Wednesday, January 8, 2014

To Pot or not to Pot? That is the question..

Sometimes I feel as if I am living in a parallel universe.  Here in Colorado, my beloved state, we have legalized marijuana!  How did this happen? There it was on the ballot -- I could not imagine that it would be voted in, but I was wrong, very wrong.

Now we even have a "pot editor" for The Denver Post.  On the day of the home and garden issue, there were suggestions for how to grow your own. The day of the cooking issue, yes, there were recipes for using cannabis. Even on the sports pages, ("Should we excuse athletes for using marijuana now that it is legal?"), there was a page discussing the issue.

There are so many negatives.  Yes, I understand the plus side, that for cancer patients and others who are in pain or have nausea, marijuana can be very helpful.  But for children and teens who are going to try it, even though it is sold for those who are 21 and older, marijuana can be permanently damaging. 

The Denver Post did have an article about "How to talk to your teens and young adults" about marijuana.  Bottom line, one out of six teens who try pot will become addicted.   It's not safe to drive when high, IQ scores go down, concentration is difficult, grades can suffer, inhibitions are dulled, effects can last longer than alcohol.  Whatever happened to "Children are our future?"  

Today, in the food section, the main article was featuring a catering service that will have cannabis parties.  No, they don't serve cannabis, but the parties feature special food that will be enhanced by smoking pot. Bring your own, but of course, be 21 or over.  Oh, so chi, chi!   

Our own county has banned pot, which counties can do, but the whole thing is a Pandora's Box -- think of drivers on the road, under the influence; skiers skiing while under the influence; businesses suffering because their employees are unreliable.  There used to be a drug test for employees, and the employer could refuse to hire a person who did not pass -- now what?  I suppose the employee could sue for discrimination.

We are now known as the "Stoner State."

Be careful what you wish for.




6 comments:

  1. I had never thought of all those results, you are so right, it could be a big problem. I am so glad it hasn't been legalised here in Ontario (yet).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for being brave enough to comment. The latest article here is: :Should you give marijuana to your pets who are suffering? Hasn't been tested or proved to be not harmful, but I am sure some will try it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Tasha .. any 'drug' ... alcohol included is so dangerous ... I do drink I'm afraid to say. I don't damage my health through smoking (thankfully never took to it) and I've never tried pot and can't say I wish to ...

    Unfortunately we are all followers of fashion without an individual thought amongst many of us ... thankfully there are people who will educate their kids to be sensible etc etc ... while others will slob out and claim incapacity for one reason or another ..

    Obesity is a huge problem .. any addiction costs the state - which is us taxpayers ...

    ... and how Coloradoians will know which counties opt out or not - heaven alone knows ... it is a melting pot ... of pot ...

    Crazy to my way of thinking ... but medically I could quite understand ... I do not know! Cheers I've had my ramble .. Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Hilary: We are all followers of some kind of "fashion," you are right. My son is a teacher at a local high school. He is not looking forward to seeing stoned students, or not motivated ones. What a challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  5. So many things can go wrong by trying it, ruin a person's life. I just have a hard time understanding why someone would want to do that to themselves. It is very sad

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Evy: I think teenagers will try things like drugs, most won't get hooked, but some do. Sometimes it's peer pressure as well. But to have adults set the poor example is what is hard to speak against. Thanks for your comment.

    ReplyDelete