“Being a stoned addle brained idiot in cold snowy Alaska will get you killed a lot faster than if you live in California.”
You bet- look at the obit pages for Alaska Daily News out of Anchorage, check the ages at death, then compare it to the obit page of the LA Tmes or Daily breeze. 40, 50, 28, 60 vs 70, 80, 88, 95, now and then a 60 something.
But, I know people who live in Ketchican and Anchorage, there are already lots of stoners there already.
>>>I know people who live in Ketchikan and Anchorage, there are already lots of stoners there already.<<<<
This is true, speaking as someone who’s lived in both places and still lives up here in the north. The only positive to come from legalization is that everyone who wants to get high is already getting high, so I would guess that chances are the number of users won’t increase when it is legalized.
The unforeseen consequences of legalization will become apparent sometime around 2030.
As far as the forseen consequences, I’m glad that I’m going to retire from teaching high school English in a few years. You may or may not have any idea how the current crop of potheads drags down learning in our school, but at least the high cost and illegal nature of the drug prevent persistent use.
Another predictable consequence: Every August, when school starts, I get a boatload of buzzed out kids who have been smoking and drinking all summer. There are observable behaviors and thinking disorders associated with those kids. Of course, once it’s legal, weed use by those who want to do it is going to be ubiquitous.
Glad I’m going to retire soon. I predict a lost generation, perhaps two or three. God help us.