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Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

nytimes.com

21–30 of 194 posts

Re: Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

#21
post #19

>> "“This is our dream,” said Kirstin Knouse, 24, who flew here from Chicago with her husband, Tristan, to take their first-ever marijuana vacation." And there's some people already ruining it. I believe Amsterdam had this same problem. Drug tourism is not something cities want for many obvious reasons.

Actually, this is the opposite of ruining it. Cities love to have tourists come, spend money, use hotels, etc

Yes but people who come explicitly for the drugs don't tend to be the best tourists. While not everyone will cause trouble there will undoubtedly be a few. It just depends on whether the towns are happy to put up with a few stoned idiots roaming the streets causing trouble for the extra money it brings in from the people not causing trouble.

Re: Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

#23
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well it's a little different than guns. (Old man voice) "They don't grow on trees, you know!" If it's couched in terms of black/white:pass/fail for keeping it out of other states then it's doomed to fail and the DOJ will come down hard. But Colorado shouldn't be in charge of watching the movement of stuff that's legal to own and sell inside it's jurisdiction. It's duty is to regulate how to own and sell inside the sa…

Potter the commerce clause, it is actually the federal government's job to ensure the drugs don't cross state lines. Hence the Justice department's insistence.

Except the federal govt's job would be complete if it allowed intrastate commerce. It's circular. Marijuana isn't a scheduled drug b/c it needs to be kept out of interstate commerce. It's part of interstate commerce b/c it's a scheduled drug for some other reason or reasons that don't really make a great deal of sense.

Re: Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

#24
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, this is the opposite of ruining it. Cities love to have tourists come, spend money, use hotels, etc

Yes but people who come explicitly for the drugs don't tend to be the best tourists. While not everyone will cause trouble there will undoubtedly be a few. It just depends on whether the towns are happy to put up with a few stoned idiots roaming the streets causing trouble for the extra money it brings in from the people not causing trouble.

The short time I spent in Amsterdam makes me agree with you. Stoned (and other highs), wondering around acting inappropriately and causing trouble.

Re: Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

#25

>> "“This is our dream,” said Kirstin Knouse, 24, who flew here from Chicago with her husband, Tristan, to take their first-ever marijuana vacation." And there's some people already ruining it. I believe Amsterdam had this same problem. Drug tourism is not something cities want for many obvious reasons.

I understand the sentiment, but you forgot to include the rest of the paragraph:

>> She said that she suffered from seizures and fibromyalgia, and her husband from post-traumatic stress, but that the couple had not been able to get medical marijuana at home. “We’re thinking about moving here because of it,” she said.

Maybe they're just making up excuses, but doesn't sound like these are a couple of 20 year olds just looking to get high in the middle of the day.

Re: Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

#26
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, this is the opposite of ruining it. Cities love to have tourists come, spend money, use hotels, etc

Yes but people who come explicitly for the drugs don't tend to be the best tourists. While not everyone will cause trouble there will undoubtedly be a few. It just depends on whether the towns are happy to put up with a few stoned idiots roaming the streets causing trouble for the extra money it brings in from the people not causing trouble.

> Yes but people who come explicitly for the drugs don't tend to be the best tourists.

This is a jingoistic view of "drug users" that really needs to die. Marijuana "users" are normal people -- with a slim majority supporting marijuana legalization and a significant fraction of that openly admitting marijuana use, the old stoner/loser stereotype is hopefully on its last legs. Paul Bucheit's comment above is really right on the nose.

Re: Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

#27
I'm curious what happens to the people who were surviving on the cash from selling it illegally.

Some of them are poor slobs. Some of them are organized crime.

Are they just going to try to sell it at a lower price since the police cannot tell where you got it from and might not even care anymore? Tax savings alone radically reduces the price.

Re: Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

#28
post #20

>> "“This is our dream,” said Kirstin Knouse, 24, who flew here from Chicago with her husband, Tristan, to take their first-ever marijuana vacation." And there's some people already ruining it. I believe Amsterdam had this same problem. Drug tourism is not something cities want for many obvious reasons.

Napa and Sonoma don't seem to mind the alcohol tourism.

Not really an equivalent scenario. If all you want to do is get drunk, there's no reason to go to Napa to do it, so while the average level of intoxication is probably higher, it's much less so that it would be if it was the only place you could legally buy alcohol.

Re: Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

#29
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, this is the opposite of ruining it. Cities love to have tourists come, spend money, use hotels, etc

Yes but people who come explicitly for the drugs don't tend to be the best tourists. While not everyone will cause trouble there will undoubtedly be a few. It just depends on whether the towns are happy to put up with a few stoned idiots roaming the streets causing trouble for the extra money it brings in from the people not causing trouble.

> It just depends on whether the towns are happy to put up with a few stoned idiots roaming the streets causing trouble for the extra money it brings in from the people not causing trouble.

Most places already allow bars, so this is something they have to deal with anyway.

Re: Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers

#30
Does anyone know if Colorado is enforcing seed traceability? That is one of the rules according to Washington's I-502 (http://www.liq.wa.gov/publications/Marijuana/I-502/I-502_Dra... crtl-f "Traceability"). Theoretically, that means the Feds would be able to know where the pot came from if it was found out of state. If implemented effectively, that would negate some of the worry about the product ending up in the wrong hands.
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