Wired - Does Marijuana Make You Stupid?

[brandymac27]

It's funny that you say that. Anxiety is what made me quit smoking weed.

I smoked the indica I think. It looked like it had some white and orange hairy stuff in it. The first few minutes I was scared ****less b/c it had been so long and I didn't know what would happen to me and my husband was laughing hysterically at me. But after it really kicked in I just got really dazed and relaxed and hungry. I think I ate a pound of grapes and a corndog. It made me drwosy so I drank almost a half a 2 liter of diet coke to wake me up. But there was no anxiety after the first fwe minutes, probably b/c I was so zoned feeling like I was day dreaming.

[Springfield]

I think I ate a pound of grapes and a corndog.

Classic.

[Mad Mike]

keeastman

The gene of pot is already out of the bottle. Millions of people already use it. They will continue to use it whether you like it or not. The only difference between the current situation and the legalization of MJ is that we are currently persecuting and treating a large portion of our population as criminals for doing something that causes LESS harm than alcohol.

---------- Post added August-21st-2011 at 06:49 AM ----------

I only had a few puffs (WAYYYY more than enough). I think I stared at the TV for what felt like 2 hours (turned out to be about 10 minutes) before I realized I was really, really hungry. I'm coming down now, but overall it was a pleasant experience I will say, that for people with anxiety problems, it works really well. Better than any script I've ever taken. Only thing is it doesn't last long enough, so I'd have to smoke like every couple of hours to keep my anxiety at bay.

If you are using it to control a constant anxiety you may want to try smaller amounts in a form you can eat. I've heard the high is less pronounced and lasts longer. And it may well be that pot isn't your best solution for daily use. You may just want to save it for when you need it most.

I don't always suffer from full blown anxiety but when I do, MJ is about the only thing that helps me control it.

[CrabR]

Legalized it just like alcohol

Its 100x safer than booze

[London Kev]

I smoked marijuana for about ten years. I don't think it made me stupid, but it definately made me less sociable. I found that I would rather sit indoors, get stoned and watch tv. After a while it started to be a problem as I was not going out at all except to work. I started to get anxiety attacks whenever I had to leave the house and found it comforting to just get stoned and not do anything.

In conclusion, it didn't make me stupid, but it did effect me in a negative way and made me not realise how bored I was just watching tv and getting stoned.

I stopped about ten years ago and am back to my 'normal' self. Although I will have one occasionally if offered at a party or something.

[The 12th Commandment]

I haven't had anything to drink tonight. Or smoke. Or snort. Or anything else.

I worked today doing tobacco and mmj inspections and am annoyed with the lack of knowledge out there amoung the general public about the cluster**** that this MMJ issue has become. I suspect if more people were out on the front lines seeing what's really going on, their tunes would change a bit....particularly when they start working with the local PD and see how dealers are actively using this MMJ, lacing it with other substances, and marketing it to youth.

So yeah, this is a touchy issue with me.

You should have maybe,

I was in Durango not too long ago and I didn't see dope dealers in bikinis on the street corners. Damn.

Your rage is against the Colorado version of MMJ. Which was done with revenue in mind as far the government was concerned. Be quiet about your opinion among your co-workers and your employers (including those pot heads), work your way up the ladder and then you can change stuff that's wrong.

Added: You're welcome to ***** here though, that's what we're here for.

[Reaper 21]

no but it makes you guys sound really smart in your posts

[Fred Jones]

For me this is not a long debate. Pot is stupid.

First, it is a stepping stone drug. (Not saying everyone will)

Second, it does make you high which can cause problems. (Loss of control, DWI, ect.)

Third, please don't tell me that if you become a regular user that marijuana will not mess your body up.

[The 12th Commandment]

Third, please don't tell me that if you become a regular user that marijuana will not mess your body up.

Nobody is claiming otherwise. Point me to the post here that says it's good for your body? The claim is that many other substances which are far worse for your body and are legal. Do you drink?

Beer is a stepping stone drug.

Beer makes you high.

All you have to do is wake up with a hangover and you know that booze is a whole lot worse for your body than pot.

[Fred Jones]

Sorry if I implied otherwise, but I was talking strickly about marijuana. I was not referring to anything else nor comparing pot to anything else.

[Prosperity]

No mad mike. I am not a physician. I get that 5% number from law enforcement people I work with. We could be wrong. Maybe it's 6%. My bad.

The whole argument about tobacco and alcohol and being harmful to health is a DUH argument. No one will argue with you about that. This is very well documented. The problem is, the can of worms has already been opened. What do you think would happen if these were suddenly outlawed? It would be a complete cluster**** to deal with. What needs to happen, is that stricter laws need to be implemented in regards to these substances (eg. MUCH stricter punishments for driving under the influence, even higher taxes on cigarettes, much stricter punishments for tobacco retailers who unlawfully sell to kids, or don't abide by advertising and labeling laws - right now the punishments are an absolute joke because of legal technicalities that are going to take years to iron out).

The last thing we need is to legalize yet another substance that enables a larger percentage of the population to gain access to. Everyone says "yeah, well we can just tax the heck out of it." Yeah right, maybe in a few decades when all the tax laws make it through the courts and the appeals process...same thing that's happening now with tobacco. Just as the same with the laws regarding minors with tobacoo...and the nuiances regarding what type of weed it is, how it's packaged, what flavor, what grade, etc. is going to be a PAIN IN THE ASS and people doing get this. Trust me, I deal with this crap everyday. On my inspections, I can bust flavored cigarettes, but not flavored cigars, not swisher sweets, but flavored smokeless tobacco, but not snus, not dissovables, etc. etc. etc.

There are loopholes with all this tobacco and alcohol stuff and people who think that will be different with weed are sorely mistaken. It's going to be a major problem.

Now, if you want you hear me say weed is worse than alcohol, Mad Mike, you'll be waiting for awhile. I won't say that. Alcohol, tobacco, AND weed are bad for someone's health. The people who keep bring up about how why alcohol is legal and weed is not, well, ALCOHOL IS ALREADY LEGAL. YOU CAN'T PUT THE GENIE BACK INTO THE BOTTLE. You can try to regulate at an increasing leave. But the answer to that is to NOT LEGALIZE another harmful substance. How does that make any sense, whatesoever? Good Lord people. Damnit!!! Alcohol's legal and that's bad, so obviously, we should just legalize everything! yay

It's not bad that alcohol is legal, it's an integral part of our culture. It has benefits and costs, like everything else. This is something you continually fail to understand. People don't just use these drugs because of health benefits, they use they are an integral part of our (and much of the world's) social fabric. They have benefits outside of biomedical sciences.

We'll never agree, probably, but "Public Health" is not some ticket to regulate our lives. You may do it, but it's not right, and we won't recognize it as your right. With the advent of medicinal marijuana, the genie for pot is out of the bottle as well, now the burden is on you to put it back, and frankly, your arguments are not at all persuasive.

[Special K]

Good God. I had an entire post typed out about issues with legalization of substances and it freaking got deleted. I'm so ticked.

Here's the deal in a nutshell. Legalization of marijuana is not as easy as people like to make it out to be. As someone who deals with tobacco inspections at both the state and federal level, even that is a cluster. States have varying laws regarding tobacco, e.g., in Colorado, retailers don't have to hold a tobacco retailer license to sell tobacco products. This makes it extremely difficult to cover all the establishments that need to be inspected because we don't even know WHO THE HELL SELLS TOBACCO IN OUR STATE. In fact, it's literally impossible with the few inspectors there are in our state (I'm one of 6). To make matters worse, we are hamstrung by the legal wrangling in Washington over what constitutes a tobacco product and what doesn't because of stupid legal technicalities. For instance, we cannot inspect snus, dissovables, blunts, swisher sweet, little cigars, flavored cigars, cigars...so pretty much about 50% of the products youth typically buy (not the cigars really). This is extremely frustrating and is counterproductive to what we are trying to do which is limit access of tobacco products to underage youth.

The reason I'm going on about this is to give some of you who are not innundated with the legal technicalities of tobacco control (it is also similar with alcohol control..if you remember the whole deal about Four Loko). It is through my involvement dealing with this crap day in and day out why I am so against legalization of yet another substance that is going to be extremely difficult to monitor an control. We don't have the funding to control this. In Colorado, the Department of Revenue has TWO OFFICERS to monitor the entire state for tobacco and alcohol..and now one of our FDA officers just left our program to head up the MMJ program. The FDA just brought in 6 of us inspectors solely for tobacco, and we are STILL overloaded.

People act like legalization is going to be so easy and just solve all our problems. No, there are major concerns in both the public health and law enforcement communities (I really wish some of you could attend these drug and alcohol coalition meetings as I think they would open your eyes to the issues we face in public health and law enforcement...not just with hard drugs and alcohol, but with pot) regarding how this is going to be monitored and enforced. They have legalized pot in Colorado and it's already a COMPLETE CLUSTER****. People are doctoring fake retail licenses, underground warehouses and dispensaries are being set up EVEN THOUGH IT'S LEGAL, because mmj is so readily available, drug dealers are loading up on this crap, lacing it, and selling it to youth.

I'm sorry for my negative attitude toward pot. I have the same negative attitude to alcoholics and even moreso now, against tobacco users because how much of a burden they place on our health care system. I realize alcohol and tobacco are legal and we obviously cannot go back and make them illegal. However, I am very much against legalizing more harmful substances and making them available to youth and the general public. I'm not going to apologize for that at all. And Mike, I'm also not going to "shut up" to people in my department about it because, well, they pretty much feel the same way. Even the state program coordinator at the state health department and I have discussed this and she has the same concerns as I do...as do members of our local PD whom I work closely with. So yeah, you can say I have an agenda, but it sure as heck isn't an ill-advised one woman agenda

---------- Post added August-21st-2011 at 08:34 AM ----------

It's not bad that alcohol is legal, it's an integral part of our culture. It has benefits and costs, like everything else. This is something you continually fail to understand. People don't just use these drugs because of health benefits, they use they are an integral part of our (and much of the world's) social fabric. They have benefits outside of biomedical sciences.

We'll never agree, probably, but "Public Health" is not some ticket to regulate our lives. You may do it, but it's not right, and we won't recognize it as your right. With the advent of medicinal marijuana, the genie for pot is out of the bottle as well, now the burden is on you to put it back, and frankly, your arguments are not at all persuasive.

I understand alcohol is an integral part of our lives, I don't deny that nor is it something I "fail to understand." Saying that the MMJ "genie is out of the bottle" and it's our burden to place is back in is an ridiculous statement. It's like saying "oxycodone is out of the bottle" so we might as well legalize that for everyone too, because you know, it does help make sick people feel better. That's just as an absurd of a statement.

You're also wrong about the fact that Public Health doesn't regulate many parts of our lives. You may not like it, and you probably don't notice it, but many environmental laws, water safety laws, immunization laws, women and child health programs, drug and alcohol programs, drug and alcohol laws ARE laws that you are forced to abide by. Sorry if you don't like it.

[ZoEd]

I'm sorry for my negative attitude toward pot. I have the same negative attitude to alcoholics and even moreso now, against tobacco users because how much of a burden they place on our health care system. I realize alcohol and tobacco are legal and we obviously cannot go back and make them illegal. However, I am very much against legalizing more harmful substances and making them available to youth and the general public. I'm not going to apologize for that at all. And Mike, I'm also not going to "shut up" to people in my department about it because, well, they pretty much feel the same way. Even the state program coordinator at the state health department and I have discussed this and she has the same concerns as I do...as do members of our local PD whom I work closely with. So yeah, you can say I have an agenda, but it sure as heck isn't an ill-advised one woman agenda

Your heartburn seems to be with the system that you work for, not with the substance. Pot isn't making your job difficult, lack of agents, funding and a workable system seems to be the issue. Also, you have repeatedly chosen to ignore the fact that pot isn't as harmful as alcohol and tobacco. You've actually chosen to ignore a lot of facts put forward in this thread yet continued on your crusade of demonizing pot, that evil little weed.

So, I tell you what, why regulate it at all? Make it illegal to sell, if you want it, grow it yourself. If parents don't want kids smoking, be parents. I mean, I have a 7, 5 and 3 year old who have never had a soda, of any kind, because I think it's unhealthy and don't want my kids drinking it. However, I don't run about demonizing sodas, I mean I'm drinking one as we speak. I have beer in the fridge but my kids don't drink it either. You see, I don't need the gov't or it's regulatory agencies to help me raise my children. It doesn't have to be illegal for me to know what my kids should or shouldn't be doing.

You act like if pot is legalized 5th graders are suddenly going to be toking on the playground. You honestly believe that? I think you're allowing your dislike of the system that you just happen to work for, to cloud your judgement making you disgusted with a substance that has nothing to do with what your pissed off about.

Not one time in this thread have you been able to show anything factual concerning pot being legalized except "it makes my job hard". Don't smoke, don't hang around people who smoke, but don't take it out on pot, because afterall, it doesn't make you stupid, it's not addictive and it's much more less harmful that alcohol and tobacco. Just saying.

[DM72]

I don't know if it makes you stupid, but I think a lot of people who uses it aren't too bright. And I'm not talking about the ones who take it for medical purposes.

[elkabong82]

I personally think the negatives of it remaining illegal outweigh the negatives of it becoming legal. Our prison system is overcrowded because of it, and while there many small time offenders make connections and get trapped in the career criminal cycle that jail has been known to foster.

and no need to apologize keeastman, for the negativity toward it, you are an enforcement officer/agent, so it would be pretty surprising if you weren't against something that is illegal. Since it is currently illegal, you see the worst of it and deal with the idiots who get caught. It does seem, however, that you will give no acknowledgment whatsoever of the positive side, you seem to think it doesn't exist. I don't think you'd have much experience with the positive side, the people who are smart and responsible with it, because they don't get caught because they don't cause any problems.

But I do want to point out that being against legalizing "more harmful substances" than alcohol and tobacco doesn't qualify mj, which is less harmful than those two in every aspect excluding legal ramifications because 1 is illegal and the other 2 are not.

I get your POV. not wanting to deal with the issues of another legal, mind-altering substance is understandable. But you should, I feel, appreciate the difficulty for advocates who see legal substances which are much more harmful and who also know that the reason mj was made illegal in the first place is highly dubious (no pun intended). This is a country where laws have to be justifiable, and it's hard to justify mj being illegal here. Seeing all the crap pharmacies push out, all the bad side effects, certain pharmaceutical drugs killing people, the abuse of legal pain pills, and it makes it even harder to understand a legitimate reason why mj is still illegal.

The argument that the other things have been legal and we can't go back on them, IMO, doesn't actually negate the advocation for a less harmful substance to be made legal as well. A more harmful substance, like meth or heroin, yes, but a less harmful one like mj, no. I don't do it because of the job I'm working toward. But if it were legal I'd definitely opt for it over alcohol, and I think if more people did it instead of alcohol it would curb down a lot of the problems caused by alcohol in this country.

---------- Post added August-21st-2011 at 01:15 PM ----------

I don't know if it makes you stupid, but I think a lot of people who uses it aren't too bright. And I'm not talking about the ones who take it for medical purposes.

Is your perspective one that is familiar with that world, or one that is an outsider looking in?

Because from my experience with it when I was younger, all sorts do it. From valedictorians to drop outs, from janitors to lawyers.

I think a lot of people, just in general, are not too bright, and their excessive nature/not knowing self-control, makes them stand out and get caught, whereas everyday normal people are smart and responsible, so don't cause problems and thus don't gain the same level of attention, thus from an outsiders perspective only 1 type is seen. The outsider perspective is also what kept racism and bigotry prevalent in this country once upon a time.

[Mad Mike]

Good God. I had an entire post typed out about issues with legalization of substances and it freaking got deleted. I'm so ticked.

Are you sure you don't smoke pot?

I'm really not going to continue this debate with you though. It seems clear to me that you have integrated what are IMO false assumptions and personal bad experiences so deeply into your belief system that they have become an emotional issue with you. And when emotions take over, logic goes out the window. For example when I questioned your 5% legit number and asked if it came from doctors, you said no it came from law enforcement... Sorry but Law enforcement is not qualified to say who needs what medicine. You tell us to look at studies, yet you ignore the study this thread is based on. You are basing your beliefs on biased information and that is never a good way to reach the truth.

And my personal suggestion to you is to find a new line of work. Or maybe smoke a joint. You seem WAY too stressed out.

[Prosperity]

I understand alcohol is an integral part of our lives, I don't deny that nor is it something I "fail to understand." Saying that the MMJ "genie is out of the bottle" and it's our burden to place is back in is an ridiculous statement. It's like saying "oxycodone is out of the bottle" so we might as well legalize that for everyone too, because you know, it does help make sick people feel better. That's just as an absurd of a statement.

You're also wrong about the fact that Public Health doesn't regulate many parts of our lives. You may not like it, and you probably don't notice it, but many environmental laws, water safety laws, immunization laws, women and child health programs, drug and alcohol programs, drug and alcohol laws ARE laws that you are forced to abide by. Sorry if you don't like it.

Whatever, the difference between environmental regulation and personal medication is so obvious it's not even worth discussing.

As for the genie... all I know is anyone can basically get pot legally in CA as long as they jump through hoops, I don't think you'll disagree w/ me w/ respect to that. Oxycotin is not that easy to get (tbf I haven't tried so I wouldn't know for certain) thank god, because that is a very dangerous drug unlike pot)...

And yes, "medical" marijuana is a charade, everyone knows it, and almost everyone is ok w/ it, and yet all these imagined costs from legalization of marijuana consumption have yet to reveal themselves

ultimately, unless you can argue that the costs severely outweigh the cultural benefits of freedom, enjoyment, and medication of pot then the movement for legalization of pot use will continue. Sorry if you don't like it, but that's reality .... and realistically speaking, you aren't ever going to convince a significant proportion of people in our country that alcohol *should* be criminalized. Be honest w/ yourself, 90+% of people would laugh at you for even saying it. Alcohol is a net GOOD for the world, and so is marijuana, that's why people use the alcohol comparison.

Thank God for substances and responsible usage

[#98QBKiller]

I've been reading through all of these arguments for and against marijuana and I think what it really comes down to for me is that marijuana has been proven not to be the boogeyman that it was once made out to be. It's shown to be beneficial for a variety of conditions and there isn't a recorded instance of anyone in history dying as a direct result of marijuana use.

My opinion is that even if it's not legalized and regulated by the government, it should be decriminalized federally. There are bad people out there that do bad things and deserve to go to prison for their actions.

But no one should be locked in a cage for possessing or smoking marijuana.

Marijuana has been decriminalized at the state level in several places already. Most states that have made this move have made it so that if a person gets caught with more than a certain amount of marijuana in their possession then they pay a fine. That's a good start IMO and decriminalization makes more sense than an all-out legalization and federal regulation of pot. Personally, I'd like to see it come to a federal decriminalization that allows people to have and possess reasonable personal amounts of marijuana with no punitive action.

[Mad Mike]

But no one should be locked in a cage for possessing or smoking marijuana.

Ding!

That's the core issue right there. With all of the evil ****** up bull**** in this world, persecuting people for something non addictive and LESS harmful than alcohol is just insane.

[brandymac27]

Ding!

That's the core issue right there. With all of the evil ****** up bull**** in this world, persecuting people for something non addictive and LESS harmful than alcohol is just insane.

I have to agree. Not only is weed NOT going to kill anybody or harm responsible users, there are far too many other legitimate criminals walking around the streets doing things to intentionally harm people that those prison cells could be reserved for.

I'm just saying, in the 35 years I've been alive, I've never once heard of weed causing someone to kill somebody, rob people, lose their mind, etc. People are great at doing these types of things on their own, without being under the influence of ANY substance, let alone pot.

[abdcskins]

I have to agree. Not only is weed NOT going to kill anybody or harm responsible users, there are far too many other legitimate criminals walking around the streets doing things to intentionally harm people that those prison cells could be reserved for.

I'm just saying, in the 35 years I've been alive, I've never once heard of weed causing someone to kill somebody, rob people, lose their mind, etc. People are great at doing these types of things on their own, without being under the influence of ANY substance, let alone pot.

Co-sign this 100%.

It should be the least of people's worries whether or not someone smokes marijuana. Hating marijuana just because it is illegal isn't a very reasonable standpoint in my opinion. You are letting the government decide your thoughts.

The only negative stance I could even begin to have against weed is keeping it away from children because it is so easy for a kid in his teenage years to allow it to dominate their life because it is so cool. I've seen it all too often and can personally say that I was very much affected by it from the age of 16-24. It didn't make me a bad person though and I didn't kill anyone or commit any crimes because of it. Just more personally/socially is what I'm talking about.

[brandymac27]

Co-sign this 100%.

It should be the least of people's worries whether or not someone smokes marijuana. Hating marijuana just because it is illegal isn't a very reasonable standpoint in my opinion. You are letting the government decide your thoughts.

The only negative stance I could even begin to have against weed is keeping it away from children because it is so easy for a kid in his teenage years to allow it to dominate their life because it is so cool. I've seen it all too often and can personally say that I was very much affected by it from the age of 16-24. It didn't make me a bad person though and I didn't kill anyone or commit any crimes because of it. Just more personally/socially is what I'm talking about.

Oh, I completely agree. I'm not advocating kids smoking pot. But I think it's something that could be regulated like alcohol (21 or older).

[Special K]

Your heartburn seems to be with the system that you work for, not with the substance. Pot isn't making your job difficult, lack of agents, funding and a workable system seems to be the issue. Also, you have repeatedly chosen to ignore the fact that pot isn't as harmful as alcohol and tobacco. You've actually chosen to ignore a lot of facts put forward in this thread yet continued on your crusade of demonizing pot, that evil little weed.

Actually, I have not ignored the fact that pot isn’t as harmful as weed. I have never once said that. You are making it up in your mind. What I have talked about is my experience dealing with regulating tobacco and pot.

Everyone thinks legalizing pot will make life easier, well guess what, people who think this clearly don’t work in law enforcement or any type of regulation whatsoever. Yay, we can tax it and make money! Um no, that tax will go, like it has since 2008, to support state’s budgets under the “Fiscal Emergency” clause. Meanwhile, regulators jobs will be cut, like they have since 2008. People who think we are going to get all this money from taxes are deluding themselves.

You act like if pot is legalized 5th graders are suddenly going to be toking on the playground. You honestly believe that?

Actually, I pretty much do. You do realize that the national age a kid first picks up a cigarette is 11-12, correct? Cigarettes are so unbelievably easy to get, what makes you think pot will be any harder…particularly with this “whatever” attitude about marijuana all these American parents have these days.

I think you're allowing your dislike of the system that you just happen to work for, to cloud your judgement making you disgusted with a substance that has nothing to do with what your pissed off about.

I don’t dislike my job at all. In fact I love it. I love making tobacco products less accessible to youth. That being said, I am a realist and I understand that when another substance is fully legalized, it’s going to open a whole ‘nother legal door for youth to gain access to another mind altering substance…which studies unequivocally prove the younger the age of the pot smoker, the more harm it does to a brain’s development.

Not one time in this thread have you been able to show anything factual concerning pot being legalized except "it makes my job hard". Don't smoke, don't hang around people who smoke, but don't take it out on pot, because afterall, it doesn't make you stupid, it's not addictive and it's much more less harmful that alcohol and tobacco. Just saying.

To be honest, I’ve typed enough in this thread about the realities surrounding pot regulation. It doesn’t have to do with my job, it has to do with the realities of funding regulation which you would likely never understand. It’s a waste of my time to google scholar drain development of pot use among teenagers because I have no doubt you’d minimize that and probably even outright deny it. Fact is, pot is very harmful for a teenager’s brain and legalization would make it just that much easier for these kids to get it.

become an emotional issue with you. And when emotions take over, logic goes out the window. For example when I questioned your 5% legit number and asked if it came from doctors, you said no it came from law enforcement... Sorry but Law enforcement is not qualified to say who needs what medicine. You tell us to look at studies, yet you ignore the study this thread is based on. You are basing your beliefs on biased information and that is never a good way to reach the truth.

And my personal suggestion to you is to find a new line of work. Or maybe smoke a joint. You seem WAY too stressed out.

Ironic, coming from a poster with the name “mad” in is name  I’m not stressed out with my job at all, in fact I love it. I have more meaningful discussions about tobacco and drugs with my FDA teenagers on ride-alongs than I do with many adults on this site… I guess that fact actually does scare and stress me out…

---------- Post added August-21st-2011 at 12:43 PM ----------

By the way, to the people saying how legalization of pot won't make it more accessible to kids know anything about the synthetic pot being sold at 7-11's and other convenience stores (the pot that has circumvented FDA regulations)? In my discussions with shop owners, they're flying off the shelves in droves....buy guess who? Not adults.

[Bubble Screen]

I don't know if it makes you stupid, but I think a lot of people who uses it aren't too bright. And I'm not talking about the ones who take it for medical purposes.

[brandymac27]

By the way, to the people saying how legalization of pot won't make it more accessible to kids know anything about the synthetic pot being sold at 7-11's and other convenience stores (the pot that has circumvented FDA regulations)? In my discussions with shop owners, they're flying off the shelves in droves....buy guess who? Not adults.

I'm aware of the synthetic pot sold in convenience stores. The fact is kids are gonna get a hold of anything if they want it bad enough, regardless if it's illegal or not. This is where doing your job as a parent steps in and is better than any type of regulation/oversight that you can stick to it.