Two polls show support for legal marijuana waning in Colorado, nationaly

Hmmmm let the state regulate things......i told you so......

..."there is unhappiness in the way regulations are handled by the state."......

Numbers show that 49 percent of those polled, >>do not<<approve of >>how the state is managing pot, compared to 42 percent who approve.

A Suffolk University/USA Today poll found that about >>half of Coloradans are >>not happy with the new marijuana law and how it is administered.

. "This is offset by younger voters between 18 and 45 who still support it by a 20-point margin."

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Two polls show support for legal marijuana waning in Colorado, nationally
September 28, 2014

It might be characterized as a couple of "I told you so" victories for those who oppose the legalization of marijuana.

Two recent polls show that support of legalized marijuana have waned, and that there is unhappiness in the way regulations are handled by the state.

<<<<(damn that looks fun)

A Suffolk University/USA Today poll found that about half of Coloradans are not happy with the new marijuana law and how it is administered.

"Although it's a close split overall, opposition comes mainly from women statewide who oppose it 56 percent to 41 percent and additional push back from voters over 55 years of age," Dave Paleologos, director of the Boston-based Suffolk University Political Research Center, noted on the center's website. "This is offset by younger voters between 18 and 45 who still support it by a 20-point margin."

Numbers show that 49 percent of those polled, >>>>do not approve of how the state is managing pot, compared to 42 percent who approve.

Another poll this week, by the Public Religion Research Institute says national support for legalized marijuana has fallen from 51 percent in 2013 to 44 percent this year. The drop was concentrated among those who had favored marijuana, but not those who strongly favored legalization. Opposition increased among those who strongly opposed legal marijuana, according to the Sept. 23 American Values Survey 2014 conducted by PRRI.

Diane Carlson,a founder of Smart Colorado, which campaigned against Amendment 64, says there needs to be more enforcement and also preventive education for kids.

"This has been an incredibly complicated and daunting task for the state," she said. "And unfortunately certain municipalities moved forward before protections could be put in place."

Colorado started selling recreational marijuana on Jan. 1, becoming the first state to do so, although it is illegal at the federal level. Voters approved the initiative in 2012 by a vote of 55.3 percent to 44.7 percent against. State voters approved medical marijuana in 2000.

Since then polls have come fast and furious, and they are fickle. For example, an NBC/Maris poll this summer said 55 percent of adults favor the legal status.

Rachel Gillette, executive director of Colorado NORML (National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws), said the plethora of polls should be taken with a grain of salt.

"None of them can be counted on for complete accuracy," she said.

But bottom line, all this polling doesn't change anthing.

Andrew Freedman,the governor's director of marijuana coordination, said in an email, "Polls may differ on support for marijuana throughout Colorado. In the end, there's really only one poll that matters: Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment legalizing use and sale of recreational marijuana."

He added, "While the governor and others initially opposed Amendment 64, this is no longer a political issue - Democracy demands carrying out the will of the voters and implementing marijuana legalization as fairly, efficiently, effectively and safely as possible."

Skyler McKinley, deputy director of marijuana coordination, added that it's too early for a definitive evaluation.

"It's not all been successful, but in specific areas we are doing very well."

McKinley said from day one there was a strong regulatory oversight system in place that focused on youth prevention, public safety and public health. And the state created a comprehensive tax structure that pays for the regulation and education.

One thing is for sure: Sales are puffing along. Figures released by the state Department of Revenue this month show that recreational pot outsold medical marijuana for the first time in July.

Dispensaries generated $29.7 million in sales versus $28.9 million for medical marijuana, according to Marijuana Business Daily, which projects that Colorado could have a quarter billion dollars in total marijuana sales this year.

"It's a great social experiment," Gillette said. "Reform takes time. You don't go out of the box perfectly. We will have lessons to be learned along the way."

Read more at http://gazette.com/two-polls-show-support-for-legal-marijuana-waning-in-colorado-nationally/article/1538438#he6wHtZPfcx1xmvZ.99

"The more rules you have the more challenging it is because we are driving up the price," Slaugh said.
(ya think....?)

Marijuana testing facilities will "only" test product from licensed cultivation centers, not home growers or medical marijuana caregivers

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Colorado rolling out >30<new tests to >regulate< marijuana industry

Medical and retail marijuana dispensaries in Colorado will receive about 30 new rules related to almost every aspect of their businesses.

The state Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) released the new rules Thursday. They change such things as the start-up licensing fees, and rules for cultivation, production, edibles, sales, employee training and product testing. Right down to a hand-washing requirement.

State officials have contended that Colorado's recreational marijuana industry is a work in progress, and these new standards underscore that fact.

"I think the new rules make a lot of sense," said Mark Slaugh, CEO of iComply, a cannabis industry compliance and consulting firm. "We're putting out consumer education and teaching business owners and workers how to be responsible vendors, from a business decision, it's a no-brainer."

Among the new rules is a revision of a proposal that caused an uproar at a hearing earlier this month, production caps on greenhouse or outdoor grows.

The proposed rule would have allowed greenhouses to produce only half the amount of plants allowed at indoor or warehouse operations. The new rules do not make that distinction and allow the same number of plants, >>3,600, for the first-level cultivation process.

"I think that the state really listened to the greenhouse workers and was responsive to the impassioned testimony," said Meg Collins, executive director of the Cannabis Business Association, and a member of the work group committee writing the production rules.

The enforcement division also established minimum "responsible vendor training" requirements along with minimum public health and safety requirements for anyone manufacturing edible marijuana products.

The state has issued 18,666 marijuana occupational licenses. Each individual with a license will be required to meet new minimum training standards if hired by a shop, cultivation center, testing facility or product manufacturer. There are 496 licensed medical shops and another 242 recreational stores in Colorado. The state has received 177 additional applications for recreational stores and grow operations that could be approved by Oct. 1.

"I believe it's our responsibility to be as safe as we can be and make sure every bud tender and customer knows what to expect," said Brian Ruden, a retail and medical marijuana store owner in Denver, Louisville and Colorado Springs. "It's just better for the industry to err on the side of caution when the whole country - everyone - is looking at the industry now."

Aside from safety and health training, new rules will also normalize the amount of marijuana found in any edible - ensuring that a single serving size has no more than 10 milligrams of active THC, the intoxicating chemical in marijuana. "So that could be something as small as a peanut butter cup or bonbon or as large as a soda," said iComply's Slaugh. "If there is more than one serving in the product, it has to be easily identified."

The serving size rule is meant to ensure a more safe consumption of edible marijuana. Edibles have a greater risk for over consumption because the digestion of marijuana causes a later onset of the effects.

Some people respond by eating more.

Testing requirements have also changed. MED will not only require testing for potency in edibles, but also for chemicals like pesticides and for the presence of fungi.

>>>>>"I already spend a small fortune every month testing, and that is only going up because of all the other things they are testing," Ruden said. "I'm excited for more responsible regulation, but frustrated with the expenses, the licensing fees, taxes and testing."

Others expressed concern with what the new rules don't include.

Marijuana testing facilities will only test product from licensed cultivation centers, not home growers or medical marijuana caregivers.

"We're still not able to know how to dose," said Ashley Weber, medical marijuana patient and caregiver advocate. "From a caregiver's side, not being able to test means you don't know what you're giving your patient and you are never going to be able to be on a consistent level. And for parents with kids with epilepsy, (they) can't know if they are overmedicating their children (or) when (to) give the medication."

MED has not yet considered expanding testing services to caregivers.

Others were concerned that the mass of new regulations might mean more costs, and continuing competitions from the black or gray markets.

"The more rules you have the more challenging it is because we are driving up the price," Slaugh said.

"We can offer a consistent, safe product and a wider variety and you don't have to deal with a drug dealer - I think legitimate market will always drive away the black market - except for the price."




Read more at http://gazette.com/colorado-rolling-out-30-new-tests-to-regulate-marijuana-industry/article/1538441#3ATPD1FgMfVKIccF.99

lot of hands in the cookie jar

Not everybody in Michigan is pleased with MM. I voted for it of course but at the time thought it was going to be only for those with little time left to live, like under a year. Now I see young adults getting it for pain or post-stress...unreal. Don't get me wrong, I believe all people should have a right to use MM.

As for the price increasing , thats mainly cause the demand has shot up, IMO...you got folks from Ohio driving in, they coming in from all over. The black market is also growing and taking weed off the shelfs

If more states become legal, then the supply might start catching up. We need big farms/greenhouses growing pot...then they would really start screaming, ha ha

Tax & regulate people are traitors to the cause .

Skylor said:

Not everybody in Michigan is pleased with MM. I voted for it of course but at the time thought it was going to be only for those with little time left to live, like under a year. Now I see young adults getting it for pain or post-stress...unreal. Don't get me wrong, I believe all people should have a right to use MM.

As for the price increasing , thats mainly cause the demand has shot up, IMO...you got folks from Ohio driving in, they coming in from all over. The black market is also growing and taking weed off the shelfs

If more states become legal, then the supply might start catching up. We need big farms/greenhouses growing pot...then they would really start screaming, ha ha

Click to expand...

I take exception to your comment. "Now I see young adults getting it for pain or post-stress...unreal". What the fuck is that supposed to mean? That almost sounds like the bullshit I hear coming from cops with a distorted view on reality where visual appearance determines eligibility for treatment. Grow the fuck up is my suggestion and stay out of others' business as to the reasons they choose to use marijuana.

The price would probably be going up because like any new business, you initially take a loss to bring in new customers and future regular clientele and then eventually the price has to stabilize to a more reasonable rate for the business to remain viable. That's not rocket science, just common sense.

I do find it is BS sometimes. If you got enough time and money for the doctors you can be legal. No I'm no cop but I do have eyes. There was some 22 year old gal who was found murder a few weeks back, she had MM for PTSD...I went to high times in Flint last July, I seen a bunch of healthy looking young adults in the medication area. The way the law is written most everybody could be legal, IMO...that PTSD blows the doors open. Almost get raped, that could cause PTSD, go to jail or get beaten up or just get bullied, that could create PTSD or pain issues. are you just growing old, well pain becomes a fact of life.

IMO this MMMP is just a way to let only people with enough time and money--and drive to get their stuff in order. Michigan--make that the USA--should just legalize weed for all adults and get rid of all the red tape and hoops one has to jump through.

The people getting busted for weed in Michigan are the poor or the uneducated. The people who have extra money and know what they are doing, have no problems getting legal for MM, IMO

U know maybe I'm bitter, bitter that I'm older now and we didn't have MM when I was younger. It was still ok back then but this is awesome now in some ways. I just wished it would have happen earlier, like 10--15 years ago. Man I wish weed was legal for all adults in Michigan..that likely will happen when I'm very-very old, ha ha. It stinks I can not feel free the share weed with just any adult person, legal weed for all adults would change that.

Oh well, gotta be thankful for what we do have and thats a lot more then what we had in the past..hasn't even been a full year weeds been legal for sale in Colorado..I guess I'm wishing for too much too soon

The problem is federal prohibition via the controlled substances act, And, the money/business side of things.

The government types want to eliminate competition for the competing businesses in which they are currently heavily invested (such as the private prison industrial complex and "big pharma"), and the state-legal/tax-regulate types are opportunists trying to be the next facebook or anheiser busch.

There is a problem with the whole "state legal" thing anyway: Federal law trumps state law. If it didn't, slavery would still be legal in the south.

Everyone is operating on the assumption that they have the right to dictate whether i am allowed to put a plant in my body for a beneficial purpose, at my own discretion.

They DO NOT. They do not have that right. They never did and never will.

Therefore, cannabis prohibition was never legitimate, never valid, never acceptable, and will never be justifiable. Never.

Ergo: it needs to be repealed, abolished, and the constitution amended to prevent prohibition from ever being reinstated.

There is zero valid argument in favor of anyone restricting what i may or may not do TO MYSELF, WITH MY OWN BODY...

UNLESS i endanger someone Else or Their property, in the process.

I don't believe that the SCOTUS actually believes they have the right to impose either violence or forcible confinement upon anyone, for anything that person wants to do with their own body.

This is Obviously a conspiracy. Many people from many organizations have worked together to make things as they are, which has always been unjustifiable, unconstitutional, and therefore invalid.


Back on topic: Polls are deliberately used to sway public opinion. Polls do not ask everyone the same question, and even if they did, not everyone is operating on equal footing, and not everyone actually understands the fundamental basis of the issue. Plus, some people are psychopaths, and don't give a shit how their desire to manipulate the system to amass wealth, harms innocent people. They probably figure that buying laws will convince people that any particular thing "is wrong," or will at least minimize competition to their accessible method of gains.

Then, of course, there's the fact that people are finally realizing what a sham "state legal" and "tax and regulate" really are. Lack of support for that, does not translate to lack of support for cannabis freedom, but certain organizations promoting such polls which appear to show such things, want to use those misrepresented and incomplete results, to sway public opinion, and to insinuate that "oh, look, they realized weed is actually not good! Ha ha!" Those people are evil as shit, and they're still running the show. That has to change before we can make appropriate corrections to this debacle.

reasonevangelist said:

The problem is federal prohibition via the controlled substances act, And, the money/business side of things.

The government types want to eliminate competition for the competing businesses in which they are currently heavily invested (such as the private prison industrial complex and "big pharma"), and the state-legal/tax-regulate types are opportunists trying to be the next facebook or anheiser busch.

There is a problem with the whole "state legal" thing anyway: Federal law trumps state law. If it didn't, slavery would still be legal in the south.

Everyone is operating on the assumption that they have the right to dictate whether i am allowed to put a plant in my body for a beneficial purpose, at my own discretion.

They DO NOT. They do not have that right. They never did and never will.

Therefore, cannabis prohibition was never legitimate, never valid, never acceptable, and will never be justifiable. Never.

Ergo: it needs to be repealed, abolished, and the constitution amended to prevent prohibition from ever being reinstated.

There is zero valid argument in favor of anyone restricting what i may or may not do TO MYSELF, WITH MY OWN BODY...

UNLESS i endanger someone Else or Their property, in the process.

I don't believe that the SCOTUS actually believes they have the right to impose either violence or forcible confinement upon anyone, for anything that person wants to do with their own body.

This is Obviously a conspiracy. Many people from many organizations have worked together to make things as they are, which has always been unjustifiable, unconstitutional, and therefore invalid.


Back on topic: Polls are deliberately used to sway public opinion. Polls do not ask everyone the same question, and even if they did, not everyone is operating on equal footing, and not everyone actually understands the fundamental basis of the issue. Plus, some people are psychopaths, and don't give a shit how their desire to manipulate the system to amass wealth, harms innocent people. They probably figure that buying laws will convince people that any particular thing "is wrong," or will at least minimize competition to their accessible method of gains.

Then, of course, there's the fact that people are finally realizing what a sham "state legal" and "tax and regulate" really are. Lack of support for that, does not translate to lack of support for cannabis freedom, but certain organizations promoting such polls which appear to show such things, want to use those misrepresented and incomplete results, to sway public opinion, and to insinuate that "oh, look, they realized weed is actually not good! Ha ha!" Those people are evil as shit, and they're still running the show. That has to change before we can make appropriate corrections to this debacle.

Click to expand...

I would say the good citizens there are finally waking up to the --dialectic-- being perpetrated on them

they dont like being on a 'list'

and with recreational the whole thing explodes
....who needs to be on a list when everyone and their granpa is growing the stuf for $

you can get it on any corner there now and usually better than most of the dispensaries.....like here-

how can you enforce laws no one follows....?

this is what happened in cali......everyone dropped off the lists....after too many were busted-

and just a dr recommendation was enough to justify your medical use in court.....

somthing they took right away here in michigan intentionally-

now it has to be 'bona fide'--

--you have the same defense here as you had before the law.....
only now you can pay lawyers more $ for the privilege to try and get a medical defense-

but violate even 'one' clause of their "quasi" law and your fucked.....
-not even allowed to say the word 'medical marijuana ' in court

same law as we always had......
-but now they've increased the penalties.....

buckaroo bonzai said:

I would say the good citizens there are finally waking up to the --dialectic-- being perpetrated on them

they dont like being on a 'list'

and with recreational the whole thing explodes
....who needs to be on a list when everyone and their granpa is growing the stuf for $

you can get it on any corner there now and usually better than most of the dispensaries.....like here-

how can you enforce laws no one follows....?

this is what happened in cali......everyone dropped off the lists....after too many were busted-

and just a dr recommendation was enough to justify your medical use in court.....

somthing they took right away here in michigan intentionally-

now it has to be 'bona fide'--

--you have the same defense here as you had before the law.....
only now you can pay lawyers more $ for the privilege to try and get a medical defense-

but violate even 'one' clause of their "quasi" law and your fucked.....
-not even allowed to say the word 'medical marijuana ' in court

same law as we always had......
-but now they've increased the penalties.....

Click to expand...

I can't even say "legalize it" anymore without feeling disgusted. Someone pointed out to me, not so long ago, the difference between "legalization" and "repeal of prohibition," and i can't go back.

Repeal, at the federal level, is the only acceptable solution. They have to stop unjustly penalizing people and ruining innocent lives.

It will soon come time for another "we, the people, hold these truths to be self-evident..." speech.

If they refuse to be reasonable, we'll have to fight a literal war. It's gonna be ugly.

In a way the governments are using MM to prevent full legalization. Maybe they should have tried that with alcohol in 1933

Its like OK, its legal for U but not "them"...if "them" doesn't like it, they can move to a more friendly state. As more and more people want MM, MM is expanding to other states. Most the time MM is good enough for those people and it ends there but new ground was broken with Colorado and cheers to Obama for not stepping in and trying to stop legal weed sales to all adults in Colorado.

Next month hopefully 3 others states will vote to legalize weed for all adults.

Don't believe the polls, as more states legalize weed, it will gain more support. Nothing really bad has happen yet with legal weed sales and as time goes on, it might show that stuff like DUI arrests/accidents go down in states with legal weed. Thats going to take some time to find out for sure...they sure are not increasing or big media would have jumped right on it by now.

reasonevangelist said:

.......Someone pointed out to me, not so long ago, the difference between "legalization" and "repeal of prohibition," and i can't go back.....
.

Click to expand...

now your gettin it!

it was pointed out to me years ago.......

Skylor said:

In a way the governments are using MM to prevent legalization. Maybe they should have tried that with alcohol, try to control it more.

Its like OK, its legal for U but not "them"...if "them" doesn't like it, they can move to a more friendly state. As more and more people want MM, MM is expanding to other states. Most the time MM is good enough for those people and it ends there but new ground was broken with Colorado and cheers to Obama for not stepping in and trying to stop legal weed sales to all adults in Colorado.

Next month hopefully 3 others states will vote to legalize weed for all adults.

Don't believe the polls, as more states legalize weed, it will gain more support. Nothing really bad has happen yet with legal weed sales and as time goes on, it might show that stuff like DUI arrests/accidents go down in states with legal weed. Thats going to take some time to find out for sure...they sure are not increasing or big media would have jumped right on it by now.

Click to expand...

But that's just it: they are clinging to an unjustifiable basis for law.

I do not need a doctor to say it's okay for me to exercise my human rights. All i need is discomfort or boredom, and access to plant material. It's my right as a human being. It's everyone's right, regardless of whether their government acknowledges it.

We do not need permission, but they are trying to get people to accept a paradigm in which some external entity is required to "permit" us to use any particular thing in our own body.

I have already given myself permission to do anything that makes me feel better, with the crucial stipulation that i do not cause harm to another person or their property, in the process of any of my desired activities. They have no valid response to that fundamentally irrefutable position, other than "well we say so."

I say no one else can own me or decide what i do with my own body. If someone tries, they force me to defend myself accordingly. That's their choice, and any negative outcome of their imposition of unjustifiable restriction, is their fault, not mine. They are endangering people, not me. They are the criminals, not us.

Skylor said:

.... cheers to Obama for not stepping in and trying to stop legal weed sales to all adults in Colorado.....

Click to expand...

he didnt have to....

-they moved the CIA there long before the law went into effect.....

you know the CIA that imports heroin and cocaine on multi ton levels....

Polls tell nothing. Especially polls done by religious whack jobs.

Hay buckaroo, did you look up those people that did the polls? Do you know if they have a biased point of view? Are they even credible?

I just can't believe if anybody else was the president, weed would be sold to any adults right now non medically. Yeah I understand about coke and heroin, neither can be grown in the USA, not even in greenhouses, it all gets smuggled into the country. Since 9/11 the borders are more secured then ever yet heroin abuse is at record highs. I've bitched about that too in the past, how is such a pain the cross the border yet somehow tons and tons of heroin makes it across. Make me wait 30 mins in line at the border, OK fine but if the border is so secured, how is all the heroin getting into the USA ?

I really hated to believe the CIA or another agency is importing the junk into the USA but nothing really surprises me much anymore. I still like to believe it comes down to being stupid, just like how Ebola got into the USA....U know that dude went to the hospital and told them he felt like sh*t and was in Africa and they sent him back home thinking he just had the flu

Us pot smokers might well do a better job but hey, we are unqualified to work the border since we use weed

Skylor said:

I just can't believe if anybody else was the president, weed would be sold to any adults right now non medically. Yeah I understand about coke and heroin, neither can be grown in the USA, not even in greenhouses, it all gets smuggled into the country. Since 9/11 the borders are more secured then ever yet heroin abuse is at record highs. I've bitched about that too in the past, how is such a pain the cross the border yet somehow tons and tons of heroin makes it across. Make me wait 30 mins in line at the border, OK fine but if the border is so secured, how is all the heroin getting into the USA ?

I really hated to believe the CIA or another agency is importing the junk into the USA but nothing really surprises me much anymore. I still like to believe it comes down to being stupid, just like how Ebola got into the USA....U know that dude went to the hospital and told them he felt like sh*t and was in Africa and they sent him back home thinking he just had the flu

Us pot smokers might well do a better job but hey, we are unqualified to work the border since we use weed

Click to expand...

It's maliciousness, not incompetence.

They are not stupid, they are evil.

Maybe, I would love to see the USA go totally drug free and see what happens. That means no alcohol, no happy pills, no pain pills, nothing that interferes with ones thinking. Then see how long we are happy with the way things are today.

I said this before as well...."if things are so great in the USA, how come the demand for drugs is so high"....if life is so great, then why the need for so many drugs ?

Some countries men can have more then one wife, thats unheard of over here--and maybe it is unfair to the women--yet those counties seem to get by using less drugs then the USA does. Some counties alcohol is banned and shunned..here we need booze to have a "good time"

I don't know, I don't like to criticize too much cause I never lived or even visited those other countries, maybe life still does stink for many over there, I don't know..