How's Marijuana Legalization in Colorado Going?

[Tommy Dukes]

Modnote: Linkspam removed.

 

[Jared]

After living here for ~10 months I never want to live anywhere else. (Unless I become a millionaire...then maybe northern Cali.)

 

[Scott A]

lol did they really quote a 3% drop in traffic fatalities and 84% drop in marijuana related arrests...really?

 

[Jared]

lol did they really quote a 3% drop in traffic fatalities and 84% drop in marijuana related arrests...really?

Why wouldn't they? That 84% drop translated into I think like ~140 million *NOT* being spent that otherwise would have been this year alone. Yeah it's an obvious side effect but it's still relevant and a pretty huge one.

 

[Scott A]

Why wouldn't they? That 84% drop translated into I think like ~140 million *NOT* being spent that otherwise would have been this year alone. Yeah it's an obvious side effect but it's still relevant and a pretty huge one.

The one is obviously going to happen... Its cool and all but I mean obvious that if you legalize marijuana their will be less marijuana related arrests. The traffic one is really just horrible though. Not only are they quoting a 3% decrease(seriously?) but there is no way to relate it to marijuana legalization. Its stuff like that that casts a bad light on the whole movement.

 

[Eschient]

The one is obviously going to happen... Its cool and all but I mean obvious that if you legalize marijuana their will be less marijuana related arrests. The traffic one is really just horrible though. Not only are they quoting a 3% decrease(seriously?) but there is no way to relate it to marijuana legalization. Its stuff like that that casts a bad light on the whole movement.

Conversely, it means they are still reporting that there *are* Marijuana related arrests, which shows they aren't just running a free-for-all. It indicates a level of responsible enforcement.

As for the traffic, I agree it's irrelevant overall, but the report itself {as opposed to the copy, paste to facebook and forget "infographic"} doesn't really tout the drop as some major boon, rather it treats it more as a minor mention to dispute the anti-MJ claims that traffic fatalities would increase due to everyone driving stoned. Instead they continued to decrease. -

Decrease in Traffic Fatalities

Traffic fatalities went down in 2014, according to data released by the Colorado Department of Transportation, challenging claims that the legalization of marijuana would lead to an increase in traffic fatalities.

In the first 11 months of 2014, the state had 436 traffic fatalities, a 3% drop from the 449 fatalities in the first 11 months of 2013. The decline in fatalities in 2014 marks a continuation of a 12-year long downward trend in traffic fatalities in the state of Colorado.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/resource/marijuana-legalization-colorado-one-year-status-report

 

[Eschient]

Sorry, I meant to put this with my other post. Please merge me

Why wouldn't they? That 84% drop translated into I think like ~140 million *NOT* being spent that otherwise would have been this year alone. Yeah it's an obvious side effect but it's still relevant and a pretty huge one.

They actually have numbers to work with in the report.

In 2010, 9,011 people were arrested for marijuana possession. Using the same data we are projecting 1,464 possession arrests for 2014. Given that arrests such as these cost roughly $300 to adjudicate, it is reasonable to infer that the state is saving millions in adjudicatory costs for possession cases alone in 2014 compared to 2010.

Over the same period, arrests for cultivating and distributing marijuana have also dropped by more than 90%

So we're looking at adjudication costs of $2,703,300 in 2010 vs $439,200 in 2014. $2,264,100 saved from possession arrests alone.

 

[Tommy Dukes]

The one is obviously going to happen... Its cool and all but I mean obvious that if you legalize marijuana their will be less marijuana related arrests. The traffic one is really just horrible though. Not only are they quoting a 3% decrease(seriously?) but there is no way to relate it to marijuana legalization. Its stuff like that that casts a bad light on the whole movement.

How does a decrease in traffic fatalities, if any, relate to casting a "bad light" on the whole movement? That's a major issue that lawmakers bring up whenever they want to legalize marijuana in certain states, AND I highly doubt that statistical data showing a decrease is in anyway a casting of negative light on this issue. I'd be more concerned about the latest Nancy Grace Interview casting a negative light than I would an infographic based on stats.

 

[torggzorz]

I've lived in Denver all my life, and I couldn't be happier with legalization. I think it is a very progressive step forward in many areas, economically and primarily socially. It's a big thing to have that stigma of illegality removed... I don't feel like a criminal anymore usually which is nice! I also think that part of the deal with the law we passed is that the first 1/3 of the tax revenues goes directly to the school districts which was SORELY needed in many areas in the metro area in my opinion, hopefully they will get the help that they need.

I think that 3% decrease in traffic accidents is BS, it just happened to fluctuate in a lucky manner for this year... Though maybe people are drinking less and smoking more before they get behind the wheel now lol. I know for me personally MJ really curbs my appetite for alcohol, probably for others as well. I really don't condone smoking and driving (I have done it thousands of times I'm sure......), and it's as bad as a DUI here (much contention is going around about how the cops will successfully test "highness" in a roadside sobriety) but I would much rather a stoned person be driving than a drunk....

My 2 cents anyways...

 

[Jared]

I would say the 3% is significant because if anything it shows that accidents DON'T increase with legalization. Which tons of prohibitionists were/are saying would/will happen.

 

[torggzorz]

I would say the 3% is significant because if anything it shows that accidents DON'T increase with legalization. Which tons of prohibitionists were/are saying would/will happen.

But do you think the actual number of stoned drivers has gone up considerably? There has been a pretty active campaign against high driving that's for sure, and I for one have pretty much given up smoking behind the wheel because I feel like they are watching out for it now much more than they were before. The 3% statistic just seems too far out there for it to have any bearing on this discussion, how many hundreds of factors influence the number of accidents each year? Weather, gas prices, if your sports team won the championship...

EDIT: BUT you are right, at least for the opponents they can see that near meaningless statistic to point out the fallacy of their beliefs

 

[Jared]

None of that matters. The rate hasn't gone up as legalization has spread, which was the fear, and that 3% statistic confirms that. WHY it hasn't gone up is irrelevant.

 

[basement farmer]

I read somewhere that in hindsight Hickenlooper regrets legalization in his state. Although it has more to do with the extra work and regulatory headaches associated with being the first to do this than how it has impacted public health and safety.

Sorry old boy, but your salary is paid for by your constituants so you work for them. Now stop your snivelling and get your ass back to work.

 

[grokit]

I read that, and then read later that he now regrets these regrets.