New Mexico Marijuana News and Info New Mexico Marijuana News and Info
Marijuana reform was wildly successful in the 2014 midterm election, with voters in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia marching to the polls to legalize recreational marijuana. Although the new laws are not scheduled to take effect until sometime next year, we at HIGH TIMES felt the stoner community should be made aware of some of the changes to come as a result of snuffing out prohibition in those areas. Here are 10 of our favorite:
First and Foremost, Get Stoned in the Privacy of Your Own Home Without Constantly Looking Out a Window to See If the Cops Are Watching
Some claim that marijuana causes paranoia, while others argue it is actually the fear of prosecution that puts people on edge. Well, for residents of Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia, who just voted to legalize recreational marijuana, there should be fewer semi-psychotic episodes taking place behind their living room windows.
Grow Weed on Private Property Without Worrying That the Smell Will Lure the Cops to Your Front Door
As soon as the laws go into effect, resident in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia will be allowed to cultivate their own personal marijuana crop. In Oregon, residents will be allowed to grow up to four plants, while the law in the nation’s capital will permit the cultivation of as many as six plants.
Purchase Weed From a Legal Pot Shop Instead of Waiting for Your Dealer to Call You Back
With the exception of the District of Columbia, which will not include a retail pot market when the law goes into effect, pot connoisseurs and die-hard stoners will soon be able to purchase weed similar to how beer and liquor is sold now. That means no more waiting around for hours – sometimes days – for your dealer to come through. Simply walk down to the local pot shop, hand some cash to a clerk, and it’s party time. The struggle is real, but the hassle is over.
Tell a Cop That You’re Holding Weed and There Isn’t a Damn Thing He Can Do About It
Soon, people in Alaska, Oregon, and the District of Columbia will be allowed to roam freely in the streets with a designated amount of marijuana. Although none of the newly approved laws allow for public pot consumption, you can still mess with the police from time to time by informing officers that you are holding weed, and then reminding them there is nothing they can do about it.
Give the Gift of Weed to Family and Friends During the Holidays Instead of That Lame Shit You Handed Out Last Year
Although the District of Columbia will not allow retail cannabis sales, like Alaska and Oregon, the passing of Initiative 71 will allow adults to give away up to an ounce of marijuana. This means for all of the important celebrations and holidays where a person is socially required to bring a gift, you can now show up with a small stash of weed in the same manner others have done for years with a bottle of wine.
Conserve Your Liver Function By Switching to Marijuana Instead of Drinking Booze
We cannot tell you how many times we’ve heard the excuse, “I’d smoke weed instead of drinking if it was legal.” Well, now all our yellow-eyed booze hound buds residing in Alaska, Oregon and the District Columbia can drop the bottle and pick up a bong, since the pot prohibition philosophies in those areas have since been eliminated.
Post Photos of Your Beautiful Buds to Social Media Sites Without a SWAT Team Kicking Down Your Front Door
It might seem miniscule, but soon residents in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia will have the legal right to post pot porn to their social media sites without riling the local police force and spawning a heavily armed raid. For people living in prohibition states, simply posting a pot pic on Instagram is enough probable cause for police to obtain a search warrant and come in with all guns blazing. Yet, in legal states, they cannot do shit.
Take a Road Trip With a Stash of Weed Without Fearing a Highway Shakedown (Kind of)
As long as they are not driving high, crossing state lines, and not carrying more pot than what is legally permitted, soon there will be no reason folks in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia can’t hop in the car with a fat stash of weed and take a road trip. Not that stoners haven’t been traveling with pot since the dawn of prohibition, but now that recreational marijuana is legal there should be no excuse for cops to pull over law biding motorists and shake them down along the highway in search for marijuana. There is still the possibility police will attempt to pin you with a DUI.
Tell Your Boss to Kiss Your Ass and Open a Legal Marijuana Business
Alaska and Oregon will soon experience the rise of a retail marijuana market, which will undoubtedly provide opportunities for people to start cannabis-related businesses. In addition to retail pot shops, canna-commerce in the form of advertising firms, bakeries, cooking workshops, etc. will all become part of a vital marketplace once the laws goes into effect.
Start Looking for a Job That Does Not Do Random Drug Testing
Although recreational marijuana is now legal, workers can still be fired as a result of testing positive for marijuana. Unfortunately, this will likely be the scenario until the federal government decides to repeal prohibition. In the meantime, we suggest seeking out gainful employment with a company that does not force their employees to submit to drug tests. Otherwise, you will always be at risk of being tossed into the unemployment line.
