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Nevada becomes fifth US state to allow cannabis sales for recreational purposes
- chimeracoder 9y agoTo anyone who's confused by the title: the law was passed in November (by ballot referendum), but it went into effect today, with the first recreational sales. (Medical marijuana was already legal in Nevada). By contrast, Massachusetts also legalized marijuana on the very same day - and by an almost identical vote margin - but Bay State legislators are still contemplating whether to let the law take effect at all, and it's unclear if and when recreational sales will actually become legal.
- 0x005ab01c 9y agoThis is going to come in handy for the upcoming Burning Man event, although there it's going to be difficult to define what a public space is and what not.
- gkop 9y agoI'd go further and say this could have a dramatic impact on the vibe at Burning Man. Marijuana has historically been one of the least popular recreational substances at Burning Man, because the smell is hard to disguise. If marijuana is treated more lightly now by Nevada authorities, I'd expect it to become more popular at Burning Man, and take "market share" away from other substances. Curious what the expert Burners among us think?
- int_19h 9y agoIf people really wanted weed, why not consume it through edibles? No smell to disguise there.
- GordonS 9y agoIt's really difficult to dose right if you eat it. You can easily take too much and have a really horrible experience.
- int_19h 9y agoI disagree. It might take some more experimentation, but once you figure it out for a particular product for your body weight and metabolism, it's pretty consistent.
- GordonS 9y agoFair enough, I guess it's different in legal states in the US, where you can actually buy edibles with a specific amount of THC in them.
- wyclif 9y agoInnocent question from a non-Burner: why would anyone attending Burning Man care about the smell of marijuana? The event is held in the desert. And judging from what I've heard and seen about it, most of it is outdoors.
- gkop 9y agoAt Burning Man, there is a large presence of law enforcement officers with conservative attitudes. Both uniformed and plainclothes. The plainclothes officers especially create an atmosphere of distrust regarding substances.
- wyclif 9y agoFascinating! Thanks. I'm a bit surprised to hear this. My understanding till now was that BM was still fairly self-regulated.
- mnm1 9y agoIronically, that's one place where it's still going to be illegal since those lands are all federal lands and patrolled by federal forces.
- c22 9y agoBurning Man happens on federal land, so I think this is probably still a no go.
- pcunite 9y agoThis, after being told over and over again in school how bad (I specifically remember marijuana being mentioned) drugs were for you.
- dvt 9y agoMarijuana isn't not bad for you, though. It's not like alcohol (or tobacco) is good for you, but it's still legal.
- coralreef 9y agoSemantically, everything is bad for you. Fruits are high in sugar, the sun gives you cancer.
- dvt 9y agoThere's a pretty intuitive difference between moonshine and a banana.
- lotsofpulp 9y agoBut not between a joint and a twinkie, or 20oz soda, or a deep fried <anything>.
- dvt 9y agoI'm not sure. Anything that has psychoactive effects seems like it would be in a league of its own (caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, LSD, etc.).
- kortex 9y agoIt's not intuitively obvious that acetaminophen has a startlingly small therapeutic window, especially when combined with alcohol. It's not intuitively obvious that alcohol may reduce all-cause mortality in a hormesis-like fashion, with low chronic consumption reducing risk but high chronic consumption increasing it. Pharmacology == intuition goes out the window.
- arikr 9y agoAm I missing something: > People aged 21 and above can now buy up to an ounce of the drug at a time and use it in their homes if they have a valid ID in the western state, which is famed for the hotels and casinos in its largest city Las Vegas. > The millions of tourists who visit Nevada cities every year are expected to make nearly two of every three purchases from retailers, who began selling pot early on Saturday morning. It requires a Nevada ID but they expect tourists to make two thirds of the purchases?
- wtvanhest 9y agoValid ID in the Western State means that the Western State accepts the ID they have, not that it is an ID from the Western State. Similar laws apply to buying alcohol
- tvon 9y agoValid in the state does not necessarily mean it was issued in that state.
- arikr 9y agoAh, thanks.
- dmh2000 9y agothe article is wrong. Nevada ID is not required. Only proof of being 21 or older.
- willstrafach 9y agoIt is not wrong, but maybe poorly phrased. It just means an ID which Nevada considers valid, not that it was actually issued in Nevada.
- csa 9y agoI would read this as an ID (e.g., even from a different state or country) that the state of Nevada considers valid.
- 9y ago
- UnpossibleJim 9y agoI don't even smoke/eat pot and I'm happy this is going through. It's just a mire of confusion that tobacco and alcohol are legal, while a relatively harmless drug is federally illegal. You can't even do medical research on MJ as the laws stand. Mostly because of a backlash against a counter culture who didn't support a corrupt set of government officials and a textile industry that doesn't even produce in America, anymore. I'm (obviously) American, but this propping up of a legacy of corruption and convenient morality is just infuriating...... sorry. Rant =)
- cmahler7 9y agoReasons it's still illegal 1. Pharma lobbyists 2. Private prison lobbyist
- calgoo 9y agoAnd the DEA.
- ttoinou 9y agoWhy wouldn't public prisons be a lobby of itself ?
- adventured 9y agoThat's universally ignored on HN. Almost nobody on here ever wants to talk about the fact that ~97% of all the people that were put into prison under the war on drugs over the last 40 years, went into government prisons to benefit government agendas & employees. It's very, very, very aggressively ignored here, and the sole response you'll usually get if you do bring up the actual facts of the situation, is heavy downvoting (you won't get much discussion unfortunately).
- ttoinou 9y agoI agree. I guess at least private lobbying IS visible, whereas governement lobbying is just business as usual for them ; hence more opaque
- egwynn 9y agoI’ve never been able to understand how the anti-weed interests have been able to rationalize the astronomical costs of enforcement and punishment for so long. Even if I went out on a limb and said, “well, it’d suck if TONS of people smoked TONS of pot ALL of the time”, then I’d still be skeptical about whether that’s a problem worth spending billions of dollars (and locking up millions of people) to address. Put another way: am I missing some sane way to do a cost-benefit-analysis for cannabis policy that winds up showing costs (or negative externalities) that are big enough to conclude that criminalization is the best answer?
- throwaway93745 9y ago> am I missing some sane way to do a cost-benefit-analysis for cannabis policy that winds up showing costs (or negative externalities) that are big enough to conclude that criminalization is the best answer? Yes, you are missing one thing: you classify "locking up millions of people" as a cost. For those who created and are perpetuating this practice, it is considered to be a benefit, not a cost. Consider private prisons, for instance: they would go bankrupt without such policies. Consider also that it is overwhelmingly black people, or hispanics, who go to jail on minor pot-related charges. A fundamental purpose of these policies is to provide the ability to lock up millions of colored people. Without this policy, the legal persecution of minorities would become more difficult. The criminalization of pot is fundamentally about institutional racism. Yes it's expensive for the taxpayers, but the racists in power consider the price tag to be worth it.
- tacoman987 9y agoI'm going to get downvoted to hell, but I love that we both used throwaway accounts to respond similarly at the same time.
- ozzmotik 9y agowell i can't help but upvote said arguments because there's a lot of truth to them tbh. even if racism isn't inherently part of the system, it's still widely present in those that enact the rules of it!
- koolba 9y ago> Marijuana smokers will still face fines of up to $600 if they light up in public places, including casinos, bars, restaurants, parks, and concert halls, and driving under the influence of the drug remains illegal. Anybody know if that includes when you're in your hotel room or just on the open casino floor? If so, does "non-smoking room" apply to marijuana as well?
- dhruvrrp 9y agoIt's not being treated the same as tobacco or alcohol. The article says it's legal 'Only in a private home, including yards and porches.' It's prohibited in casinos, bars, restaurants, parks, concerts and on U.S. property, from national forests to federally subsidized housing.
- nullstyle 9y agoThe key to paranoid consumption in casinos and hotels is the e-cig style vape pens. They're very inconspicuous and I've had many a craps session now where no one has batted an eye while I puffed on a vape pen every now and again. If you're spending money and being respectful, people in the hospitality and resort industry don't give a fuck. edit: pro-mode paranoia for in-room consumption brings a smoke buddy, febreeze, and a generous tip for house keeping into play.
- ryanlol 9y ago>edit: pro-mode paranoia for in-room consumption brings a smoke buddy, febreeze, and a generous tip for house keeping into play. Or request ozone generators outside the room. This seems surprisingly common.
- icpmacdo 9y agoYou can eat it anywhere.
- ozzmotik 9y agoforsooth!
- prodmerc 9y agoI can't believe so much money was spent on this shit. Unlike alcohol, cannabis is less addictive and way more pacifying, it doesn't make people violent, at worst it makes them dumb, unmotivated and complacent - just like alcohol. There's literally no reason to it being banned if alcohol is still legal. It's a better replacement, too. I smoke every now and then, to relieve stress. I just go to sleep, I don't like the high and unlike alcohol I can still follow through on that thought of "nah, it detrimental" when I have stuff to do. Alcohol is like "one drink, man, you'll be good" and then it's all downhill because one drink leads to half a dozen. Every. fucking. time.
- system16 9y agoThe reason is that it justifies huge budgets for narcotics enforcement agencies across the country, guaranteed numbers of inmates, and employment for thousands to enforce it all.
- abledon 9y agoSee "13th" on Netflix.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- SeeDave 9y agoReally, really mixed opinions because you are totally right when it comes to alcohol, but I can't completely agree with your perspective on Marijuana. Neither are entirely healthy or can demonstrably lead to long-term positive outcomes if consumed by individuals under the age of 25 or so. These are not nutritive vitamins by any means. That said, the long-term effect of jailing African-American or Hispanic teenagers for minor possession or sale of inconsequential quantities is probably far worse. It's a real toss-up, in my opinion, so all I can say is this: completely and totally legalize Marijuana, but impose strict penalties (5+ years in jail, $xx,xxx fine, etc.) for anyone who provides or sells to anyone under 21, and intensely harsh penalties (10+ years in jail, $xxx,xxx fine) for anyone who provides or sells to anyone under 18.
- antfarm 9y agoFrom the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas movie: http://www.upout.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Vintage-Nevada-marijuana-sign-e1415719315494.png http://www.upout.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Vintage-Nevada-...