Poll: If marijuana were legal would you smoke it? / LJWorld.com

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Response		Percent	Votes
No		55%	524
Yes		44%	426
Total	950

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laredo 5 months, 2 weeks ago

What about people appling for jobs and have to take drug tests.

Hooligan_016 5 months, 2 weeks ago

That's my whole hang-up on the legalization issue :(

I would hold it to the same standard as alcohol. If you aren't drunk/high while at work, and you are doing your job, then it should not matter what you are doing (legally) at home or off company time. A little weed in the evening isn't going to impact your performance come the next morning.

mdlund0 5 months, 2 weeks ago

"A little weed in the evening isn't going to impact your performance come the next morning." I'm not convinced that that's true. Perhaps a little weed on Friday evening isn't going to impact your performance come Monday morning, but THC is metabolized much more slowly than alcohol and it isn't unreasonable to expect that 12-24 hours later the user is still experiencing a decrease in cognitive skills and motor function, even if those effects aren't recognized by the user at the time.

Hooligan_016 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Would you suspect the worker who smoked would still be more productive than another who went on a mid-week, evening bender? ;)

gccs14r 5 months, 2 weeks ago

"A little weed in the evening isn't going to impact your performance come the next morning."

Try six months.

deec 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I imagine if pot were legal, both at the state and federal level, then drug testing for its use would become a thing of the past. As it stands now, companies that drug test are free to hire hard core drunks as employees if they so choose. Alcohol use and abuse is accepted by society. Without the taint of illegality, there's no reason to think marijuana would be any different.

jhawkinsf 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Seems to me that certain jobs would still require drug testing. Driving, operating heavy machinery, even people who might easily get hurt on the job, like roofers, etc. I would think insurance companies covering those professions would still want such testing. And as far as I know, because the tests can't tell if you've used two hours ago or two weeks ago, those testing positive are putting themselves at risk of losing job opportunities.

deec 5 months, 2 weeks ago

But most companies who test for drugs don't test for alcohol, which also impairs functioning. There are lots of jobs that test for no other reason than social pressure. As you pointed out, pot stays in the system for longer than alcohol. Someone can drink themselves stupid every night and still keep their job. Someone who smoked a joint last weekend at a party can lose theirs. This is silly.

http://www.alcoholcostcalculator.org/business/about/

http://www.forbes.com/2007/09/29/marijuana-laws-work-biz-cx_qh_1001pot.html

jhawkinsf 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I can just imagine a truck driver or fork lift operator getting in an accident where someone is hurt and then failing a drug test. It won't matter if he smoked the joint an hour ago or a week ago. The test can't determine that. When the injured party sues, it will certainly bolster their case.

My guess is that employers, under pressure from insurance companies, will require more frequent and random testing of employees. If I were such an employer, looking at the potential liability, I wouldn't hire such a person. Then again, if people go into this understanding the consequences, then it's none of my business.

grammaddy 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Why wait. It works wonders on arthritis pain.

acornwebworks 5 months, 2 weeks ago

It never worked on mine.

rockchalker52 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Yah, that hazy smoke wafting over my computer screen, izzat what you call an icloud? Would have to clear it with mom first. It's still her basement.

geekin_topekan 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Legalization could not make the hard working population turn into bums any more than it could make bums become hard workers.

CWGOKU 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Drink the good stuff huh? I like a gal with class

Liberty275 4 months, 3 weeks ago

Corn whiskey is for hillbillies. Scotch is for gals with class.

westcl 5 months, 2 weeks ago

My doctor told me that there are medications that are more helpful for arthritis than marijuana. Not being a smoker of anything, I wouldn't smoke it any way. I have seen the effects on people who do.

ridikkulus 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Sleep, drive too carefully, or offer to share their Doritos with the police officer who pulls them over.

I completely agree with you, here. It's not the drugs themselves that cause death, injury, or prison time, it's the fact that they're illegal. Far more people are hurt or killed in the attempt to acquire or hide their drugs than as a direct result of use. Much like alcohol during Prohibition.

classclown 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I think this poll is stupid. Most likely this poll is a reflection of those that answered and whether or not they partake of the marijuana currently.

I don't smoke it and making it legal will not make me want to smoke it. It's just not my thing. And I seriously doubt there is anyone out there thinking "Golly. I would just love to smoke weed, but gosh darn it, it's illegal."

Of course this being Kansas, if pot was legalized here, it would probably be like beer. 3.2 weed.

clovis_sangrail 5 months, 2 weeks ago

For peace of mind in your drug tests, make your drug of choice hydrocodone. It passes out of the system quickly and often isn't tested for at all. (I think the synthetic opiates require a separate test.)

I had to take a drug test when I was on a steady diet of vicodin (for legitimate medical reasons, I assure you) and I passed with no trouble. I told the folks at the drug testing center I had a script for the stuff and they said they didn't care. They just do the test, and report the results to the employer. But the test guy did say it probably would not even show up.

CHKNLTL 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Um, since when did people wait for things to be legal? I mean, during prohibition, there was lots of booze to go around, and the laws changed to keep up with the times. Legalize it or don't, we're already a nation living in High Times.

antonioandolini 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Pot should be legal only to retired people or people with a medical condition approved by a doctor, who can't drive anymore,and use the T-Bus for transportation. Legalizing for this group limits the possibility of someone driving a car that is high and/or drunk.It also gives an incentive to the younger crowd for when they retire.

jafs 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Only if the same is true for alcohol, right?

eotw33 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Everyone I know that smokes does it before work. They have never been fired, never been tested, and excell at their jobs. And no, I'm not talking about the 17 year old making your taco, I'm talking about grown people with families and real jobs. Some who even own their own company. Reefer madness isn't a scientific documentary, it was made by the government to brainwash you and apparently worked. Also, the effects of thc wear off after hours, the fact that remains in the system does not mean your still high, by that logic, you could smoke a joint and be high for 30+ days, not how it works, wish it was, but its not

catfishturkeyhunter 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I have mixed feelings about this. In one hand I am for legalization. However, as a former toker, I will admit that I would have never tried drugs like LSD, Extacy, Coke, and Meth, if pot wasn't so harmless. I would be lying if I said pot didn't give me a false sense that all drugs were harmless like pot was supposed to be and probably is. With that said, I quit all that junk 12 years ago and did it cold turkey with out treatment or any help from friends or family. I will also say that anyone who says weed isn't addictive, is telling a bold faced lie. If your scraping the tray and smokin resin cause you can't find any bud, your most likely addicted. I dont have any beef with people who do that kind of thing, but its not for me. My time doing drugs was fun as hell, but I wasted alot of time and money getting wrapped up in that sorta thing. I am older now and I want to feel good and remember things. I don't want to feel like I just got done going 12 rounds with Mike Tyson.

blindrabbit 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Brownback wants you to pray this weekend and quit talking about the sin of pot smoking.

msezdsit 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Alcohol is legal with strict guidelines. Legalizing pot wouldn't mean everyone can just get high all the time and do whatever they want. For example, driving a car would require being under a legal limit of thc in your blood.

A bigger picture in legalization would be the effect it has on the government's so called "war on drugs", which is really a war on minorities and the governments way of circumventing the civil rights laws that have evolved over the years. All you have to do is look at the majority of the people who have had their civil rights violated in the name of the "war on drugs" fallacy.

pace 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Some employers require non smoking. of cigarettes, on or off the job.

jafs 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Really?

I don't quite see how they can mandate not smoking on one's own time.

Any examples?

Corey Williams 5 months, 2 weeks ago

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/story/2012-01-03/health-care-jobs-no-smoking/52394782/1

jafs 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Thanks.

That's odd, and I think probably wrong.

If smoking increases health care costs, let the smokers pay higher premiums, copays, etc. if necessary.

JUSME 5 months, 2 weeks ago

The worst side effects of MJ is THE munchies, medications that attempet to cure one ailment often causes blindness, loose stool, dizziness, nausea, suicidal thoughts and vomiting. I am sorry I will just take the disease I have and a GOOD JOINT and a BIG BAG or CHEETOS and OREOS!!

Katara 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I'd say you aren't helping yourself with loose stool if you have a "BIG BAG or CHEETOS and OREOS!!"

grammaddy 5 months, 2 weeks ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

phoggyjay 5 months, 2 weeks ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

cait48 5 months, 2 weeks ago

How to tell the difference between a drunk and a stoner.
A drunk will run a stop sign.
A stoner will sit there and wait for it to turn green.

I would most definitely use it but not for recreational purposes. I have severe neuropathy with, at times, excruciating nerve pain. I already take oxycodone and attend a pain management clinic. If the MJ helps with it, there is a huge difference between it and what I currently take, Oxycodone is physically addictive. MJ is not.

jafs 5 months, 2 weeks ago

That's a good joke :-)

Sorry to hear about your neuropathy.

verity 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Is it a joke if it really happened?

Liberty275 4 months, 3 weeks ago

A stoner will sit there and wait for it to turn green three times.

Fixed.

verity 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I have my memories . . . . I doubt any current reality could live up to those.

Will the quality be regulated if it is legalized? Will there be marijuana stores? Marijuana Anonymous societies? So many things to think about.

There are neighborhoods in Lawrence where one can get high just walking around in the evening. Is second-hand marijuana smoke bad for you?

verity 5 months, 2 weeks ago

The short-terms are going---and that's not always a bad thing. But I never wake up in strange places . . . .

tomatogrower 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I voted no, but then I thought if I had cancer and it would help me deal with chemo, then yes.

kernal 5 months, 2 weeks ago

It's said that cigarettes are more addictive than cocaine and they're still legal. Plus, with all the carcinogens added, they're freakin' lethal over time.

Trumbull 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I would not touch the stuff. The inhaled tars are much more "sticky" and harmful to your lungs than even cigarettes. I also have seen what it does to people who smoke it on a daily basis. Slow and stupid......all the while they think they are genius.

Having said that, I think it should be legalized. If it is your cup of tea, go for it. Much less harmful than alcohol. Alcohol destroys lives and is a huge societal cost.....and is legal. Pot is neither of those and is illegal. This does not make sense. Use it for paper and other industrial uses to. Save a few trees.