Posting Up On The Issues of Marijuana Legalization
A Washington Post blogger recently took aim at legal mmj opponents’ favorite fallacy used to sway voters on the dangers of pot.
From black market sales to addiction, cognitive damage as well as a few other staples often trotted out as the argument against marijuana use, writer Christopher Ingraham cuts into them all. However, he pays special focus to what he thinks opponents, such as the organization Don’t Let Florida Go To Pot, will hit hard on this fall: “the notion that relaxed regulations on marijuana will lead to a rise in marijuana use among children and teens.”
First, Ingraham points out that this is a state currently enjoying nearly 90% support in favor of legalization. In his next version of “put it in your pipe and smoke it,” he writes: “A new study by economists Daniel Rees, Benjamin Hansen and D. Mark Anderson is the latest in a growing body of research showing no connection — none, zero, zilch — between the enactment of medical marijuana laws and underage use of the drug.”
In fact, ironically enough, the study reveals that, if anything, passing mmj laws had a small negative effect on teen usage. The reasoning being that legalization allows suppliers and cultivators to sell to adults with some promise of not being prosecuted, while selling marijuana to minors remains illegal and risky.
Marijuana Use? Times Out
In what is best described as a “wait, what?!” situation, The New York Times has agreed to supply the truth, but they still will not allow their employees to get high on it.
While the editorial board of the news giant recently wholeheartedly showed its support of marijuana legalization, the corporate machine will continue to stand by the federal statute, reports the Huffington Post.
So, if you are excited about the prospect of working for this beacon of legalization, don’t spark up to celebrate its liberal stance before you head in to your job interview because your first assignment will be to take a drug test.
Change.org has set up a petition offering those who think that words and actions should follow one another the chance to stop the practice of testing NY Times employees.
Washington State Gets Green, But it Could be Better
The tax revenue figures are in for the first 10 days of legal recreational sales and according to the Seattle Times, Washington has pulled in $318,000.00. This figure does not include sales tax or business and occupation (B&O) taxes.
Figures dropped in the second week of sales, but once permitting is streamlined and supply lines optimized, experts predict that the state will generate close to $600m in taxes in the five year period from 2015 and 2019.
Marijuana Researcher High and Dry
After a pretty well-publicized parry and thrust between marijuana researcher, Sue Sisley, and the board of regents at the University of Arizona, she will NOT get her job back AZ central is reporting.
It means that the funding for what could potentially be ground-breaking medical marijuana and PTSD research could go up in smoke, with the financial backers now looking to withdraw support as a result of Sisley’s termination.
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