Marijuana Blog

Most stoners have figured out ways to bypass the ever dreaded drug test that employers still deem necessary. Of course, it's good to know if your employees are doing cocaine or meth, among the other more serious drugs. But the fact that there are companies that are still testing for THC in legal states is a little ridiculous. Even so, there are ways to pass and not get caught. Fake pee, a friend's pee, etc. But if you're like the first man to purchase weed in Washington state, there's really no way to fool your employer in to thinking you don't smoke if they see you buy a bag of bud on TV.

 

Mike Boyer was the first man to buy cannabis in the state of Washington on July 8th when the plant finally became legal. He waited all night, even brought his stuff to camp out in, as well as some munchies that included Mountain Dew and Doritos. He was totally amped to get that first bag of green gold in the morning! And he did, snagging a bag of Sour Kush that cost him $50. His purchase was recorded by TV cameras as well as photographers, as another epic moment in American history was made.

 

The high of the purchase was somewhat short lived when Boyer went home to discover a message from his employer, Kodiak Security Services, telling him that he must submit to a drug test. Boyer submitted to the test, which came back positive for THC and Boyer was let go from his job, where he had worked on and off for twelve years. "Several years ago, I signed a document saying I wouldn't have [THC] in my system but I don't smoke at work!" Boyer told NY Daily News. Kodiak denied the fact that they had fired Boyer. Kym Ramey, manager of HR at the security service, said "We're a security firm. Our employees can't be under the influence on the job." The situation is slightly confusing and is sure to develop more as time goes on, as marijuana activists are surely upset about such a terribly rude gesture.

 

Boyer didn't seem too phased by the negative backlash from his stoney purchase, instead saying that he's "still the captain! Still number one!" He went on to say that am an can always get a job but you can only be the first man to buy weed in Spokane once. Making history seems to be much higher on Boyer's list than working at a job that is so disrespectful to long term employees. Boyer has already posted his resume to Craigslist in hopes of finding a new job but his enthusiasm for cannabis is still not dampened.

Not even those in Colorado are safe from prosecution when they indulge in our favorite plant. While the law in CO says that cannabis cannot be consumed in public view, the private clubs assumed that they were safe until Maryjane's in Denver was raided. Those present at the private club were cuffed and charged with smoking in public, being issued fines even though they thought that they were in compliance with the law. The club requires a membership, even for one night of smoking in the establishment, so no one really expected detectives to show up and start cuffing people.

 

Marijuana is not sold inside Maryjane's and neither is food or drink. Those that pay for a membership bring their own medicine and use the smoking tools provided by the club. But cops still raided the building in order to "investigate illegal activity" which meant the consumption of marijuana. The police issued citations to people in the club for ingesting the plant. The citations contained fines of $135. The police apparently had been in the club before, posing as members and staking the place out. A member that was present at the club at the time recognized them from previous nights.

 

The attorney for those involved with the raid, Rob Corry, said that the club never received an official warning to stop consuming marijuana on the premises, something that the police department claimed to be doing to businesses that tried to let their patrons smoke on site. Corry compared the club's activities to those of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, which hosted a series of events called Classically Cannabis. The events were sponsored by cannabis companies and the people attending were also allowed to bring their own cannabis, as long as the events were held at private galleries and were invitation only. The symphony eventually did change the policy after allegedly being warned about the "public" consumption of cannabis.

 

Cannabis is now a legal substance in the state of Colorado. Considering that alcohol has a place to be ingested and enjoyed, it should absolutely be the same for cannabis. Especially since these establishments are private and either cost money or require an invitation, the police should leave stoners alone. As long as the clubs have proper ventilation and follow the rules, like no giving away marijuana, there should be no reason for such raids. The police should spend their time arresting real criminals, not people who are just trying to smoke with like minded peers.

Cannabis tourism is going to be a big part of the industry moving forward. There are currently only two states that allow legal recreational cannabis sales (Washington and Colorado), and people from miles around are traveling to both states to benefit from the next great American industry. A recent report out of Colorado shows that tourists make up a sizable percentage of legal recreational purchases in Colorado, especially in ski-resort areas. Per The Denver Post:

 

The study, released Wednesday, found that out-of-state visitors make up nearly half of recreational marijuana sales in the Denver area — and 90 percent of recreational sales in mountain resort communities.

 

The report had all kinds of interesting statistics relating to Colorado’s booming cannabis industry. The top 22 percent of cannabis consumers in Colorado account for over 66% of the total sales. That means that repeat customers are largely driving the industry. Annual cannabis sales in Colorado are estimated to be over 130 metric tons.Roughly 9 percent of Colorado residents consume cannabis at least once a month.

 

Medical cannabis sales still outpace recreational sales. Through May, there had been roughly $165 million worth of medical cannabis sales, compared to $90 million in recreational cannabis sales. I can’t wait to see what the numbers are in Washington a few months from now. Washington started allowing legal recreational cannabis sales on July 7th. The 2014 Election will likely see two more states (Alaska and Oregon) and Washington D.C. pass cannabis legalization, which will lead to even more cannabis sales in America. It’s beyond time that the entire country took a new approach.

 

Source: http://www.theweedblog.com