Poll on DUer Pot Usage and the law - Do you use Pot and how would changes in law affect that usage

[stevenleser]

30 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	I use marijuana now and would continue to use regardless of the law
	10 (33%)
	I don't use marijuana now but would definitely use if it became legal
	2 (7%)
	I don't use marijuana now but I would consider using if it became legal
	4 (13%)
	I don't use marijuana now and I would never consider using it regardless of legal status.
	14 (47%)
	Other/Not sure
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[JNelson6563]

1. People should be careful what they post on the internet.

Just sayin'.

[stevenleser]

2. Good post. I echo that, so please take care if your DU handle reveals your real name and you

are intending to vote that you use or would use pot.

[mike_c]

9. I live in Humboldt County, CA...

...so I'm not particularly concerned about that, LOL.

[stevenleser]

12. Honestly, I dont think law enforcement anywhere is going to work THAT hard for a personal use bust

but I dont want to get any DUers in trouble either.

[HappyMe]

4. Yikes!

Good point.

[Logical]

37. Why? You think the Feds will get a warrant based on a Poll on the DU? n-t

[Not Sure]

53. Warrants? We don't need no stinking warrants!

[cali]

3. this is a really bad idea.

[Logical]

38. LOL, Why? n-t

[Proud Public Servant]

5. I'll be the first to answer "Other"

Don't use it now.

As a federal employee subject to random drug screening, wouldn't use it regardless of its legal status.

Poll me again once I retire.

[littlewolf]

46. yup ....

[FSogol]

6. I look forward to your "would you embezzle money from work" & "do you cheat on your

taxes" polls.

[stevenleser]

13. I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but I dont think personal pot usage compares to those other

things.

[FSogol]

14. I was about to confess to some major crimes in one of your polls and then I thought

better of it.

if needed.

[Logical]

41. I agree, the feds are not going to get a warrant for a DU poll. Silly people. n-t

[sabrina 1]

51. Did you vote in the poll?

What are your personal pot habits, past, present or future? Law or no law?

[Logical]

40. Paranoid much? Skinner has had ONE warrant in the life of the DU for a threat. You really......

think the feds will get one for a DU poll?

[FSogol]

43. Feds? No. Employers have been known to research/follow applicants, employees on the net.

Not paranoid at all, just think this poll is ill-advised. 28 people seem to think it was fine so ymmv.

[Politicalboi]

7. I've been smoking for over 30 yeras

Laws don't stop me. The ONLY thing that stops me is silly drug tests for jobs that pay $8.00 an hour, and expect you to be clean while working there, but it's ok to go with other employees to a fucking bar. I say Fuck the law.

[pipi_k]

8. Used it

years ago in my youth, didn't care for it.

Wouldn't use it now.

Don't have a problem with it becoming legalized, should that ever happen in all states.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

10. I voted other.

I used to use it but have pretty much outgrown it. I voted yes to legalize it Washington State. There are higher priorities for law enforcement in my opinion.

We incarcerate more people in the U.S. than any other country in the world. Much is due to the so called "war on drugs."

[kentauros]

11. I use HEMP, not marijuana

[In_The_Wind]

18. Tee shirts, rope, oil, food ...

[kentauros]

19. And soap!

Dr. Bronner's soap is made with hemp oil now

[Feral Child]

28. Yes, canabbis here

"Marijuana" is a racist tag applied during early prohibition efforts to tap into American distrust of darker complected citizens.


And to the poll: yes and yes.

[mike_c]

15. it strikes me as odd how many people have raised a reasonable objection...

...about confessing to a crime in this poll. Cannabis is so much a part of the culture here on California's north coast that it's easy to forget that attitudes are not so accepting elsewhere in the country. My neighbors grow cannabis. My house has a (currently) decommissioned grow room in the attic. A couple of my former grad students who remained in the area are growers. Several of my friends trim, either for extra income or as their primary occupation. I'm talking about people in my age range, e.g. 40s-60s, not just the transient young folks passing through. In summer we routinely sit on the porch, in full view of the neighbors, and pass the bong.

Ten plus years ago my ex tried to win an argument by calling the county sheriff's deputies to the house and offering to narc on me for my cannabis stash (she was not a nice person, I'll be the first to admit). The deputies responded "Ma'am, it's Humboldt County. We're not interested in his pot." Then they left.

[stevenleser]

16. It's not legal here in NYC yet, but police really don't pay attention much to users.

It's around me constantly. Just walking the streets you smell other people smoking it. You smell it coming from many buildings.

If personal use were a priority for law enforcement there would be arrests and busts all over the place.

Again, maybe this is an unusual experience and the rest of the country outside of places like California and Colorado are stricter, but I don't think Law enforcement is going to spend the effort to link DU handles with IP addresses to bust people for personal use.

By all means, if people are concerned, don't participate in the poll, I just don't see it.

[Comrade Grumpy]

21. About 750,000 pot arrests a year, 90% of them for possession.

So, yeah, it's apparently still a big deal in some places. Not where I live in Northern California. This state has decriminalized possession, and we have medical marijuana laws that basically allow anyone to get a recommendation.

[stevenleser]

23. But under what circumstances? Were they traffic stops, were the police already looking at the person

for something, got a warrant and in addition or instead of what their intended 'stuff' was to find, found pot and charged them with that?

I'd like to know more information.

[Comrade Grumpy]

27. I don't know who has that information, Steven.

Cops like to claim that they're not looking for pot people to bust, but then why do so many traffic stops turn into drug searches? (Having clouds of pot smoke roil out your car window when you roll it down for the officer is one thing, but I can personally attest to having been stopped repeatedly on major east-west highways heading east from California for bogus reaons and being detained against my will while the cops waited for a drug dog to arrive after I exercised my right not to consent to a search.)

Likewise, with the NYC stop-and-frisk, the ostensible reason is searching for guns, but they find those in a ridiculously small number of cases (and they know that). Instead, the rack up young people of color with baggies of pot in their pockets.

And just yesterday, I saw a prank video of guys publicly smoking a bong (with tobacco in it). The cops went after them every time.

[Comrade Grumpy]

22. And I take it you're not a young person of color in NYC?

Because they've been arresting the hell out of them, even though it's decriminalized in New York state. It was the stop-and-frisk and "Show me what's in your pockets" and then a misdemeanor arrest for public possession and a day or so in a holding cell.

I think NYPD finally modified that practice last year.

[stevenleser]

25. Yes, person of color, and am young-ish looking, so I am told.

I have seen people stopped and frisked. I live in Harlem.

[ScreamingMeemie]

45. I was just called to jury panel for pot possession last month.

[stevenleser]

47. And the circumstances were? nt

[ScreamingMeemie]

48. Possession of 4.5 ounces (DA claimed intent)

Possession of over 4 is a felony here.

I was not selected for jury duty, but the judge does send a letter letting those not selected know how the trial turned out (which is awful because I could not sleep). I don't know the details, but an 18-year-old kid went to prison for 3-5.

[Feral Child]

29. I'm not 16

and I'm white.

Not much chance of anyone bothering with me over an internet post.

It certainly wouldn't qualify for the issuance of a search warrant, 'cause I might just be trying to appear Hip.

[denverbill]

17. It is legal and I don't use it. I might someday though.

[winter is coming]

20. I don't use it, but might someday, for medical purposes.

Doubt I'd use it recreationally, but then I'm not much of a drinker, either.

[WatermelonRat]

24. I've never done marijuana

If it were legal, I might try it out of curiosity, but I doubt I'd ever be a regular user.

[Scootaloo]

26. Have used, do not currently, and probably wouldn't if it were legal, but support legalization

Thing is, I just don't see it as a good use of my income.

[Warren DeMontague]

30. Other: One, I support and have always supported it being legal, regulated, and taxed.

And I fully admit I smoked the crap out of it as a youth.

I haven't smoked it in years, but I'm not philosophically opposed to it, either. Meaning, if someone passed me a joint at a Ratdog show, can I state with utter conviction that I wouldn't take a hit off it? No, I cannot.

Edited to add: A change in legal status wouldn't make much difference to my perspective on it, other than I think it would be some long-overdue sanity in the realm of public policy. I never had any problem finding and smoking it back in the day, and it was illegal then.

[stevenleser]

31. Interesting results. I am assuming there is polling bias for folks afraid to vote that they use pot.

So probably closer to 33% of DUer's partake. Maybe more.

I am considering changing my vote to "might use". I realized after thinking about it that I have pain medication that I take for a badly herniated disc at C6-C7. I have Naprosen, Cyclobenzabrine, and Percocet.

I have around 5 attacks per year. When I get one, I take the Naprosen. If that doesnt do the trick, I go to the Cyclobenzaprine. If it is really bad, I take the Percocet.

On average, I take Percocet twice a year for two to five days. This has been going on now for 15 years.

I hate taking the Cyclobenzaprine and the Percocet. If pot handled the pain and had less of a hangover than those drugs and it were legal, I would have to consider switching.

[VScott]

32. Don't use marijuana now, but wouldn't say I'd NEVER consider using it.

Last time I smoked pot, was back around 1980 or so.

Never really cared or understood the attraction towards it even back then.

It was like meh... boring.

Legal or not, it never stopped me then, and it wouldn't stop me now if I had a genuine interest (or medical reason), in partaking.

[NaturalHigh]

33. Tried it, don't like it.

I'm for legalization, though.

[Logical]

36. Why? I never tried it but wonder why you dislike it. nt

[NaturalHigh]

39. I just didn't like the buzz.

It made me feel like I was underwater or something. Just not fun.

I actually tried it for pain relief. It didn't do anything for that either.

[Logical]

42. Makes sense. Some people dislike an alcohol buzz also. n-t

[Ohio Joe]

34. Other - I get stoned out of my gourd and it's legal

I do indeed love living in Colorado.

[Ikonoklast]

35. I don't use and couldn't due to restraints of employment, legal or not.

But if others wish to partake, blaze on!

[Not Sure]

54. Same boat for me

If a test that shows when it's psychoactive is used, not one that shows whether you've used it in the past weeks or months, then maybe. Right now I can drink a beer (or take Nyquil for that matter) on my day off and 24 hours later show up to work confident nothing will show up on a random test. I cannot take a puff off a joint in the same scenario with the same confidence. Until then, I'm not going to use it.

[hunter]

44. I do whatever I think is right. The law is a secondary consideration.

I've no idea if pot would be an appropriate medication or recreation for me. It's been something I've avoided because of asthma. Smoke, any kind of smoke, tends to set it off.

My usual reaction to mind altering drugs of any sort is to go sleep or go running. I do know oral "brownie" cannabis is the sleepy me.

Running or sleeping must be my most basic uninhibited self.

I do know that prescribed opiates just make me feel sleepy and gross, worse than alcohol.

I've experienced other drugs too (no I.V. except in the hospital, I hate needles) and they were all sort of boring, even the hallucinogens. I can hallucinate fine without drugs, thank you. My dream world is very intense and sometimes impinges upon my waking life too. Voices in my head, strange visions, I ignore those mostly.

I take a few drugs daily to keep me functional. Sadly, they are not fun and have unpleasant side effects like anorgasmia.

But still better than the "off my meds" feral human me.

[JoeyT]

49. Other.

I don't smoke now, and back when I did smoke, I had a very narrow window between being sleepy but not buzzed and my body deciding to see if it could break the laws of physics and make me throw up my shoes. So while I strongly support legalization, I have to say the idea of legal weed isn't particularly tempting, other than in tiny amounts as a sleep aid.

[SOteric]

50. Other: Pot is already legal in my state.

[1000words]

56. I'm surprised so many did, frankly.

Puzzled why the author thought it would be a good idea.

[Zorra]

55. Stopped using it decades ago. The only reason I'd use it again would be if I needed it

for medicinal purposes.

There came a point, years ago, when smoking herb got totally boring, so I stopped using it. I love being clear and healthy and high on life.