Pot Sales, Legally

January 11, 2014

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/31/us/colorado-recreational-marijuana/index.html

Unit 5

The first day of legal marijuana sales in Colorado made history. There was always a huge line, but people waited really patiently to get their pot, a relief for state officials.They said it made everything so much easier that people were patient and cooperative when they were waiting to buy the now legal recreational marijuana. There are a lot of restrictions to how much you can buy, and who can buy. Everyone who purchases medical marijuana must be 21 years or older.  If they leave in-state, they can buy up to 1 ounce, out-of-state buyers can only be 1/4-ounce however. Marijuana sold in one state is not allowed to cross state lines, and it is no longer allowed in the airport, violations of these restrictions are subject to heavy fines. There are those who worry that the legalization of marijuana will cause problems for those in rehabilitation, parents, and others as well.

Despite the many arguments against having legalized marijuana, i think it is a good idea. Legalizing marijuana just brings the many sales that already take place out of the shadows, and controls the amounts that people can gain access to. Those in rehab may now have easier access, but it is obvious that they already knew where to get pot from, and this is just one more hill they will have to climb if they are serious in quitting pot. Parents should realize that with the new laws in place, there children under the age of 21 will have a harder time accessing the pot that they could be seeking. For those parents with children over the age of 21, they never really had any control before anyway, so they should just stop worrying about it,  because they aren't going to change the mind of a legal adult who wants to smoke pot, with or without their parents permission.

I am very glad for the restriction though. They will prevent many problems in the future if they are properly enforced. I just hope that other states who are now considering the legalizing marijuana will be able to come up with their own laws that will be able to put in place such clear restrictions as Colorado has done, and that when legal recreational marijuana has ceased to be such a big thing in the news, that the sales, and consummation will both go down. You know that a lot of pot is being sold in one day when retailers are worried about being able to serve everyone, and rumors abound about retailers running out of marijuana to sell.