Sen. Tallian has introduced SB 213 which would raise the threshold for possession of marijuana as a crime to two ounces. Beer is my area of expertise, so I don’t really have any idea if that’s a lot or a little. The bill would also remove possession of marijuana, hashish, hash, or salvia as permissible grounds for revoking certain professional licenses.
Ten years ago, I would have said it was impossible for a bill like this to move in Indiana. Now I’m not so sure. Decriminalization of marijuana seems to be one of the few high profile issues these days that seems like it has some level of bipartisan support — it’s certainly not universal, but I can’t say that it’s particularly a Democratic or Republican issue. I’ve seen some results of legalization in recent trips to California and Colorado. I can’t say that I’m in love with seeing folks smoking marijuana on the streets or the marijuana shops. Some of that is just me having to get used to something new and some of it is me not liking public smoking in general (regardless of substance). But throwing people in jail for possession of marijuana is starting to look like an anachronism.
I think lots of people think that if marijuana is legalized, that means it’s just fine to use it and long term use or driving high will have no consequences. It’s the either “good” or “bad” for you sort of perception. The actual picture is mixed, and research has shown that physician knowledge of marijuana health risks, and cannabis-related disorders is not so good, so physicians aren’t a good source of knowledge about something where use is about to explode. We know that when teens use marijuana, their intelligence scores drop, which may or may not recover. Jail sentences for marijuana use make about as much sense as jailing people for drinking alcohol, but at least we know that alcohol is responsible for a large number of diseases and if the public would suddenly stopped drinking too much, hospitals would close. Too bad the society is going from “marijuana, the killer weed” to “marijuana, good for what ails you” when the actual picture is much more complex, and there is strong evidence that using marijuana can shorten your life in a number of ways, like cigarettes and alcohol, but in ways that are also different. We just don’t know all the ways. Meanwhile, if Indiana backs off on jailing people for using the stuff, that is a positive thing.
Stuart, one of the problems with recreational marijuana (RMJ) use is that it has not been extensively researched. Much of the current research is inconsistent and it would take some major longitudal studies to develop a more clear understanding. Further, health concerns such as lung problems can be obviated by vaping RMJ.
Two ounces would not be an unreasonable amount for personal use. Dealng quanatities begin at the quarter pound amount.
I seem to recall that the lack of research has something to do with federal policy discouraging such research.