Politics The latest in cannabis legalization including laws and policies legislators views election coverage and more. Politics 25 Things to Expect in Newly Legal States Bruce Barcott November 17 2016 So your state just voted to legalize. What can you expect? A long wait for retail stores or dispensaries to open certainly. High prices high taxes and sketchy-quality productat first. Over time though those prices will fall and product quality will rise. Taxes? Those you may be stuck with my friends. To give residents of newly legal states an idea of what to expect we asked people whove lived through the process in Colorado Washington and Oregon to recall their joys their frustrations and the most surprising aspects of legalization. We got a flood of responses: 1. Your first retail cannabis experience will be amazing. Delight: that first moment walking into a legal cannabis store in your own city. Will Hyde Unbelievable: When the stores opened and you could walk in and just purchase cannabis. Frankly I think I died a couple of years ago and I have just been in a glorious purgatory ever since. Alex Baur Expect it to take a few shopping trips before you dont feel slightly sketchy and glance over your shoulder to see whether anyone sees you walking into a dispensary. Brett Konen RELATED STORY 5 Ways to Help Your Budtender Help You I was a budtender when the first retail shops opened in Seattle. The beautiful thing about the newness of legalization was the opportunity to reframe perceptions. Engaging with the weirdness of buying cannabis over the counter was part of it. I always enjoyed saying Yeah dude you dont have to know a secret handshake or saunter down a dark alley or sit in my car in a grocery store parking lot. Jeremiah Wilhelm Im astounded at how quickly something can go from being sold in a covert manner to having all these snazzy little boutique shops around. I find the packaging kind of charming homemade and arty with clever names for the strains. It seems like many small business are supported its not yet a big corporate production. Jennifer Whitney I love the whole experience now. We used to go out behind the local game room to buy a joint from a greasy long-haired dude in an Im With Stupid t-shirt. Now its like going into the wine boutique. From the Edison light bulbs to the reclaimed wood its soooo civilized. Vicki Wilson 2. But those retail stores probably wont open for at least a year. The length of time between the legalization vote and the first retail sale was excruciating. Sam Borgen RELATED STORY State Officials Could Slow Legalization in Maine and Massachusetts 3. When they do open expect long lines and high pricesat first. If you think youre going to walk straight into a dispensary on the first day it opens and buy an ounce think again. Be prepared to camp out in line and expect the shop to run out of product after a few hours. Brett Konen First day of sales: Prices were insane and quality was awful. Product was so hard to find. And lines. Dear god the lines. Sam Borgen Not all states had the lines and high prices. Oregons retail opening was nearly seamless. You could walk in and purchase almost immediately with a 21 ID. They had quality product too. Will Hyde 4. Some citizens will be skeptical of the entire enterprise. Expect a hardcore holdout to roll by the opening-day retail store celebration and shout Enjoy your $25 gram you TOOLS! And then a few months later enjoy your legal tested licenced expertly grown $6 gram. Bruce Barcott RELATED STORY Cheap Pot!: Whats the Deal with the $6 Gram? 5. Quality control may be an early issue. I found some really bad edibles in stores those first few weeks. Brett Konen I was really hesitant to go to a retail shop because I kept hearing that the bud was old and crappy. And you couldnt tell because it was pre-packaged and sealed up. Rebecca Kelley My first experience was a $40 eighth of super shitty dry shakesold as top shelfand a $60 2g pre-roll. It was a full year before I went back to a retail store. Kelly Bennett RELATED STORY Leaflys Visual Quality Guide to Selecting Cannabis 6. Some of the first products may be pricey. I spent $75 on two grams the second day of legalization. Lisa Rough SWEET JESUS! Jeremiah Wilhelm alarmed at Lisa Roughs $75 purchase price. 7. But the product diversity will amaze you. As someone who did not consume until years after it was legalized: Holy shit its not just flower! The options and consumption methods are incredibly numerous and diverse. John Michael Daniel RELATED STORY Calm Down East Coast: Cannabis Shatter Media Coverage Woefully Overstates Its Dangers 8. Those products wont be limited to consumables. Im excited about the new opportunities for hemp particularly as a textile fiber. Marijuana legalization has opened the conversation about growing hemp where I live in north-central Washington State. It makes beautiful paper fabric and many other things. Katie Haven A sample of Cannabis ruderalis a species used to produce hemp seeds and fiber. 9. And after a few months prices will fall and quality will rise. A few economists assured us that the early high prices would fall and the market would find its balance. It took a few months but they actually did. Stores in Washington Colorado and Oregon now offer some of the worlds highest quality cannabis at prices far lower than the illicit market can bear. Bruce Barcott 10. Thousands of arrests will end. Immediately. Its refreshing not to be dumping thousands of our young citizens (especially African-Americans because de facto legalization has been the rule for whites for the past 10-20 years) into prison for no reason whatsoever. Bruce E.H. Johnson RELATED STORY Las Vegas Prosecutors to Halt Cannabis Possession Charges 11. And the cops will (mostly) be relieved. In Seattle it almost feels like police are relieved that they dont have to lay down the hammer for public consumption. Even with the $27 ticket they could dole out most give those consuming in public a nudge to put it out or take it elsewhere out of sight. Maria Sharp On day one in Colorado one of my favorite moments was watching a local Denver Police Dept. precinct captain cheerfully mix with the crowd and talk with the store owners at Medicine Man one of the citys largest cannabis stores. He was there to show the flag make sure everything went by the book but he also was symbolizing the beginning of a positive new era. Bruce Barcott It seems to have taken a lot of pressure off cops and I would hope it means theyre focusing on more important crimes and issues. Lisa Rough RELATED STORY Straight Talk in Ski Country: A Qamp;A with Aspens Cannabis-Friendly Sheriff Its delightful to not have to worry about law enforcement. Legalization completely took away the paranoia associated with smoking or even being high in public. I used to be nervous talking to people at the grocery store movie theater etc. when I was super-blazed. I havent been paranoid-high since legalization. Brett Konen No more paranoia about possessing in public. Diana Rocha 12. Zoning policies will suddenly take on great importance. Legalization has exposed serious questions about the fairness of local government policies. County policies have concentrated retail marijuana stores into the two majority non-white communities in unincorporated areas while the majority of residents live far away from there. Mark Johnston RELATED STORY Want to Open a Dispensary in Detroit? This Map Will Blow Your Mind 13. Some parts of your new law will need improvement. There are not enough funds going to recovery and education for addiction. Sonya Lea Watching the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and the Oregon Health Authority stifle legalization left and right has been frustrating. And why theyd restrict medical patients is beyond me. James Martin Washington and Colorados DUI THC limits are utterly scientifically baseless. Some studies show that stoned drivers drive slower and more safely than stone-cold sober drivers. I was shocked that the state didnt institute a THC minimum for drivers. Tim Appelo RELATED STORY California Just Legalized Cannabis! Now Comes the Hard Part 14. Youre going to smell it a little more. Like it or not. It makes me sad that I cant take a 30-minute walk or run along Lake Washington without running through six or eight separate clouds of pot smoke. I used to be pretty weed-agnostic. Its prevalence in my formerly fresh air is making me kind of hate it. Margot Page Im not a pot smoker and I dont like the smell (no offense to those who do). Its being consumed out in the open more than ever before and Im walking through clouds of smoke. Im not happy about the ignorance around the laws about smoking in public. Sharon Ilstrup The surprise to me is just how many pot shops there are now in Portland. Really how many do there need to be? Jane Elliot RELATED STORY Where Can I Smoke Legally in a Legal State? 15. Surprise! Not everyone is looking for potent smokeables. I love that my elderly mother can get CBD ointment that helps with her arthritis. Organic of course. Katie Haven I am thrilled that I can go into these shops and get educated by some pretty amazing people on CBD for pain (gel and tincture) for post-surgery shoulder pain and for my elderly parents. I love that I can just purchase it over the counter and not have to deal with doctors and ridiculous bureaucratic crap. Sharon Ilstrup RELATED STORY CBD vs. THC: Why is CBD Not Psychoactive? 16. Some people will find new careers. I have a fantastic job! Allison Reeves Helfen cannabis store owner Im delighted to be able to tell police officers that Im a cannabis farmer without fear of arrest or prosecution. Crystal Oliver 17. Youll finally know what youre buying. Ive not yet been to the local pot boutique but its nice to know that when I do Ill trust the people behind the counter about whats what and learn about the farmers who grew the stuff. Julie Skotheim I love having the freedom to browse ask questions and purchase from a reliable source. Who knows what pesticides people have been growing with over the years. Now everything is tested displayed and the state is becoming more aggressive about allow pesticides. Theres still a lot to be done but progress is happening. Paul Rodriguez RELATED STORY Pesticides 101: Questions and Answers for Cannabis Patients and Consumers 18. On edibles: Start low go slow. Seriously. I was surprised by how much edibles knocked me on my ass. Michelle Goodman 19. Your family friends and neighbors may surprise you. Dont be shocked when you see your mom buying rolling papers. Kelly Bennett RELATED STORY Baby Boomer Parents Have You Come Out of the Cannabis Closet to Your Adult Kids? Every family meal or holiday will inevitably turn into a discussion about cannabis the new edible your uncle tried or how shocked the older generation is by vape pen technology. Will Hyde Expect your judgmental anti-cannabis relatives to hover awkwardly in the hallway to eavesdrop on your cannabis conversations because theyre morbidly curious but are afraid to actually ask you questions. Rebecca Kelley Expect funny texts from your mom after her first retail cannabis experience. Will Hyde Actual text from Will Hydes mom. 20. You may rediscover old classics. Im an old hippy but I had not used marijuana for decades before it became legal. Now that Im older I use it for pain. I use it as a medicine. In addition to its easing pain I am listening to Disraeli Gears again. Lora Jansson 21. And finally relax and get a good nights sleep. During this election thank god Colorado allows us to knock the edge off. Otsie Stowell I never tried pot until it became legal. Then I met some nice helpful people at my local mom-and-pop pot shop and got hooked up with some amazing sleep-tailored spliffage. A good nights sleep once a rarity is now an affordable reality thanks to my newfound willingness to give natures Ambien a chance. Jim Thomsen RELATED STORY Cannabis and Sleep: 10 Things to Know About Your Herbal Nightcap 22. You may feel a new freedom to express yourself. Since legalization Ive developed a horrible habit of being really honest about my intoxication with strangers (namely Uber drivers) when Im a little too stoney baloney. Maria Sharp I totally do that. Generally with grocery store clerks. What are you going to do with all these Doritos? Im going to get super high and build a pillow fort. Brett Konen One time on Mothers Day the cashier at Safeway said Happy Mothers Day based on what I was purchasing. I wanted to say I dont have kids I just enjoy getting stoned and eating Crunchberries. Rebecca Kelley RELATED STORY Thrift Shop Challenge: High People Buy Stuff Hilarity Ensues 23. You may experience regrets about the past. I look back on the years before legalization and am amazed at how stupid that was. To think there are people in jail for something as innocuous as a few cocktailsand a lot less dangerous than a lot of cocktails. Eric Sorensen 24. Social mores wont change as quickly as the law. The biggest surprise is that alcohol is still so much more socially acceptable among my peers who are generally adults with children. I dont really know what I expected but it seems strange that its normal and acceptable to drink in front of kids but there still seems to be a stigma around pot thats unwarranted. Tracey Peacoe Denlinger RELATED STORY Why Is California Running a Cannabis Campaign Without the Cannabis? 25. Expect not that much to change. Im delighted it is helping people and not surprised its pretty much life as usual. I dont see it much in my social circles but thats likely due to having kids around. Im surprised Ive never once visited a pot shop in all this time. Nerd. Erika Biggs Im not a consumer so not even a blip occurred in my life. Mary Terry Expect not a lot to change at all on a macro level. There are some new stores now and those stores have customers and they sell products to customers. Society does not crumble. Majid Burney adult-uselegalizationMedicalretail Bruce Barcott Bruce is Leaflys deputy editor. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America. Latest Stories Leafly List: The Best Cannabis Locations in North America November 2016 Washington State Adopts New Warning Label for Edibles Next Milestone for Alaskas Young Cannabis Industry: Paying Taxes Germany Leads Europe in Raids on Indoor Growing Report Finds Sleep Vapes and Restorative Creams: The Best Cannabis Products for November 2016 Recent Coverage Politics Election Data Show Legalization No Longer a Partisan Issue Politics How Florida's MMJ Program Will Work Politics Welcome to a New America Politics Which States are Most Likely to Legalize Cannabis Next? The post 25 Things to Expect in Newly Legal States appeared first on Leafly. by Bruce Barcott at Leafly