I'll admit that I'm far from an expert when it comes to the medical effects of marijuana. I have seen pretty serious-looking evidence that it can cause severe damage (and, no, not from "JUST SAY NO!!!1!!1!1111"-type sources), but I don't know exactly how and in whose circumstances. I also know that it makes people less functional in daily life, and that's not a trivial issue when you have students and workers getting stoned frequently. I do think I have legitimate evidence that marijuana has an aggregate negative effect on society.
What type of "severe" damage? I know two people closely who had really negative experiences with marijuana. One is one of my friends here who consumed way too many edibles after being quite fatigued and malnourished (something he admits was pretty stupid) and ended up passing out in a bar, the other being my girlfriend who had a panic attack after one of her friends dared her to try a pot cookie (in hindsight, someone as prone to anxiety as she can be should've never been using it in the first place)...but in the end both turned out fine. My friend just had to relax and eat a pretty full meal at a steakhouse and get a good night's sleep and my girlfriend's condition passed in an hour, and both were fine. Now imagine someone who binge drinks the next day...I know that "marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol" is kind of a cliche at this point, but come on, how is it not true?
Also students getting stoned frequently is something that always happens and always will happen regardless of the law (someone who's been to as many school as you should realize that) and workers getting stoned as long as it's not on the job is a total non-issue. A guy who binge drinks every night after work is a far bigger drain on productivity than a guy who gets stoned every night after work and comes in the next morning perfectly fine.
And yeah, it's not like I'm hung up on marijuana or anything. I support draconian anti-smoking laws, and frankly, if a wholesale ban on selling cigarettes was politically feasible, I'd be seriously tempted by it. Big Tobacco needs to be killed with fire.
Still, you might be right that the Colorado model might be the lesser evil at this point. My preferred solution would be to try and actually get people to stop marijuana by non-coercive means, but I realize that's basically a pipe dream.
Actually, it probably can be done. Tobacco use rates have plummeted in the last few decades. So imagine this:
-Full legalization.
-Drop all ridiculous anti-drug propaganda, (maybe still PSAs, but more of the "responsible use" similar to anti-drunk driving but not anti-drinking campaigns, about not using it while driving or neglecting responsibilities to do so.)
-Due to this a complete drop in the rebelliousness attributed with using marijuana.
...and I guarantee you won't see any actual increase in regular marijuana usage. Sure you'll see an increase in people who experiment with and try it out, but most of them are probably just going to decide it's not for them and stop. No one cares if you get stoned in Minneapolis, but if you go to a party where people are using it, only a minority will. Most people will just shrug and consider it boring or don't like the idea of getting the munchies. This obviously isn't because those people believe in Reefer Madness-style propaganda. (actually you're going to college in LA. You should already know this. I
highly doubt LA isn't any different from Minneapolis in this regard.)
BTW guess which state per a recent student has the highest rate of usage of marijuana in the last year? Rhode Island, at over 20%. Which is almost double that of some legal states.
If, in the next 5 years or so, marijuana consumption hasn't increased significantly in Colorado, then I'll grant you that you were probably right. Still, I'm sure you can understand why the State actively benefiting from an activity I consider socially harmful (even if that's the least worse solution in practice) is a problem to me.
Not really no. Maybe because I think of things in a Spock-like way, but people having fun with the vast majority having no problems and the state making lots of money off it strikes me as far preferable to those people doing the same thing anyway and the state not making the money. And "should the state or the black market make this money?" isn't really a false dichotomy.
Also I once again must laugh at you describing the marijuana industry in Colorado as "unfettered". Let's compare the experiences of me buying alcohol in Iowa to buying marijuana in Colorado:
Alcohol:
-Walk into a Target, full of families with young children and teenagers.
-Walk over to the grocery section (not too far from where children's clothing is sold) and find an alcohol aisle.
-Pick up a bottle of vodka and throw it in my basket with my other stuff (some food and a pair of jeans.)
-Go to checkout, flash my ID at the clerk, pay and leave.
Marijuana:
-Enter dispensary (which must close by 7PM.) Give ID to front desk receptionist.
-Take seat in line doctor waiting room style.
-After about a ten minute wait get told it's now my turn and buzzed in. Have my ID checked AGAIN by the concierge. Allowed to enter iron door to main room where the number of customers and employees is equal, as mandated by law.
-Browse marijuana products all sold behind the counter and glass, with nothing available to pick up.
-Choose what I want, have my ID checked
yet again, pay and leave.
Even in Minnesota, which people tend to associate with strict laws on alcohol sales, buying alcohol is multitudes easier and less restricted.