Nineteen years ago, Colorado legalized marijuana.

It was in 2005 that voters in Denver voted to allow residents over the age of 21 to legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana.

So how's that been going for the Centennial State?

Well, crime is up, traffic accidents are up, health issues like phlegm and lung cancer (when marijuana is smoked, the preferred method) are up and studies have shown that teens who use marijuana stunt the development of their brains -- note: although it is illegal for teens to possess marijuana, they have easier access to the drug with it being legal for their adult family and friends.

Currently, cannabis with THC (AKA, marijuana) is only legal in Utah if the person possessing the drug has a medical prescription for it.

From Wiki:

"In February 2018, the Utah House of Representatives passed HB 195, a bill to legalize the "right to try" and grow medical marijuana plants for terminally ill patients. On March 7, the bill was passed "easily" by the state senate, and on March 21, the governor signed it into law. On November 6, 2018, The Utah Medical Cannabis Act was passed as ballot Proposition 2. Provisions must be set by the state for dispensaries to open by January 2021. On December 3, 2018, the Utah Legislature passed HB3001, amending the Utah Medical Cannabis Act as passed through Proposition 2. The Governor signed HB3001 into law later the same day, causing it to go into immediate effect.

Essentially, the only people allowed to possess cannabis or THC are those with a prescription from a medical professional, presumably granted to help the patient in end-of-;life (terminal) situations.

And while Utah and about half of the other states in the USA are sticking with this stance, there are many other states that have legalized the drug for recreational use.-- 25 in all.

Our neighbor to the east, Colorado, legalized recreational marijuana and immediately saw an increase in violent crime and property crime. Hey, it might be legal, but it's not cheap.

But Oregon lawmakers, perhaps while smoking some of that Wacky Weed, have taken it a step further.

The Beaver State recently passed laws that make it legal to possess a "small" or "personal" amount of cocaine, heroin or amphetamines.

So apparently in Oregon, they're OK if you use those drugs, you're just not allowed to sell them.

After the recent legislation, a number of the eastern counties in Oregon reiterated their desire to secede from the state and join the more conservative Idaho.

So if the proven facts of higher crime, and cancer-causing chemicals in THC don't deter Oregon, apparently they also have no problem with addiction, convulsions/seizures, coma, brain damage, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, lung damage and myriad other side effects of cocaine, heroin and meth.

In the past year, an alarming number of "tent cities," human feces on the streets, discarded hypodermic needles and broken glass have also cropped up in the Beaver State.

Oregon is breaking new ground, for sure. But that new broken ground will likely be needed for cemetery plots.

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