New issue: Policing edible Marijuana in Lollipops, Marshmallows, Butter

Marijuana legalization has become one of the most commonly debated topics in American politics over the last decade. As more states like Colorado have moved to legalize marijuana within a certain limit the industry feeding it has boomed. However, like any industry as business owners and farmers of marijuana work to make more money, in more ways, the general public and police forces have been hit with a new challenge.

Essentially, legalizing marijuana has done two things. First, it made it readily available to the general public. While that isn’t a bad thing, especially with as many studies showing not only recreational benefits, but medical benefits – the second thing that has happened is less appealing. By marijuana being legalized it has opened the door for new methods for legally distributing marijuana, or more simply, the industry is adding new applications for marijuana in places where it is legal.

However, look at a place like LaFollette, Tennessee. Marijuana has been seized by police in essentially every way imaginable. One way though that police chief Jim Jeffries is now experiencing marijuana seizures is through various candies, butters, and even assorted non-traditional food products. Culturally speaking, most people have heard of pot being put in various baked goods. However, a new phenomenon is taking place where people are experiencing marijuana in an entirely new way – and the legalization of it has contributed directly to this evolution.

Marijuana

That’s where police come into the equation. They have an entirely new brand of criminal activity to track now, given how these edibles are oftentimes being moved between and through state lines. Where it is legal to use marijuana this isn’t as much of an issue as it is in places where legalization hasn’t happened – and doesn’t appear to be happening in the near future. The problem though is spotting these types of things, because ultimately, this makes marijuana blend in a lot better with its surroundings than it ever did in the past.

Chief Jeffries pointed out after the first seizure that, “This is the first time that we have ever seen marijuana butter or any of this candy containing marijuana in the county.” He went on pointing out that he was hopeful it would be the “last time,” he saw it in his own county. However, the reality is that this is something that has become acceptable as marijuana becomes more regularly legalized.

http://www.thehoopsnews.com/2015/05/17/5241/cdc-death-cause-map-sepsis-most-distinctive-cause-of-death-in-new-jersey/

One of the problems though associated with this type of edible marijuana is that oftentimes, users can ultimately eat too much, and suffer from varying levels of psychosis-like symptoms. This could mean anxiety attacks, increased stress and heart rates, and much more. Robert J. MacCoun who is a professor of law at Stanford pointed out that, “Citizens in nonlegalization states are far less likely to be receiving those messages, so their risks are probably greater.”

Like the editorial he wrote though on the subject, ultimately, there aren’t any hard figures right now out there to really determine how much of this stuff is being moved between states, and around the country. If that information were made available or teams did more research on the matter as it goes through its legalization phase around the U.S. law enforcement might have a better idea of what is going on with these marijuana edibles.

19 Comments

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  • The problem is, Marijuana legalization hasn’t gone far enough. The reasonable thing to do is change the law sufficiently that the police no longer have anything to do with Marijuana. Whether we are talking about buying, selling, growing, smoking eating or crossing state lines.

    Caveat : Unless someone under 18 is using it without a medical reason.

  • Stop blaming legal states… It’s not as if the dullards in the south, cant take their local dirt weed and make their own butter.

    • Fortunately us simple southerners have as good a weed as anyone else in the country, but some of our lesser educated brethren are holding us back, but please take your south hate somewhere else please

  • There is no logically valid argument for pot to be criminalized as long as alcohol is legal. NONE.

  • I had pot roast in the 80’s, with a 1/2 ounce of good pot. Ah that gravy was the best. Portuguese Kale soup is also good

  • The problem is these damn weed hipsters that aren’t happy just smoking pot. No, they have to eat it and vape it and probably shove it up there asses as some kind of cleanse. Either smoke pot like a normal person or don’t use it at all, but stop churching it up.

    • The problem is these damn tobacco hipsters that aren’t happy just smoking
      tobacco. No, they have to chew it and vape it and probably shove it up there
      asses as some kind of cleanse. Either smoke tobacco like a normal person or
      don’t use it at all, but stop churching it up.

  • If you really want to protect families from a drug proven to destroy lives and families, then you should be up in arms, protesting the legality of booze.

    Alcohol is the number one cause for traffic fatalities and domestic violence by a huge landslide.

    Alcohol is also infused into literally a ton of deserts and fruity drinks that “The Children” find appealing.

    Why doesn’t much more harmful yet perfectly legal use of alcohol concern you more than relatively benign marijuana? It should.

    Regarding “The Children”,

    Let’s not use “The Children” as an excuse to prohibit and criminalize adult use of a natural plant far less dangerous than perfectly legal alcohol because nobody condones child use, and this is about allowing adults only to choose marijuana.

    It’s our responsibility as parents by to educate our children on drug use. It’s not the government’s job to force Draconian Marijuana Laws upon every adult citizen under the guise of protecting “The Children”.

    What message are we sending our children when it is easier for them to obtain marijuana now with it being illegal than it is for them to buy alcohol?

    It doesn’t take the intellect of a genius to understand that stores card kids for I.D. Thugs and gang members do not. They also push the real hard drugs on children. Stores do not.

    Marijuana legalization will make it harder for children to obtain it.

    What message does it send our children when the President of The United States himself alongside a long list of successful people openly admit regular pot use at one time or another in their lives?

    While we tell our kids how it will ruin their futures, and then insure so, by allowing our government to to jail our children and give them permanent criminal records when they get caught with a little Marijuana. Especially, if they are the wrong skin color or from the “wrong neighborhood”. Which in turn, ruins their chances of employment for life.

    The Prohibition of Marijuana is the wrong message to send our children while we glorify, advertise and promote the much more dangerous use of alcohol like it’s an all American pastime.

    The worst thing about marijuana and our children is what happens to them when they get caught up in the criminal justice system due to it’s prohibition.

    Protect “The Children” and Our Neighborhoods Through The Legalization and Regulation of Marijuana Nationwide!

    • Fear of Marijuana Legalization Nationwide is unfounded. Not based on any science or fact whatsoever. So please prohibitionists, we beg you to give your scare tactics, “Conspiracy Theories” and “Doomsday Scenarios” over the inevitable Legalization of Marijuana Nationwide a rest. Nobody is buying them anymore these days. Okay?

      Furthermore, if all prohibitionists get when they look into that nice, big and shiny, crystal ball of theirs, while wondering about the future of marijuana legalization, is horror, doom, and despair, well then I suggest they return that thing as quickly as possible and reclaim the money they shelled out for it, since it’s obviously defective.

      The prohibition of marijuana has not decreased the supply nor the demand for marijuana at all. Not one single iota, and it never will. Just a huge and complete waste of our tax dollars to continue criminalizing citizens for choosing a natural, non-toxic, relatively benign plant proven to be much safer than alcohol.

      If prohibitionists are going to take it upon themselves to worry about “saving us all” from ourselves, then they need to start with the drug that causes more death and destruction than every other drug in the world COMBINED, which is alcohol!

      Why do prohibitionists feel the continued need to vilify and demonize marijuana when they could more wisely focus their efforts on a real, proven killer, alcohol, which again causes more destruction, violence, and death than all other drugs, COMBINED?

      Prohibitionists really should get their priorities straight and/or practice a little live and let live. They’ll live longer, happier, and healthier, with a lot less stress if they refrain from being bent on trying to control others through Draconian Marijuana Laws.