I have been reading these articles lately from the Denver Post about marijuana dispensaries being closed down in small towns (namely Fort Collins) around Colorado. It seems the communities in these areas have a problem with these businesses in their communities. For some reason they have this idea that these types of businesses, like strip clubs, should be something that is out of sight and out of mind. I have to say that, contrary to the 17 year old in my head that’s screaming foul, I think they’re right.
For the sake of full disclosure, I have to admit that when I was in high school I tried marijuana. I even inhaled. OK, I tried it when I was nine, and pretty much inhaled until I was 19. I also smoked cigarettes from age 11 until 22. For those keeping track, marijuana was my gateway drug to tobacco. In my opinion, cigarettes are a MUCH more dangerous chemical. It’s a wonder I can still breathe. I have never done any other drugs, or even drank alcohol. I have never understood the draw of alcohol. Why would anyone want to do something that, in the end, was going to make them hurl a week’s worth of food? I was of the mind that if I overdid something, I would rather eat a week’s worth of food.
Anyway, back to the discussion of marijuana dispensaries. I have no problem with people making the decision to partake in such activities. I really do think that there is a medical need in many cases. However, the lack of oversight for these places is frightening. There is no Federal oversight other than it being illegal, and the State has little knowledge of how to handle these institutions. In point of fact, most of them are hangouts for your general neighborhood pot head. Anyone…and I mean ANYONE can get a prescription to use this stuff. It’s like a Viagra prescription: Fill out a questionnaire online, and you have one.
And don’t think that all that hang out there are the skateboarder dropouts. Some of these people operate motor vehicles and have some pretty hefty house payments to go with their skateboards. I worked as a project manager for a cell phone aggregator. I can tell you that on any given day, many of my co-workers were stoned because they spent lunch time getting high at the dispensary. Some of these were people making upwards of 100k+ per year. I can tell you that not one of them has a physical malady that would require the need for the prescription. I know…they bragged about it. So the next time you pick up a cell phone and say to yourself “The guy that built this must have been high!” You might be right.
Does this mean that there are people out there that should have access? Yes…definitely. But the abusers ruin it for everyone. I am not a parent, nor am I a prude. However, I would have a hard time supporting any business that would make my child think it is OK to be high, or a stripper (hey…and I even know I few I like), or a porn actor, or actress (don’t know any of them…after all…I’m not Charlie Sheen). So if I lived in one of these communities I definitely wouldn’t want that type of business in my neighborhood. The element of clientele it draws is not the old cancer patient as much as the traditional user.
However, if the State would take some responsibility and make them legitimate, or require owners to be licensed pharmacists, I would definitely agree to that. I understand why they don’t. If a pharmacist started dealing marijuana, then they would lose their Federal license to dispense other medications. So perhaps we’re not ready yet to have these types of businesses around. Maybe it’s time to lobby the Federal government more heavily to make these drugs legitimately legal. Maybe it is time to put strict guidelines around what qualifies a legitimate user. I think we need that type of regulation. It would definitely beat what we’re doing now.