7 ms·

Incredible story. I often wonder what it would be like in my state if Cannabis was declared legal. You see, I go to 911 calls. I can count on my hand the number

Incredible story. I often wonder what it would be like in my state if Cannabis was declared legal. You see, I go to 911 calls. I can count on my hand the number of times I've been called for an emergency that was directly related to Cannabis. Alcohol, is another story entirely. Depending on the area, there are days that I would run out of fingers and toes counting the number of calls that are a direct consequence of alcohol. That is, I've never been on a call where someone smokes sooo much cannabis that the thought to stab 3 or 4 people becomes an idea worth executing. Or, more simply, someone that decides to smoke sooo much cannabis that they can no longer control their bowels... in public. Perhaps we should discuss the people that decide to smoke sooo much cannabis where driving into stationary objects like people's homes, bars/restaurants and non-stationary objects like pedestrians and other cars is rather common. Obviously, I don't see this happening with Cannabis, but with alcohol... Then we get to the people that can't afford beer and whiskey so they start drinking listerine or anything with alcohol and need expensive medical treatment. They can't afford medical treatment either, so taxpayers pay for the listerine and then pay for the treatment. The list goes on and on... spice is really fun. When a new batch like "King Kong Purple" hits the streets, we all warn our families that we will be coming home exhausted from being up all night as the overdoses roll in every 20 minutes. Trying to get a spice OD on the gurney is a treat no EMS person should miss... They are biting, spitting, often uncontrollably vomiting, smashing their heads against anything (Concrete, pavement, ems personnel, sharp objects), kicking, screaming and are more often that not completely nude and covered in mystery fluids. It's a real treat. We should really legalize Cannabis. My hope is that everyone just uses that instead of the other stuff that is legal. I know that is naive, but I can hope.

saiya-jin 11y ago
very insightful comment from "the streets", thank you for it! I presume we all should accept that majority of population has sometimes the urge to let a bit of steam off (or just get wasted), and rather than fighting the flow, those in power should steer it to as-little-harm-as-possible-to-society scenarios.
Jtsummers 11y ago
> Perhaps we should discuss the people that decide to smoke sooo much cannabis where driving into stationary objects like people's homes, bars/restaurants and non-stationary objects like pedestrians and other cars is rather common. I agree with all your points but this one. I think this may become common if Cannabis were legal in your area. I think it's only uncommon right now because people are using Cannabis in their own homes or someone else's home, for the most part.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- fatlasp 11y ago
  (anecdote) I live in Colorado where cannabis has been legal for quite some time. People driving in to stationary objects while high on mj definitely hasn't become any more of a problem than it was previous to legalization (read: its not a problem.)
  - Silfen 11y ago
    (even more anecdata and speculation) I live in Washington, and it is absolutely not a problem here. The main difference, to my mind, is that alcohol induces higher risk behavior, while cannabis produces risk aversion. Prohibition has been an abject failure. That said, I don't think it's very good for your brain. Worth avoiding or at least moderating your intake.
    - tejtm 11y ago
      I'm in Oregon, pot is legal here too, far more likely the stationary object hit is someone on weed that thinks they are driving too fast.
- monkmartinez 11y ago
  You are right, but I think we can't say definitively one way or another until we have more data. Personally, I think it is a bad idea to operate machinery when with any potentially mind altering (drowsy, intoxicating, etc.) substances on-board. That doesn't stop people from driving on heavy doses of Nyquil or prescription drugs, believe me. People that have no regard for the law, themselves, and others will continue to do what they do irrespective of what is legal or not. That is just an aspect of free will and the human condition.
FatalBaboon 11y ago
You seem oblivious to the fact that alcohol being available just about everywhere, unlike cannabis, is highly correlated to the amount of harm being done.
- Silfen 11y ago
  I don't know where you're from, but cannabis is certainly very available in many parts of the U.S. And much easier for minors to obtain in areas where it's illegal!
  - FatalBaboon 11y ago
    I'm from France, and it is widely available as well, however it is nowhere near as available as alcohol. I mean I am hardly ever further than a couple minutes away from a place where I can buy alcohol. As for minors, I'd argue the problem lies more in the late access to alcohol in the US. Then as of the effects of cannabis itself, it increases reaction time. So you could definitely pull the brakes one second too late in front of that kid and his balloon. But yeah, it might not make you as prone to think killing 3 people is an acceptable activity.
- glibgil 11y ago
  You calling OP oblivious is the basest ignorance. They seem pretty well informed, perhaps more informed by reality than anyone else could possibly be. You make the mistake of not accepting that OP has never had to respond to a medical pr safety emergency because of cannabis. You see, somewhere, there many people with lots and lots of cannabis available to them, just like alcohol is available to everyone else. OP has never had to help them. The sample size isn't just 99% percent smaller than alcohol. For OP, it is zero. It never ever happens with the current availability to all or the very high availability to a few. It stands to reason then that it is much safer than alcohol at any level of availability. It is, after all, a very different drug than alcohol
- danans 11y ago
  But is the harm really correlated with alcohol being widely available? It seems like there are several confounding factors, including: - Excessive consumption (which most people who consume alcohol don't do). - Excessive consumption + driving - Mental Illness It's unclear to me that alcohol prohibition would dramatically reduce harm, when issues like mental health problems and building safer transit systems aren't addressed. As it is often pointed out, prohibition seems to increase localized harm (as evidenced by the the 1920s prohibition, and the current drug war in Mexico and poor US inner cities), by driving the intoxicant trade into the criminal black market.
Jasamba 11y ago
If anyone asks you for a citation, throw them this ;) http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/drugs_cause_most_harm http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/drugs_caus...
simonebrunozzi 11y ago
I am involved with a company called EazeUp, that also actively pushes for legalization to happen in the US - and I think precisely for reasons similar to the ones you list.
- monkmartinez 11y ago
  Some of the names of the products you are selling made me giggle. I can see it now: Me: "Hello mam/sir, what seems to be the problem today?" Patient: "Well, I only had a little TrainWreck left, so I mixed it with Gorilla Glue #4 and now I am rekt" Me: "Soooo... are you having a medical emergency?" Patient: "No! Heavens no! Did I call 911? Why is there a firetruck and ambulance outside?" Me: "Ok, we will be on our way. Your Doritos and Oreos are right over there... take care"
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
andrei_says_ 11y ago
> We should really legalize Cannabis. My hope is that everyone just uses that instead of the other stuff that is legal. And this is precisely the fear of the huge corporate moneyed law-defining entities that sell and profit from the other highly-destructive, highly-addictive stuff but can't profit as much from an easy and cheap to grow plant.

saiya-jin 11y ago

very insightful comment from "the streets", thank you for it! I presume we all should accept that majority of population has sometimes the urge to let a bit of steam off (or just get wasted), and rather than fighting the flow, those in power should steer it to as-little-harm-as-possible-to-society scenarios.

Jtsummers 11y ago

> Perhaps we should discuss the people that decide to smoke sooo much cannabis where driving into stationary objects like people's homes, bars/restaurants and non-stationary objects like pedestrians and other cars is rather common. I agree with all your points but this one. I think this may become common if Cannabis were legal in your area. I think it's only uncommon right now because people are using Cannabis in their own homes or someone else's home, for the most part.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
fatlasp 11y ago
(anecdote) I live in Colorado where cannabis has been legal for quite some time. People driving in to stationary objects while high on mj definitely hasn't become any more of a problem than it was previous to legalization (read: its not a problem.)
- Silfen 11y ago
  (even more anecdata and speculation) I live in Washington, and it is absolutely not a problem here. The main difference, to my mind, is that alcohol induces higher risk behavior, while cannabis produces risk aversion. Prohibition has been an abject failure. That said, I don't think it's very good for your brain. Worth avoiding or at least moderating your intake.
  - tejtm 11y ago
    I'm in Oregon, pot is legal here too, far more likely the stationary object hit is someone on weed that thinks they are driving too fast.
monkmartinez 11y ago
You are right, but I think we can't say definitively one way or another until we have more data. Personally, I think it is a bad idea to operate machinery when with any potentially mind altering (drowsy, intoxicating, etc.) substances on-board. That doesn't stop people from driving on heavy doses of Nyquil or prescription drugs, believe me. People that have no regard for the law, themselves, and others will continue to do what they do irrespective of what is legal or not. That is just an aspect of free will and the human condition.

FatalBaboon 11y ago

You seem oblivious to the fact that alcohol being available just about everywhere, unlike cannabis, is highly correlated to the amount of harm being done.

Silfen 11y ago
I don't know where you're from, but cannabis is certainly very available in many parts of the U.S. And much easier for minors to obtain in areas where it's illegal!
- FatalBaboon 11y ago
  I'm from France, and it is widely available as well, however it is nowhere near as available as alcohol. I mean I am hardly ever further than a couple minutes away from a place where I can buy alcohol. As for minors, I'd argue the problem lies more in the late access to alcohol in the US. Then as of the effects of cannabis itself, it increases reaction time. So you could definitely pull the brakes one second too late in front of that kid and his balloon. But yeah, it might not make you as prone to think killing 3 people is an acceptable activity.
glibgil 11y ago
You calling OP oblivious is the basest ignorance. They seem pretty well informed, perhaps more informed by reality than anyone else could possibly be. You make the mistake of not accepting that OP has never had to respond to a medical pr safety emergency because of cannabis. You see, somewhere, there many people with lots and lots of cannabis available to them, just like alcohol is available to everyone else. OP has never had to help them. The sample size isn't just 99% percent smaller than alcohol. For OP, it is zero. It never ever happens with the current availability to all or the very high availability to a few. It stands to reason then that it is much safer than alcohol at any level of availability. It is, after all, a very different drug than alcohol
danans 11y ago
But is the harm really correlated with alcohol being widely available? It seems like there are several confounding factors, including: - Excessive consumption (which most people who consume alcohol don't do). - Excessive consumption + driving - Mental Illness It's unclear to me that alcohol prohibition would dramatically reduce harm, when issues like mental health problems and building safer transit systems aren't addressed. As it is often pointed out, prohibition seems to increase localized harm (as evidenced by the the 1920s prohibition, and the current drug war in Mexico and poor US inner cities), by driving the intoxicant trade into the criminal black market.

Jasamba 11y ago

If anyone asks you for a citation, throw them this ;) http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/drugs_cause_most_harm http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/drugs_caus...

simonebrunozzi 11y ago

I am involved with a company called EazeUp, that also actively pushes for legalization to happen in the US - and I think precisely for reasons similar to the ones you list.

monkmartinez 11y ago
Some of the names of the products you are selling made me giggle. I can see it now: Me: "Hello mam/sir, what seems to be the problem today?" Patient: "Well, I only had a little TrainWreck left, so I mixed it with Gorilla Glue #4 and now I am rekt" Me: "Soooo... are you having a medical emergency?" Patient: "No! Heavens no! Did I call 911? Why is there a firetruck and ambulance outside?" Me: "Ok, we will be on our way. Your Doritos and Oreos are right over there... take care"

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

andrei_says_ 11y ago

> We should really legalize Cannabis. My hope is that everyone just uses that instead of the other stuff that is legal. And this is precisely the fear of the huge corporate moneyed law-defining entities that sell and profit from the other highly-destructive, highly-addictive stuff but can't profit as much from an easy and cheap to grow plant.