Finally, BillsWeek Takes on the Pot Issue

I've had my mind on a lot of things lately. Ongoing issues with my house. My rapidly aging car. The fact that I, myself, am rapidly aging. It's actually been quite easy for me to forget that events of major historical importance have been happening all around me.

In case you weren't aware, marijuana is now legal here in Colorado for the first time ever.

The governor calls it a great social experiment. News outlets report that after just a few days, supplies are running low. Trendy restaurants are integrating it into recipes.

Conservatives, meanwhile, bemoan what's happening as the very downfall of society. One confusing Fox News discussion (according to the Daily Show, where I get my news) equated teen use of marijuana, text messaging, and the deterioration of civilization.

As a proud Coloradoan, what effect has the legalization of weed had on me?

None. Absolutely no effect at all.

In spite of the very downfall of civilization, I still trudge to work, stand in line at the supermarket, sit in traffic, and otherwise go about my day. I have yet to see anyone in Colorado more stoned than before.

In contrast, I daily see people driving under the influence of cell phones: swerving between lanes, driving at unsafe speeds. What do conservative pundits have to say about that?

I have noted with amusement the proliferation of green crosses around town, signifying an establishment selling medical marijuana; places with subtle names like The Clinic, Alternative Medicine, and Natural Remedies. There is also Discount Medical Marijuana for your more budget minded pot consumer. 

And as of this month, the non-medical retail shops are appearing with big neon marijuana leaves on upscale office buildings.

I voted for legalization. It makes sense to me to put revenues in state coffers rather than those of far away drug lords.

But I have no plans to take advantage of this new freedom to imbibe. I just go around every day like usual, watching carefully for drivers on cell phones.