Marijuana Is Now a Retail Product in America — Why It's Going to Stay that Way

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/marijuana-now-retail-product-america-why-its-going-stay-way



Tens of thousands of people throughout the nation today will buy cannabis. The difference is that in Colorado, these transactions will be legal, regulated and taxed. The product will be of known quality and potency, and the cannabis seller will not be a blackmarket dealer, but rather a paid employee of a licensed business explicitly authorized to engage in such transactions. Finally, the profits from these transactions will bring fiscal benefits to the local community, not the blackmarket economy.

Such is the new commonsense reality in Colorado, where for the first time in modern history, a US state is regulating cannabis as a legal commodity to anyone age 21 or older. Beginning on the first day of the new year, dozens of state and locally licensed cannabis retailers opened for business, engaging in hundreds of thousands of dollars of state-authorized cannabis sales. Colorado’s retail rollout was front-page news both nationally and internationally—and with good reason.

Day 1 of cannabis sales went off largely without a hitch, with even ardent opponents of the policy conceding that the event marked a “milestone” rather than a nadir for marijuana policy—and it generated an estimated quarter of a million dollars in state tax revenue. As Green Wednesday quickly morphed into just another typical Thursday, the media continued to report that, by and large, there was little to report. Forty-eight hours into the era of legal pot sales, it appeared that most everyone, from the consumer to the seller, was satisfied with the past days’ events.

And why wouldn’t they be? In recent weeks, state regulators have licensed hundreds of businesses to engage in various aspects of cannabis commerce, from the plant’s commercial cultivation and retail sale to the production and testing of cannabis-infused products. Dozens of those facilities were open for business on January 1 and dozens more expect to open their doors in the weeks to come. In short, the genie is out of the bottle and it isn’t going back in.

[gtar100]

1. But can you go into a store and buy anonymously?

Or are they keeping records of who buys what. Just curious. I'm waiting for large corporations to start making policies that will get one fired for buying marijuana even if it is legal in the state. Or will they treat it like alcohol which is far more debilitating.

[Niceguy1]

3. safety sensitive positions

Will remain subject to random testing...I don't ever see that changing anytime soon. That is federally mandated

[MrMickeysMom]

5. I'm wondering where the market will go for "cleansing" or "detox" products, based on this...

Vacation a la ski resort, including a Jack and Coke at the bar… or Pineapple Express toke in front of the fireplace… and now, it's back to the real world. Let's say you're randomly tested upon return to your home state where MJ is not legal.

There's a market for detox products right there, I suppose.

[Ohio Joe]

9. Yes, they are...

I've seen them for sale at convenience stores in my area. They are easy to find.

[B Calm]

4. I see random drug testing by companies to be challenged in court!

I think it is already against the law, but no one has challenged it!

[Ohio Joe]

8. You do show ID to buy it...

But it was no different then buying alcohol... A store employee looked at it to verify you are of age.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024261025

[Feral Child]

2. K&R n/t

[MrYikes]

6. Do you want your child's school bus driver high on this?

The answer is of course no you don't, therefore testing should take place for certain jobs, but maybe not so much for a librarian. In fact I think I'd like it if the librarian was high.

[Ohio Joe]

10. Do you want your childs school bus driver drunk?

There is no difference.

[TheKentuckian]

11. Nobody wants the bus driver high on the job, like we don't want them drunk

Off duty the driver should be able to blaze one up just like they can throw one back.

The testing is for use not intoxication and impairment, which are the actual concerns. The concern is valid but dealt with stupidly and then used to justify branching out to complete non issues stupidly dealt with.

If my tech support rep is getting baked while they are helping me then fuck if I care or as you say the librarian, in those cases testing of any sort should be prohibited entirely as unreasonable search. For those in actual safety sensitive positions, it must be limited to actual intoxication and impairment just like booze.

What you do on your time is up to you.

[central scrutinizer]

7. I wonder what will the Costco wholesale package/price be?

Will it be sold next to the Cheetos and Doritos?