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from the isn't-smoking-indoors-illegal? dept.
A measure that would make Denver the first city in the United States to legalize the use of marijuana in such venues as clubs, bars and restaurants is expected to get enough votes to pass, backers and opponents of the initiative said on Tuesday.
The announcement comes amid a string of victories for proponents of medical and recreational marijuana use, with voters in California and Massachusetts approving ballot initiatives legalizing recreational use of the drug last week.
The Colorado measure will permit private businesses to allow marijuana use by adults in designated areas with certain exceptions. Backers of the initiative said it would make Denver the first city in the country where cannabis enthusiasts can enjoy the drug socially without fear of arrest.
"This is a victory for cannabis consumers who, like alcohol consumers, simply want the option to enjoy cannabis in social settings," Kayvan Khalatbari, a Denver businessman and lead proponent of the so-called I-300 measure, said in a statement on Tuesday.
More:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-colorado-marijuana-idUSKBN13A2YP?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
https://web.archive.org/web/20161117081010/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-colorado-marijuana-idUSKBN13A2YP?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
(Score: 3, Interesting) by pendorbound on Friday November 18 2016, @07:06PM
I'm curious what the restrictions look like. Cannabis is compared to alcohol a lot, and I'd agree their relative danger to their consumers are on par. The difference is that getting "second hand booze" from standing next to someone who's drinking in a bar isn't really a problem. I mean.. If someone pours a drink in your lap, you should probably reevaluate the life choices that made them think you're that much of an asshole, but you're not gonna get drunk from it.
Contact high from someone smoking next to you is a different thing. You need a separate room & need to think about separate air handling, etc. As much as Colorado says it's legal, lots of people can still get fired for peeing positive. Having people not going into a bars for fear they might inhale enough second hand smoke to loose their job isn't a good situation.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @08:19PM
Couple of things, first they address the second hand smoke bit with designated areas (I know, it wasn't in the summary uggghh)
The Colorado measure will permit private businesses to allow marijuana use by adults in designated areas with certain exceptions.
Now whether that is sufficient or not who knows? Also, the bars will be known as marijuana friendly. Think of it like a gay bar, if you don't want second hand gayness then don't go in!
As for marijuana being compared to alcohol, that is simply incorrect. People make the comparison just to try and get people to open their closed minds and realize that marijuana isn't going to make people crazy or violent. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Alcohol is by a very wide margin much more damaging to a person's health and is a direct cause of violence. As for DUI stuff, I don't think anyone should drive under the influence but if I had to choose I'd prefer a bunch of high people on the road instead of a bunch of drunk people. They both have an effect, but alcohol is much more detrimental. You've never heard of someone winning a gold medal while drunk, but man that snowboarder was able to do it high!
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @08:21PM
> I'd agree their relative danger to their consumers are on par.
Its not even close.
No one has died from overdosing on pot. Thousands of people die each year from overdosing on alcohol.
Practically no one becomes violent when stoned on pot. Alcohol relaxes the inhibitions that keep the inner asshole under control, causing fights, shootings and even murders to happen while under the influence.
(Score: 2) by art guerrilla on Friday November 18 2016, @08:56PM
um, no offense, but you are a virgin ?
(so to speak, i used to be a 'my body is a temple' insufferable jerk, but now i am just a plain ole insufferable jerk)
if you have ANY experience w both mj and yhe demon rum, you would KNOW -regardless of reefer madness propaganda- that not only is ther NO COMPARISON between the relative health effects, you are approximately 100 times more likely to do stupid, violent stuff on alcohol than the kind...
make yhat a thousand times...
you 'OD' on mj, you fall asleep; you OD on alcohol, you are dead or worse (you kill somebody else in a wreck)...
not to mention, i have been TRYING to catch a 'contact' high for forever, and i have never gotten high by just being around others smoking... not saying it doesnt happen, but it is not as simple as being around some diluted second-hand smoke...
(Score: 2) by t-3 on Saturday November 19 2016, @12:56AM
ODing on weed will cause vomiting, in my experience, only when I've eaten greasy food w/no tolerance (month+ no smoking). I think the inhibition-reducing effects attributed to alcohol and the calming effects attributed to weed are mosty cultural as well (placebo effect). I've seen plenty of fights in rooms full of very high people. I've also caught contact highs when in rooms with no ventilation, with many blunts and joints in rotation over some hours (card game), but only when I have no tolerance and it's a much lighter effect than if I had taken a hit or two.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @10:21PM
Yes, clearly it the person who gets the drink poured into his or her lap who is the asshole.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 19 2016, @12:02AM
Well, it's certainly not the person who puts a straw into your lap and starts drinking it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @11:24PM
Not like if you go into an establishment, and it smells like marijuana's being combusted inside, you can't notice it, unless you have absolutely no sense of smell. Sorry, your argument, while reasonable, doesn't pass the sniff test.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday November 18 2016, @11:53PM
Explain. Because it sounds like you've never smoked weed or read the article. Hear that? That's the sound of me pouring a drink in your lap.