# Legal Pot Causing Homelessness in Colorado



## WhatInThe (Aug 1, 2014)

Legal pot causing homelessness in Colorado.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_26216037/legal-pot-blamed-some-influx-homeless-this-summer

Oh great food stamps for the munchies, munchers, moochers...


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## Denise1952 (Aug 1, 2014)

I didn't read it all wit, but not everyone is blaming the pot for homeless-ness.  I don't blame drugs, alcohol, or pot (not completely I mean, in some cases yes, that's why people lose their jobs, they abuse substances) I blame lack of jobs more then anything.  It's the whole system though I think, from the time kids are born, the influences (or lack thereof) like being taught good work-ethics etc.  It's a sad situation, homeless people everywhere in my small area even.  Yes, there is work but numbers of reasons why you may not be the one chosen for the job.  Then once you are homeless, it can change your life for the worst, or, some folks are fortunate enough to dig themselves out and start again.

I think there will always be folks that take without conscience, and want to "use" or get a free ride.  Not everyone that is homeless is out for a free ride, or anyone using foodstamps etc.  I'm not saying people "deserve" a helping hand, but I do think some should get one.  People that have (we have the haves, and the have nots) are not always willing to share the tiniest bit to help someone else, they hoard what they have and that is their right.  But there are people that fall on hard times that need help.  That's how I believe, and that's how I was raised, help your neighbor.


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 1, 2014)

Well said Nwlady, I agree that there are many reasons for homelessness in any city.  Too many folks who are anti-legalization of marijuana will use anything they can in the headlines to make their case, I can understand that, it's just human nature.  I think when the population in general increases, the amount of homeless people increase with it.  Street people had no problems at all getting pot or liquor for themselves since the 60s, personally, I'd rather see them high on weed, than drunk as a skunk on Gin.


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## WhatInThe (Aug 1, 2014)

Part of the problem is that many are coming from out of town out of state. The existing local economies don't have the work for the people coming in with legal pot as their motivation for migrating. When I saw pot rallies in the news and people celebrating en mass the right to get high legally I could see trouble coming a mile away. Mass celebrations for the "legal" right to get high? There's mental patients then there's a mentality.


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## Denise1952 (Aug 1, 2014)

I understand wit, what you are saying.  People do tend to migrate to areas they think are going to have more of their needs met.  It can be sad for those living there already because of the changes (small town to bustling metropolis).  In the town I was born in, there are masses of drugs now, where back in the day, there were none (well hidden if there were).  It's not the same town at all.  Those that legalized pot had to know things were going to snowball.  Remember the Goldrush?  I don't know, I get so sad about our world today, hard to even talk about it.  I wish I could fix it, but then everyone has their own way of thinking it should be fixed.  If we can't work together (like the "right" and "left" sides in this country) how can we fix anything


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## WhatInThe (Aug 1, 2014)

nwlady said:


> I understand wit, what you are saying.  People do tend to migrate to areas they think are going to have more of their needs met.  It can be sad for those living there already because of the changes (small town to bustling metropolis).  In the town I was born in, there are masses of drugs now, where back in the day, there were none (well hidden if there were).  It's not the same town at all.  Those that legalized pot had to know things were going to snowball.  Remember the Goldrush?  I don't know, I get so sad about our world today, hard to even talk about it.  I wish I could fix it, but then everyone has their own way of thinking it should be fixed.  If we can't work together (like the "right" and "left" sides in this country) how can we fix anything



At least with the Gold Rush there was money to be made. People came to make money. I don't see all these migrants to Colorado going their to make money but rather spend money they don't have or will run out of.


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## Denise1952 (Aug 1, 2014)

That wasn't my point really, I meant that things attract people to other places, legal pot attracted the people that want to use it.


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## SifuPhil (Aug 1, 2014)

WhatInThe said:


> At least with the Gold Rush there was money to be made. People came to make money. I don't see all these migrants to Colorado going their to make money but rather spend money they don't have or will run out of.



In the gold rush the biggest winners were NOT the guys panning or digging for gold, though - it was the guys who sold the picks and shovels and clothing and ran the bars and hotels that made out the best.

Likewise, the legal weed industry is more than just dispensaries - it's an entire infrastructure, each step offering profits (and the associated increase in taxes for the area).

The Post article cited no hard statistics, no scientific data or methodologies - just the opinions of a few observers. As Shakespeare once said,



> I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space,



The Post is known to be anti-legal weed, so we always have to consider our sources.


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## MrJim (Aug 1, 2014)

The obvious answer is to legalize it in all 50 states. 

Then people would stop flocking to the few states where it is legal.

Piece of cake.

Speaking of cake...


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## SifuPhil (Aug 1, 2014)

MrJim said:


> The obvious answer is to legalize it in all 50 states.
> 
> Then people would stop flocking to the few states where it is legal.
> 
> ...



THERE ya' go! :encouragement:

I'm sure cake sales would increase too!

I'm not sure if during Prohibition they went state-by-state or if it was a all-at-once thing ... I know various counties to this day are dry, but I wonder if anyone here knows about the original Prohibition and how they did it? I'm leaning on thinking it was the "law of the land" ...


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## Denise1952 (Aug 1, 2014)

I think it should be legalized, but have the same "smoking" laws in place, like smoking areas etc.  I don't want to get stoned involuntarily, but I might try it one day if it really helps with pain


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## SifuPhil (Aug 1, 2014)

nwlady said:


> I think it should be legalized, but have the same "smoking" laws in place, like smoking areas etc.  I don't want to get stoned involuntarily, but I might try it one day if it really helps with pain



... said the lady with the collection of art-glass bongs ... layful:

Yeah, "second-hand smoke" is going to become a huge issue in the future. You KNOW the do-gooders are going to scream about it ...


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## WhatInThe (Aug 1, 2014)

SifuPhil said:


> In the gold rush the biggest winners were NOT the guys panning or digging for gold, though - it was the guys who sold the picks and shovels and clothing and ran the bars and hotels that made out the best.
> 
> Likewise, the legal weed industry is more than just dispensaries - it's an entire infrastructure, each step offering profits (and the associated increase in taxes for the area).
> 
> ...



I somewhat agree because in many states it has been legal to sell drug paraphernalia. And farming is a different story. But I think that's limited because you still need land and municipalities that will allow pot farming because of what it will do to things like the environment. In some respects the infrastructure part will grow too fast needing to expand to non legal states.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/u...rests-and-wildlife.html?pagewanted%3Dall&_r=0

Being early in the process of legalization true there isn't that large a pool of data to analyze. Some of those numbers increases seem greater than any declines in the local economy. But yes there are those just biding time until they find their gold in (a) pot. But when you see similar stories in another legalized pot state one must wonder.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...3c61da-129f-11e4-ac56-773e54a65906_story.html

 Again it's early and these are only arrest statistics. But keeping in mind what any drug culture does to a community I have trouble writing off public pot users in particular as harmless.

In the end I think pot will be regulated like smoking and public drinking including dwh(driving while high) offenses. And there will be fatalities from dwh's just like dui's.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...3c61da-129f-11e4-ac56-773e54a65906_story.html

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/13/colorado-cop-cars-hit-driver-high-marijuana/

After having worked in some of the most drug infested areas of the country in different states and seeing how routine casual drug use decimates an area I don't see "legal" pot having too many different effects.


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## Denise1952 (Aug 1, 2014)

SifuPhil said:


> ... said the lady with the collection of art-glass bongs ... layful:
> 
> Yeah, "second-hand smoke" is going to become a huge issue in the future. You KNOW the do-gooders are going to scream about it ...



I don't have one bong, but I used to have a pretty, roach-clip someone made for me.  I think he wanted me to be stoned, well, he wanted me to be loaded, well, I think he wanted me to be easy, lets tell it like it was, LOL!!  Then he found plying me with liquor worked a lot better:beerandwhistle:


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## WhatInThe (Aug 1, 2014)

Speak of the devil. People want legal pot but don't seem to know anything about it.

http://consumerist.com/2014/08/01/c...gency-rule-to-clarify-potency-of-pot-edibles/


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## Pappy (Aug 1, 2014)

Meet the little ant that could.....


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## MrJim (Aug 1, 2014)

In the spirit of the thread, a little animated musical interlude...


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 1, 2014)




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## kcvet (Aug 1, 2014)

I tried it when i was much younger. never got the buzz but it did make me horney as hell


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 1, 2014)




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## Ina (Aug 1, 2014)

Just smoke it. :hee::hee:


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## SifuPhil (Aug 1, 2014)

nwlady said:


> I don't have one bong, but I used to have a pretty, roach-clip someone made for me.  I think he wanted me to be stoned, well, he wanted me to be loaded, well, I think he wanted me to be easy, lets tell it like it was, LOL!!  Then he found plying me with liquor worked a lot better:beerandwhistle:



I used to wear a roach clip as a hair tie on my ponytail.

The sign of a TRUE hippie!


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## SifuPhil (Aug 1, 2014)

WhatInThe said:


> Speak of the devil. People want legal pot but don't seem to know anything about it.
> 
> http://consumerist.com/2014/08/01/c...gency-rule-to-clarify-potency-of-pot-edibles/



Psh.

Amateurs ...


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## Denise1952 (Aug 1, 2014)

SifuPhil said:


> I used to wear a roach clip as a hair tie on my ponytail.
> 
> The sign of a TRUE hippie!



Wow, you were a hippie Phil?  I want a pic!!  :jumelles:


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## Ina (Aug 1, 2014)

Wonder what they call a person that's smoked daily for 44 years? Hippy just doesn't sound right. :hide:


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## Bettyann (Aug 1, 2014)

I live in Colorado, and have followed this issue fairly closely. The most shameful thing about legalized pot is how it is sold in forms of candy, cookies, etc... the rate of overdoses in children seen in Children's Hospital is growing and horrible, and the number of deaths  that occur is also growing ... since it 'makes money' in the way of taxes, politicians are lax to put stricter regulations on it.


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 1, 2014)

I think they're going to put much stricter labeling and dosing on the edibles Bettyann.  Shame on the parents who let their children have access to any drugs or alcohol, especially something that looks like candy and cookies.  Even the adults are overdosing on these edibles due to the high quality of the cannabis, and the high doses in each item.  No excuse for the adults though, they have to be smart about what they ingest and learn the side effects and what to watch out for.  The candies should be put in child-proof bottles, just like other prescription medicines, IMO.


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## SifuPhil (Aug 2, 2014)

Bettyann said:


> I live in Colorado, and have followed this issue fairly closely. The most shameful thing about legalized pot is how it is sold in forms of candy, cookies, etc... the rate of overdoses in children seen in Children's Hospital is growing and horrible, and the number of deaths  that occur is also growing ... since it 'makes money' in the way of taxes, politicians are lax to put stricter regulations on it.



This is a lot like blaming alcohol or a firearm for a misadventure.

These kids, first of all, should not be having access to medicinal edibles ("medibles") in the first place, so let's put the blame where it belongs - on the parents. Who lets their toddler (the majority of these cases) into their stash? 

14 cases in two years ... I would expect that of those, most that were put on ventilators were because of panic symptoms. An OD on a medible is usually an energetic high followed by a lengthy "crash", which is where the panic sets in in inexperienced users (read=children).

Of the deaths - the only two that I am aware of were a 19-year-old student who jumped off a balcony after ingesting 65mg of THC in a cookie, and a 47-year-old man who shot his wife after eating some medible candy. I find no citations for infants or children dying.


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## JustBonee (Aug 2, 2014)

Texas is storing a huge amount of pot plants in a warehouse right now  ... going to have a very large burn at some point.

I guess we'll all get high from the smoke around here when that happens..


http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/east-texas-marijuana-fields-valued-175-million-24764514


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## SifuPhil (Aug 2, 2014)

Bonnie said:


> Texas is storing a huge amount of pot plants in a warehouse right now  ... going to have a very large burn at some point.



In an associated story, California, Washington and Oregon are going to send 3 million illegal firearms to the furnaces ...


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## JustBonee (Aug 2, 2014)

SifuPhil said:


> In an associated story, California, Washington and Oregon are going to send 3 million illegal firearms to the furnaces ...



Of course! .. . . only Texas would have this dilemma ..


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## SifuPhil (Aug 2, 2014)

Bonnie said:


> Of course! .. . . only Texas would have this dilemma ..



As soon as I read your post I flashed back to watching the old _Untouchables_ show, with Elliot Ness breaking all the bottles of booze.

A little while later, of course, Prohibition was lifted.  

I will say this, though - I ran the numbers for their claim and they actually seemed correct - it worked out to about $1,800/plant. Of course, that's for a fully-grown plant, and they were talking about finding seedlings in Styrofoam cups, so there still was probably some fudging on the total worth of the haul.


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## JustBonee (Aug 2, 2014)

The story is almost comical, huh?   
People around here are yelling to sell it to Colorado, but apparently that's against the law. ?


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## Sunny (Aug 2, 2014)

Seabreeze, that Rocky Mountain High video is gorgeous! I've always loved John Denver.


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## SifuPhil (Aug 2, 2014)

Bonnie said:


> The story is almost comical, huh?
> People around here are yelling to sell it to Colorado, but apparently that's against the law. ?



Yeah, I don't think they could swing that. Beside it being illegal to sell in TX, it isn't the carefully-cultivated-and-approved type of weed they use in CO. 

Shame, though, huh? That money would buy a LOT of bullets!


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## Denise1952 (Aug 2, 2014)

Bettyann said:


> I live in Colorado, and have followed this issue fairly closely. The most shameful thing about legalized pot is how it is sold in forms of candy, cookies, etc... the rate of overdoses in children seen in Children's Hospital is growing and horrible, and the number of deaths  that occur is also growing ... since it 'makes money' in the way of taxes, politicians are lax to put stricter regulations on it.



Oh wow, had no idea BettyAnn, guess I am undereducated about it being not just legal, but also the selling of it forms kids can buy?? I'll take a closer look for sure, denise


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