OT: Recreational use of Marijuana will be legal in Illinois

[cubd8]

When will I be able to walk into a new store that sells edibles? Will these types of stores be popping up all over the place?

For those who have been to stores like this in Denver, tell me more.

[Bandit King]

Wow! I love my state of IL now!

[superdave]

[posting from California] I think this will be a mixed-bag for Illinois. Sports-betting can't be far behind.

Positives: as others posted, QoL improves a bit for middle-class and rec smokers. Some more tax money for the public coffers.
Negatives: kids are getting hooked sooner and you'll see an uptick in stoned-out drivers on the road
Neutral: the forever war against cartels; MX cartels have shifted product to meth and even opiates (pills) and away from weed. Users are gonna use I guess

[DSand]

Go right ahead lol. It might be a theory to some but people who claim that weed is harmless is kidding themselves. And it can cause very bad negative effects in some people.

I never argued this, and you are moving the goal post.

Once again, show me credible data that shows marijuana being legal will increase the crime rate.

Don’t have to show u **** honestly. Just working on the street and seeing the effects that it has had on some people that otherwise wouldn’t have been affected by it is proof in itself. People being more regularly exposed to it without consequences can cause even more problems. Seen people who were non-violent people have really bad outbursts that would shock you due to underlying issues. People who have predisposing issues can now use the drug without consequence which can cause havoc for people/workers who have to deal with these issues on a regular. I guess to the general population it’s a non issue but for people who are working on the streets and have to encounter these issues everyday it becomes more real.

If you were an EMT then I'm sure you encountered many more heart related emergencies than pot induced psychosis. But I don't see you railing against cheeseburgers and french fries and the obesity epidemic. There are major problems in this country that are purposely overshadowed by hot button issues like big, bad marijuana.

[Mbrahv0528]

[posting from California] I think this will be a mixed-bag for Illinois. Sports-betting can't be far behind.

Positives: as others posted, QoL improves a bit for middle-class and rec smokers. Some more tax money for the public coffers.
Negatives: kids are getting hooked sooner and you'll see an uptick in stoned-out drivers on the road
Neutral: the forever war against cartels; MX cartels have shifted product to meth and even opiates (pills) and away from weed. Users are gonna use I guess

Stats from the state's this far refute your notion that more kids are smoking. Care to provide a source for that information?

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[transplant]

I don't gamble and I don't like pot.

This said, I'm very happy that the state has approved recreational marijuana and looks like it will significantly expand legal gambling opportunities.

Politicians, particularly in Illinois, are pathologically wasteful with public money. I've learned that this is true regardless of party affiliation so there's nothing I can do about it. All I can hope for is that they focus their revenue-gathering fangs on items for which I don't partake. I encourage them to next legalize prostitution.

[NWIBullsFan]

There's needs to be some clarity in what is being discussed. I mean, Cannibis is the plant; also commonly referred to as marijuana. But marijuana is also used to describe the mixture of several hundred different chemical compounds. One or a few of which, for example, THC are psycho-active. But the marijuana mixture also contains some compounds which have been shown to be of medicinal benefit for their anti-anxiety and anti-inflammatory characteristics.

I don't care if they legalize smoking the plant or not. But they should definitely have some regulatory standard; maybe even drug labeling with approximate percentages. Anybody who has smoked for the last 10+ years knows that what is available now, is significantly different than what was available then. Genetic engineering could yield unimaginable results, and not all good.

I can only speak for Oregon, but everything is labeled with the THC% (and the CBD%). Weed, edibles, concentrates, all of it.

But IL is obviously planning the same system, as they plan to tax products with over 35% THC at a higher level.

[JockItch43]

I never argued this, and you are moving the goal post.

Once again, show me credible data that shows marijuana being legal will increase the crime rate.

Don’t have to show u **** honestly. Just working on the street and seeing the effects that it has had on some people that otherwise wouldn’t have been affected by it is proof in itself. People being more regularly exposed to it without consequences can cause even more problems. Seen people who were non-violent people have really bad outbursts that would shock you due to underlying issues. People who have predisposing issues can now use the drug without consequence which can cause havoc for people/workers who have to deal with these issues on a regular. I guess to the general population it’s a non issue but for people who are working on the streets and have to encounter these issues everyday it becomes more real.

Your grasp of mental illness is really poor if you’re suggesting otherwise in-control people all of the sudden lose it primarily because they smoke weed. I mean that’s a hell of a stance that really flies in the face of what mental illness is and frankly, I won’t stand for it.

Completely absurd... believing that these people (a small percentage overall of those that will partake) would be completely fine if not for smoking weed and falling into some kind of violent psychosis state. Ridiculous

[NWIBullsFan]

Don’t have to show u **** honestly. Just working on the street and seeing the effects that it has had on some people that otherwise wouldn’t have been affected by it is proof in itself. People being more regularly exposed to it without consequences can cause even more problems. Seen people who were non-violent people have really bad outbursts that would shock you due to underlying issues. People who have predisposing issues can now use the drug without consequence which can cause havoc for people/workers who have to deal with these issues on a regular. I guess to the general population it’s a non issue but for people who are working on the streets and have to encounter these issues everyday it becomes more real.

Your grasp of mental illness is really poor if you’re suggesting otherwise in-control people all of the sudden lose it primarily because they smoke weed. I mean that’s a hell of a stance that really flies in the face of what mental illness is and frankly, I won’t stand for it.

Completely absurd... believing that these people (a small percentage overall of those that will partake) would be completely fine if not for smoking weed and falling into some kind of violent psychosis state. Ridiculous

It's also quite absurd to suggest that there are people out there who don't smoke weed just because it's illegal, and that they're going to start smoking just because it's legal.

Serious question - does anyone who is reading this know any non-smokers who are going to start smoking now that it's legal??

[CBS7]

Basically I just vape.
Weed is a poison but the decriminalization makes it more humane for consumption as it can provide medicinal advantages

Poison? It's a goddamn plant. Where do you people come up with this nonsense? Holy hell. Again, exactly why we have prohibition in the first place.

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I'm not against weed legalization but "it's a goddamn plant" isn't really a good counterpoint here. There are plenty of plants that are actual poison that will kill you.

[Mbrahv0528]

Basically I just vape.
Weed is a poison but the decriminalization makes it more humane for consumption as it can provide medicinal advantages

Poison? It's a goddamn plant. Where do you people come up with this nonsense? Holy hell. Again, exactly why we have prohibition in the first place.

Sent from my SM-G975U using RealGM mobile app

I'm not against weed legalization but "it's a goddamn plant" isn't really a good counterpoint here. There are plenty of plants that are actual poison that will kill you.

Awesome, Marijuana isn't one of them. Hyperbole much?

Sent from my SM-G975U using RealGM mobile app

[rtblues]

Go right ahead lol. It might be a theory to some but people who claim that weed is harmless is kidding themselves. And it can cause very bad negative effects in some people.

I never argued this, and you are moving the goal post.

Once again, show me credible data that shows marijuana being legal will increase the crime rate.

Don’t have to show u **** honestly. Just working on the street and seeing the effects that it has had on some people that otherwise wouldn’t have been affected by it is proof in itself. People being more regularly exposed to it without consequences can cause even more problems. Seen people who were non-violent people have really bad outbursts that would shock you due to underlying issues. People who have predisposing issues can now use the drug without consequence which can cause havoc for people/workers who have to deal with these issues on a regular. I guess to the general population it’s a non issue but for people who are working on the streets and have to encounter these issues everyday it becomes more real.

Your data. statistics and analysis seem a bit, well, unsupported.
You cite, "Just working on the street and seeing the effects that it has had on some people that otherwise wouldn’t have been affected by it is proof in itself."

Proof? Hmm, it's not very scientific, or proof of anything. It also seems that you are able to somehow determine who has used weed by looking at people on the street, interesting. It also does not consider that perhaps a person with pre-existing mental problems smoked some weed. Whack jobs do crazy ish with or without weed. Your random personal observations and assumptions about those observations don't seem credible and read more like your own opinions.

[ChiCitySPORTS#1]

I really have no problem with this so long as downtown doesn’t turn into SF. Was there recently and place smelled like weed almost everywhere. Could use the tax revenue, so cool.

[Ccwatercraft]

Your grasp of mental illness is really poor if you’re suggesting otherwise in-control people all of the sudden lose it primarily because they smoke weed. I mean that’s a hell of a stance that really flies in the face of what mental illness is and frankly, I won’t stand for it.

Completely absurd... believing that these people (a small percentage overall of those that will partake) would be completely fine if not for smoking weed and falling into some kind of violent psychosis state. Ridiculous

It's also quite absurd to suggest that there are people out there who don't smoke weed just because it's illegal, and that they're going to start smoking just because it's legal.

Serious question - does anyone who is reading this know any non-smokers who are going to start smoking now that it's legal??

Yes, i can think of about 10 people. But I guess it's how you define it because those 10 people might be ones that will say yes, take one hit, instead of decline if they're at a party or something maybe every once in a while they'll go and buy a $10 joint. Whatever. I wouldn't expect that any of them would turn into a heavy regular smoker.

But a heavy smoker these days is kind of loosely defined as well because it's not like the 70s and 80s with big fat joints, generally speaking people are smoking the stuff pretty efficiently, small doses in tiny little bowls, some might be doing it a couple times a day, but tons of people would like to do it once every couple of weeks. Tons of people just want to be able to chill at their house catch a little buzz on weed watch john wick, instead of drinking a cup of vodka cranberries.

Those people would just prefer to be able to buy their weed at an authorized dispensary instead of meeting friend of a friend in the parking lot at Jewel.

[Ccwatercraft]

Side comment for those that brought up gambling as a revenue Source although I'm in support of legalization of marijuana there really isn't any positive in my opinion that gambling brings. It may bring in Revenue but it's the expense of the population.

That's my opinion only I'm not going to quote facts but when I walk through the casinos around here in Florida when I basically see it's a lot of Social Security checks getting cashed, tons of old people just slam and money into slot machines and random guys wearing $10 shirts betting 25 a hand on blackjack. I see more social negatives with gambling than I do marijuana.

[League Circles]

Side comment for those that brought up gambling as a revenue Source although I'm in support of legalization of marijuana there really isn't any positive in my opinion that gambling brings. It may bring in Revenue but it's the expense of the population.

That's my opinion only I'm not going to quote facts but when I walk through the casinos around here in Florida when I basically see it's a lot of Social Security checks getting cashed, tons of old people just slam and money into slot machines and random guys wearing $10 shirts betting 25 a hand on blackjack. I see more social negatives with gambling than I do marijuana.

You may be on to something here but perhaps those people would just buy the scratch lottery tickets with the same money. Or revert to illegal gambling, bingo etc.

I tend to think stuff like this is a wise tax on stupidity. Basically if people don't want to do useful things with their money, the state will take it away and do it for them. Well, this is Illinois, so I guess the state would only be pretending to do something good with it, but that's a start.

[TheSuzerain]

No thanks on a casino

[RedBulls23]

Your grasp of mental illness is really poor if you’re suggesting otherwise in-control people all of the sudden lose it primarily because they smoke weed. I mean that’s a hell of a stance that really flies in the face of what mental illness is and frankly, I won’t stand for it.

Completely absurd... believing that these people (a small percentage overall of those that will partake) would be completely fine if not for smoking weed and falling into some kind of violent psychosis state. Ridiculous

It's also quite absurd to suggest that there are people out there who don't smoke weed just because it's illegal, and that they're going to start smoking just because it's legal.

Serious question - does anyone who is reading this know any non-smokers who are going to start smoking now that it's legal??

I don't smoke, and haven't in a while, but I'll look into getting something to help with my anxiety and time to time.

But, no, I'm not going to start smoking everyday or regularly just because it's legal now.

[Ccwatercraft]

Side comment for those that brought up gambling as a revenue Source although I'm in support of legalization of marijuana there really isn't any positive in my opinion that gambling brings. It may bring in Revenue but it's the expense of the population.

That's my opinion only I'm not going to quote facts but when I walk through the casinos around here in Florida when I basically see it's a lot of Social Security checks getting cashed, tons of old people just slam and money into slot machines and random guys wearing $10 shirts betting 25 a hand on blackjack. I see more social negatives with gambling than I do marijuana.

You may be on to something here but perhaps those people would just buy the scratch lottery tickets with the same money. Or revert to illegal gambling, bingo etc.

I tend to think stuff like this is a wise tax on stupidity. Basically if people don't want to do useful things with their money, the state will take it away and do it for them. Well, this is Illinois, so I guess the state would only be pretending to do something good with it, but that's a start.

Yes I can see both sides and I don't have a dog in this fight so whatever happens happens.

The only Annoying Thing I really found what I was in Washington state which legalized some time ago was the occasional person in line with me at a tourist stop reeking of weed because they did a smoke out of their car before they showed up.

I can live with that & any other negative effects that may happen.

[Mapelgleaf]

Glad some of you guys are happy because while they were passing legalized pot, they taxed the @&#!* out of us at the same time.

$80 billion spent with no reforms whatsoever and no property tax relief at all (we have some of the highest in the nation in case you didn’t know). Also let’s not forget the tax added to gas now too.

To add insult to injury, they rushed things last minute with a 180+ page bill they were expected to vote on then and there that “conveniently” throws a 2.5% raise to them as well. Whoops - that was an “error” that shouldn’t have made it through... except it did.

I realize some of my fellow Bulls fans may live in the city and so a lot of this doesn’t matter, and I won’t make this a R vs D thing here on a Bulls message board, but it’s absolutely killing the rest of us.

But hey, they made pot legal!