Can I Smoke My Weed?

With the recent passing of some form of legalized Marijuana in three states on Election Day, it got me wondering how much of a colossal mess this has the potential of being.  Massachusetts passed the legalization of medicinal Marijuana, which is a back door way of legalizing it.  Whereas Colorado and Washington voted for a straight out legalization of marijuana.  But since there are only a handful of states that have legalized some form of the drug and there is still a Federal ban on it, the only question that can be asked is, Can I Smoke My Weed?

I truly see no issue with legalizing Marijuana and I just wish the Federal Government would come to their senses and legalize it throughout the nation.  The laws that were voted in by the people three weeks ago will undoubtedly be challenged in Federal Courts to be deemed unconstitutional.  Now you would think this would have been reviewed before the people were set to vote on it.  But that is only part of the problem.  Just think of all the different scenarios where the grey areas of the laws could be challenged and interpreted a different causing legal issues and backlogging the courts.

Let's take Massachusetts for instance. If I have a prescription for marijuana I am allowed to grow.  Can a landlord not rent to me because I grow on their property?  Will their insurance cover them if anything happens in their building due to an accident caused by the growing?  Will landlords be able to discriminate against pot growers?  

Another scenario could be traveling out of state.  I travel for work often.  So if I am traveling and I am taking prescribed medicine on business with me and I go to a state that doesn't have the law, am I now considered an outlaw?  Will an officer respect the prescription from another state even though it is not legal in his state?  He has every right not to.  If he does respect it, then in hindsight we are technically lifting the Federal ban indirectly. So, can I smoke my weed?

I'm not sure how medical marijuana works, meaning if it needs to be taken at specific times or the daily frequency of it, but if I am on the "T" and I need to smoke my weed, can I?  Will I be violating smoking rules, is the T violating my civil right to take my medication in public?  What about work?  What if I need to take a "pot" break at work?  Will my employer have to reprimand me for being stoned at work for simply taking my medicine?  I mean these medicinal scenarios can be viewed as far-fetched or even extreme, but we also live in a society where McDonald's was sued because a customer claimed that McDonald's food made them obese.  Look at your coffee lids and read what it says. It lets you know that the coffee is hot, because someone sued McDonald's because they spilled their coffee on themselves and got burned.  So, if I am sick will I be able to smoke my weed when I need to?

What about the Washington and Colorado laws?  I mean I guess these can be more contained and could be technically treated like fireworks.  However, we have a scenario where people will be going across state lines to buy marijuana.  If so, are we potentially giving illegal marijuana dealers a legal avenue to get marijuana?  Does that put pressure on those state law enforcement to police the state jumping and how many resources will that take? So if I live in Utah, Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho and Montana can I buy my weed?

What about personal transport?  If I am a Colorado resident and I am traveling to a state that does not have legalized marijuana am I within my rights to bring it, most likely not, but you could see a question in the interpretation.  What if I am traveling from Colorado to Massachusetts?  Talk about grey area.  One state it's legal to have and the other is legal to have only with a prescription.  Can I grow it in Colorado and send it to someone with a prescription in Massachusetts, or vice versa? Can I bring my weed?

Maybe I am being a little extreme with the scenarios, but I am a simple minded person.  If I came up with these scenarios, what about someone with a wilder and more creative imagination?  Let's not forget about the lawyers, who will dissect these laws with extreme precision.  I am a proponent of legalized marijuana not because I use, because I don't, but because it is a form a prohibition that could be a giant revenue resource in a country that is looking for new ways to raise revenue.  I feel the same way about gambling, for the record.  Just think about resources that this country uses to combat the outlaws on the street and in the courts for marijuana dealers.  All you would need to do if you legalize the substance is hand their names over to the Internal Revenue Service.  I do think that it is a time that has come.

3D

If you don't take it from me, ask my wife.