In the US, do you support 420 being made a national holiday? ( Archived) (22)

Good question. I believe in Colorado you are not allowed to smoke and drive under its influence. I doubt if they have any equipment yet which can register how much an individual has smoked like they do for alcohol.
It's not legal to smoke in public and a legal dealer has to pay up around $20k for a license.
That $20k for the license is peanuts with respect to the millions most of them make in return in just the first week of business selling cannabis.

almera03: A question if I may. In those States where Marijuana is legal. Is it legal to be under the influence of Marijuana and drive?

In California recretional M. is not legal, only medicinal (although that's a bit of a joke as anybody can get a script).

The law says literally that you may not drive while under the influence of any drug. (I looked it up because I wasn't sure myself).

You're also not allowed to drive if you are addicted to any drug and any combination of drugs and alcohol.

Exception is if you're in some sort of a treatment program.

I'm struggling to see the sense in this. Shouldn't there be a reduction in legal high's rather than a promotion of them. Is there a National Holiday for Nicotine, one for Alcohol. Are sugar industries petitioning for a National Obesity Day holiday, if so perhaps the US and UK can hold a joint one.

I doubt this will go through. Some people tried to have a National Beer Day since 1933 (when people were finally allowed to buy and sell beer again) and that hasn't passed.

By the way, there is a national sugar cookie day and a national peanut butter day and a national old stuff day... that's why I said this is a farce.

Marijuana (along with most other drugs) used to be legal choices to purchase and use as you pleased. Not written into many movie plots, but in the Old West and early 20th century America has just as many addicts as today, maybe even more if we go by percentage of population. Prescriptions were not a requirement. You just went to the chemist and purchased as much Opium or Cocaine as you wanted. Marijuana was a common weed growing almost everywhere. The stalk was used to make a rope (hemp) many still find superior to the synthetic ropes.

Allegedly (and they may be correct) the original ban on Marijuana was rascially motivated. Controlling the behavior of non-whites was the original goal. See


The 'War against Drugs' in America has never had as it's primary emphasis 'do not get high.' Simply put, there would be no profit in that. Nancy Regan's 'Just say no.' was made a mantra, but primary money allocation was for increased policing and expansion of jails. Along with confiscation of any personal assets linked in any way to someone using illegal drugs or smoking pot. Although some news stories surface from time to time about SWAT teams seizing large acerages, or million dollar mansions in marijuana raids, most law enforcement emphasis against marijuana possession remains in the inner city minority occupied areas. SWAT attacks on upper crust neighborhoods whose residents use marijuana are rare. Currently the Federal government rewards police departments that make lots of drug arrests with financial grants to hire more officers, buy newer equipment, etc. Likewise under our Title 21 Drug Laws, the asset forfeiture process provides for the agency doing the most work on the case to be the recipient of the money received when the property is seized and sold by the US Marshals service. If multiple agencies are involved the US Attorney distributes the money to the departments based on the percentage of work done. This has been the primary financial motivation for joining and participatingn in inter-agency task forces. Whatever money is seized by raiding a bank account or seizing cars, or houses is then evenly devided by simple participation in the task force.

Regarding the question of how the changing drug laws impact the states, clearly the money going to the police has dropped, but the taxation of the sales has given a huge boost to Colorado's economy. People come from all over the US to buy some (authorities wait at the borders for them to exit). Naturally many Americans who like smoking a joint at the end of the day have begun to move to that state.