Pubdate: Mon, 23 Mar 2015
Source: Gazette, The (Colorado Springs, CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Gazette
Contact: http://www.gazette.com/sections/opinion/submitletter/
Website: http://www.gazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/165
Authors: Pula Davis, Wayne Laugesen, Christine Tatum
Series: Special report, 'Clearing the Haze:'

POTENCY CREATING PROBLEMS

Marijuana isn't just for smokers - especially under the law 
established by Colorado's Amendment 64.

The state constitutional amendment that legalized the drug's 
recreational use permits possession of up to 1 ounce of 
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient that produces a 
euphoric high.

Proponents of Amendment 64 said legalizing recreational sales and use 
of marijuana would stifle the black market in Colorado. That is not 
the case; crime statistics indicate we have more to learn about the 
long-term effects of legal pot on public safety and other concerns.

Data indicate there is new black market trafficking across the 
country as a result of legalized pot sales in Colorado. Other safety 
concerns surrounding concentrates and their manufacture are 
consequences of legalization that were never anticipated.

Many people think only in terms of the raw plant material that is 
dried and smoked and called marijuana. They envision an ounce of 
dried marijuana plant in a small bag or container - a form that 
yields about 40 standard cigarettes.

They do not consider THC in concentrated and highly potent forms 
known as hash oil and wax, typically sold at potency levels between 
80 percent and 90 percent THC. At that concentration, these products 
are a far cry from the weed smoked at Woodstock that was around 2 percent THC.

THC concentrates are sprayed on and infused into foods and drinks 
called edibles. They are also loaded into electronic cigarettes, 
where the concentrate heats and is vaporized by the user for a 
faster, more intense high. Users talk about "waxing," "dabbing" and "vaping."

One ounce of concentrated THC is the chemical equivalent of more than 
2,800 average-size servings of edibles such as brownies or candy (the 
state has determined that an edibles serving size is 10 mg). 
Researchers say vaping one hit of THC is the equivalent of 1/20th of 
a gram. That means 1 ounce of hash oil is the rough equivalent of 560 
standard hits.

[sidebar]

About the series

The reporting team: editorial board members Pula Davis and Wayne 
Laugesen and local reporter Christine Tatum.

After the first year of recreational pot sales, The Gazette takes a 
comprehensive look at the unintended consequences of legalizing sales 
and use of recreational marijuana.

Day 1: Colorado has a fragile scheme for regulating legal marijuana 
and implementing a state drug prevention strategy.

Day 2: One of the suppositions about legalizing pot was that 
underground sales would be curtailed, but officials say there is 
evidence of a thriving black market.

Day 3: One teen's struggle to overcome his marijuana addiction shows 
how devastating the drug can be for younger, more vulnerable users. 
And employers face new workplace issues.

Day 4: Amid the hoopla about recreational marijuana sales, the 
medical marijuana industry is flourishing and has its own set of 
complicated concerns.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom