Recreational marijuana legal here in Canada as of tomorrow

[cabanafrau]

I know trials move pretty slowly, but getting a preliminary injunction should move a lot faster.

You're operating under the assumption that a request for injunctive relief will automatically result in a favorable ruling -- one which incidentally would completely deny any and all due process to the opposing party regarding the central issue in dispute throughout the pendency of the case. It's a safe bet there will need to be a significant skirmish if the relief being granted were to be so broad.

Common sense says there are always going to be workplaces exempted from allowing even medical usage. Nobody wants a surgeon with any delayed ability to react. I'm guessing it's problematic for airline pilots and train engineers among others as well.

 

[ronandannette]

You're operating under the assumption that a request for injunctive relief will automatically result in a favorable ruling -- one which incidentally would completely deny any and all due process to the opposing party regarding the central issue in dispute throughout the pendency of the case. It's a safe bet there will need to be a significant skirmish if the relief being granted were to be so broad.

Common sense says there are always going to be workplaces exempted from allowing even medical usage. Nobody wants a surgeon with any delayed ability to react. I'm guessing it's problematic for airline pilots and train engineers among others as well.

As of now our City police and FD members are prohibited from use at any time, even off duty. The unions are considering a legal challenge but apparently a majority of the membership is currently accepting of the policy. I suspect if action is taken the policy will fall as there is no such prohibition on alcohol.

 

[cabanafrau]

As of now our City police and FD members are prohibited from use at any time, even off duty. The unions are considering a legal challenge but apparently a majority of the membership is currently accepting of the policy. I suspect if action is taken the policy will fall as there is no such prohibition on alcohol.

What happens if there are casualties due to on duty police or firefighters acting under the influence of alcohol? I'm going to guess there are longstanding policies in place already. Airline pilots have rules about alcohol use.

 

[ronandannette]

What happens if there are casualties due to on duty police or firefighters acting under the influence of alcohol? I'm going to guess there are longstanding policies in place already. Airline pilots have rules about alcohol use.

Yes, of course. The difference is that they are not prohibited from drinking while off-duty, like they are from using marijuana.

 

[NFLDERS]

You're operating under the Nobody wants a surgeon with any delayed ability to react. I'm guessing it's problematic for airline pilots and train engineers among others as well.

PROBLEMATIC as it well should be.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm curious why your doctor wouldn't prescribe it? Did he give you an explanation? And "referring" you to a website where the prescribing doctor didn't know you or anything about you seems kind of irresponsible, if he didn't believe marijuana was right for you, therapeutically.

The legal-but-illegal status of MMJ in the States has created all sorts of crazy situations in terms of access and prescribing. Each state that has legalized medicinal use sets its own rules for licensing doctors to prescribe pot. On top of that, some medical groups and hospitals have their own rules for doctors under their umbrella. Pot prescriptions can't be filled at local drug stores, only at designated dispensaries. I'm not aware of any insurance companies that are treating MMJ like other medications. And then there are the financial issues; because it is still illegal at the federal level, many banks refuse to open accounts or process payments for pot-related businesses and I've heard at least a few accountants discouraging people from investing or working in the industry because of the federal status. So there are about a million reasons why an established physician might choose not to prescribe pot even if s/he feels it is an appropriate course of treatment for a patient.

The way access exists in my state is far closer to methadone or suboxone than to antibiotics or antidepressants. There is a registry of doctors who are approved to prescribe pot, and they mostly work from clinics that specialize in MMJ rather than in ordinary private-practice or hospital settings. Some primary care docs will refer patients to seek out a MMJ prescription, but few will do the prescribing themselves.

 

[kimblebee]

nm...

 

[Domo]

In a recent survey carried out for the BBC, only 2% of youths understood that there were “health risks” associated with Cannabis use. Whilst it is safer than tobacco or alcohol for most, for some there are definitely substantial risks.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Yes, of course. The difference is that they are not prohibited from drinking while off-duty, like they are from using marijuana.

We have a standard legal measure of impairment for drinking and driving though that can be easily and accurately tested. We don't have that for marijuana. Also, most jobs that are likely to have strict prohibitions against marijuana use (police, firefighters, surgeons, FAA employees, etc), also have rules that while you can drink outside of work, you cannot show up to work with any amount of alcohol in your system, and if it's suspected that you do, it can easily be tested and confirmed. Since marijuana stays in your system far longer than alcohol, we don't have quick AND accurate tests for it yet, and have yet to really standardize levels of impairment, it's difficult to really allow for off-duty marijuana use for employees with jobs that necessitate a clear head and quick response time.

 

[mummabear]

We have a standard legal measure of impairment for drinking and driving though that can be easily and accurately tested.

Yeah, but keep in mind that it was the mid to late 60s before breathilizers were around

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Yeah, but keep in mind that it was the mid to late 60s before breathilizers were around

Actually, Rolla Harger invented the Drunkometer in the 1930s, which tested alcohol levels by having someone blow into a balloon, mixing that exhaled air with a chemical solution which would change color, and using a mathematical equation. It wasn't perfect, but it was the first test police had to detect alcohol on someone's breath when suspected of drunk driving. Robert Borkenstein took the Drunkometer, improved on it, and in 1954 created the breathalyzer.

Keep in mind as well that there weren't all that many cars up until the 1920s. Prohibition was in effect from 1920-1933, during which time alcohol consumption declined. By the time Prohibition ended, we were in the Great Depression, followed by WWII, both of which of course had an impact on car sales, the availability of gas to even drive, as well as alcohol sales. A huge number of American families didn't own cars until the 1950s, by which point the Drunkometer and then the Breathalyzer were in use.

Also, the sheer number of vehicles on the roads now vs then makes it far more likely for an impaired driver now to crash into another vehicle and hurt or kill someone else. While I don't dispute that marijuana has medicinal benefits for some people, it still causes slower reaction times as well as other kinds of impairment, which can be dangerous in situations that require a clear head, like driving, a police officer handling an armed suspect, performing surgery, flying a passenger plane, etc.

Frankly, I don't care what people choose to do in the privacy of their own homes, but there needs to be a way to accurately measure impairment for things like driving and certain jobs so that others aren't put at risk.

 

[ronandannette]

Actually, Rolla Harger invented the Drunkometer in the 1930s, which tested alcohol levels by having someone blow into a balloon, mixing that exhaled air with a chemical solution which would change color, and using a mathematical equation. It wasn't perfect, but it was the first test police had to detect alcohol on someone's breath when suspected of drunk driving. Robert Borkenstein took the Drunkometer, improved on it, and in 1954 created the breathalyzer.

Keep in mind as well that there weren't all that many cars up until the 1920s. Prohibition was in effect from 1920-1933, during which time alcohol consumption declined. By the time Prohibition ended, we were in the Great Depression, followed by WWII, both of which of course had an impact on car sales, the availability of gas to even drive, as well as alcohol sales. A huge number of American families didn't own cars until the 1950s, by which point the Drunkometer and then the Breathalyzer were in use.

Also, the sheer number of vehicles on the roads now vs then makes it far more likely for an impaired driver now to crash into another vehicle and hurt or kill someone else. While I don't dispute that marijuana has medicinal benefits for some people, it still causes slower reaction times as well as other kinds of impairment, which can be dangerous in situations that require a clear head, like driving, a police officer handling an armed suspect, performing surgery, flying a passenger plane, etc.

Frankly, I don't care what people choose to do in the privacy of their own homes, but there needs to be a way to accurately measure impairment for things like driving and certain jobs so that others aren't put at risk.

Traffic safety and enforcement has been one of the major issues cited by Law Enforcement Agencies nation-wide as a reason they are/have been against recreational legalization. I’m unclear as to whether there is any actual empirical test that can be administered to drivers for drug impairment other than blood or urine tests that can’t be administered in the field when a driver is pulled over.

To my knowledge LEOs are depending on old-school field sobriety tests of physical/mental acuity to apprehend drug-impaired drivers. There’s also a huge public awareness campaign on - ads and billboards that are just everywhere now. Hopefully they will have some impact on those (like a pp upthread) that actually seem to believe they drive better while high. It’s not a new problem though - criminally reckless idiots that do it didn’t just start last week.

 

[bcla]

Also, the sheer number of vehicles on the roads now vs then makes it far more likely for an impaired driver now to crash into another vehicle and hurt or kill someone else. While I don't dispute that marijuana has medicinal benefits for some people, it still causes slower reaction times as well as other kinds of impairment, which can be dangerous in situations that require a clear head, like driving, a police officer handling an armed suspect, performing surgery, flying a passenger plane, etc.

Depends. I've heard that habituation will often severely reduce the high, and medicinal marijuana strains are bred to have maximum CBD with lower THC.

But of course recreational users are going to want THC.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Depends. I've heard that habituation will often severely reduce the high, and medicinal marijuana strains are bred to have maximum CBD with lower THC.

But of course recreational users are going to want THC.

I use medical marijuana and there are many types , CBD exclusive ( helps with inflammation) 1:1 ratio types ( equal amounts ) plus MANY high THC products , the THC is higher and more pure then any dime bag off the street , in Florida they even sell distillate which is up to 97% pure THC plus things like shatter and crumble , all high THC .
I know most people feel more comfortable with the CBD but there IS a use and need for the THC products other then getting “ high “ some of these products can save people ( like me ) from years of opioids for terrible illness or pain .
* most street “ flower “ is maybe 13-18%

 

[kimblebee]

A store in the city has released its sale number for the first week.....



$736,124

 

[cabanafrau]

There are hair follicle tests for drug use. Very difficult to cheat. Can detect usage for quite a substantial number of days.

 

[Domo]

There are hair follicle tests for drug use. Very difficult to cheat. Can detect usage for quite a substantial number of days.

I'd heard they could prove that Egyptian rulers had taken hard drugs by the hair remains. Interesting.

 

[lifesavacation]

A store in the city has released its sale number for the first week.....



$736,124

Think of all that tax revenue that will go back into the community!

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

As of now our City police and FD members are prohibited from use at any time, even off duty. The unions are considering a legal challenge but apparently a majority of the membership is currently accepting of the policy. I suspect if action is taken the policy will fall as there is no such prohibition on alcohol.

Toronto Police officers are not allowed to have any marijuana in their system for 30 days prior to active duty which pretty much cancels out recreational use. I’m sure it willl be challenged at some point. If anything inhaling second hand smoke could be an issue. And I agree that if you can drink off duty why shouldn't you be able to smoke off duty?

That said the police officers I know well have zero interest in ever smoking marijuana.

 

[Domo]

Drug overdoses in the US are now the leading cause for death in under-50s. Just sayin'

More common than gun deaths AND car accidents combined.

They reckon a large part of this are opioids, WAY stronger than Ecstasy!