder to get. We had to twist the arm of a friend older sibling or coworker to convince them to hook us up or steal from our parents. These people weren't depending on the income from booze sales to make their rent, it was a hassle for them where as the weed dealer was just doing what they were doing all the time. Legalize weed and even if the price comes down a bit there will still be less people working to actively get it into young peoples hands.
I smoke very infrequently and rarely buy my own, let alone stash it or keep it at home. One time though, somebody gave me a number and told me to call 'Smooth.' Smooth was the shit. There was a minimum buy-in of $40 and he would drive his clean, well-kept car to meet you anywhere and do the exchange. He was a regular guy, sharp-looking and clean-shaven, with a touch of that almost-too-much loving stoner friendliness. that was his full time job dude. did it like a pro, in and out no bullshit and a smile on his face. Local street price of $20 for a dub. To get drinks, people went in with fake IDs and had to add 5 to 10 bucks on the price of the bottle for the cashier to sell it, and it wasn't uncommon for them to get busted, or for cops to catch 'em in the act and shut down the store too. Dealing weed illegally is so much more simpler than dealing alcohol illegally; I don't know if legalizing and pricing correctly will change anything or hurt the streamlined and perfect business of people like Smooth.
I agree with everything you wrote, I had the same experience growing up. Weed was a phone call and short car ride away, whereas we had to camp out in front of a liquor store with one of our cute girl friends and have her ask lonely looking older guys to buy for us. One time she asked a "riders in recovery" guy to buy for us. That didn't go over too well.
Perhaps, but it's a delicate balance. There was a bestof last month about the effect of medical, and in turn, recreation legalisation on the underground market in Colorado. To summarise, recreational shop prices are already pretty high. However, their great standards and reliability made them popular. Everyone has their stories of having to wait hours for replies from a dealer, only to be turned down or receive a poor deal of poor product. So the illegal market took a hit, but it actually made it stronger. The low quality dealers moved on, but the good dealers strengthened. They got better strains, became more reliable, less shady, improved in every way. Now this is where the high recreational prices come in. After the buzz died away of being able to buy legally, people noticed the price. Because of taxes and regulations, the home-growers are now able to noticeably underprice the shops whilst still having mostly equal quality product. So the market shrunk, but became better in the process. So the underage experimenters can still access Cannabis if they want to, and it's better product and cheaper.
Look people, you can't keep it out or high school kids' hands if they want it (I first saw weed in 8th grade, but didn't partake). Adults, whatever, you've been drinking yourselves to a slow death legally for years, and tobacco...what about the shit in diet coke. You need to ask what is being regulated. Peoples' behavior is the problem, but please don't blame pot for that. I agree with legalizing the green and making it expensive, just like the other things that people like and may not be good for them. disclaimer: if you grow it yourself, it should be legal too. I don't see anyone growing tobacco though.
Dude, getting high is already cheaper than getting drunk - if you cut the price of a g or an 1/8 over how many smokes you get out of it. The upfront investment for a quantity of marijuana is greater but it's not like you smoke an eighth in a sitting. (This works better with an 1/8 than a g, but think about it - $10 bucks for about 2 bowlpacks if we're talking a dimebag - that's going to get your average smoker high, maybe even high twice, and your non-average smoker is not going to be buying dimebags.)Even if prices don’t fall that far, in many states, getting high could become cheaper than getting drunk.