Don’t drive under the influence.
Don’t operate a boat.
Don’t give to minors.
Don’t overdo it.
The ABCs of recreational cannabis use are, in many ways, like alcohol.
And in many ways, they’re not.
Recreational marijuana use falls under the Washington State Liquor Control Board, which has no jurisdiction over medical marijuana. It started in 2012 when Initiative 502 was passed, allowing the recreational sale of marijuana to adults by licensed stores.
Liquor board spokesman Mikhail Carpenter said the state has issued 57 retail licenses. Shops started opening this summer. According to the Associated Press, sales of recreational marijuana have topped $14 million so far, with the state receiving $3.5 million in excise taxes.
“It has been going well,” Carpenter said. “These rules were designed with public safety in mind.”
The basics of Pot 101 can be found in the “Marijuana Use in Washington State: An Adult Consumer’s Guide” by the board and partner agencies. The guide covers driving, consumption, safety and legalities.
As with tobacco, marijuana smokers, both medical and recreational, must also abide by the state’s Smoking in Public Places Law, which prohibits smoking in a public place and within 25 feet of entrances, exits, windows that open and ventilation.
The law against marijuana use in public view applies to parks, hiking trails and ski resorts. Possession of marijuana is still illegal federally. Washington law protects private marijuana use, so you can consume openly in a residence as long as the property owner allows it. It is legal to consume marijuana in a hotel room if the inn allows it.
It’s not OK for parents to share marijuana with their kids, unless they also are adults. It is a felony to provide or sell marijuana to a minor, subject to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Those under 21 can be charged with minor in possession within a specified amount. More than 40 grams, it’s a felony.
Marijuana can be bought and sold only at licensed retailers. For recreational use, adults can purchase up to one ounce of usable marijuana (the harvested flowers or “bud”), 16 ounces of marijuana-infused edibles in solid form, 72 ounces in liquid form and 7 grams of marijuana concentrates.
There are penalties for driving under the influence. Similar to the 0.08 blood-alcohol limit, it is illegal to drive with 5 ng/ml of THC or more in your blood if you are 21 or older. For those under 21, it is illegal to drive with any amount of THC in your blood.
That stuff is pretty clear.
Consumption is where it gets tricky. It’s a lot more complex than rolling a joint. The edibles are a lot different than the pot brownies of your youth.
Vaporizer pens, which work similarly to electronic cigarettes, often use concentrates that are more potent than the grassy stuff. Concentrates, such as oils and hashes, are strong and have a quick effect. If buds were compared to a light beer, then concentrates would be a stiff whiskey drink.
By contrast, ingesting pot-infused edible products often delays and prolongs the effects. The high doesn’t kick in right away. The classic mistake is people eat an edible and then they think nothing is happening. So they eat another more.
Remember the New York Times columnist who “nibbled” on a pot candy bar while reporting on legalized marijuana in Colorado? “For an hour, I felt nothing,” Maureen Dowd wrote. “But then I felt a scary shudder go through my body and brain. I barely made it from the desk to the bed, where I lay curled up in a hallucinatory state for the next eight hours.” (Recently a “consume responsibly” group put up a billboard in Denver showing a non-descript woman with a troubled look on a hotel bed, an obvious nod to Dowd.)
Carpenter said edible makers have to get state approval for packaging and product.
“It can’t be especially appealing to children. Stuff like gummy bears,” he said. “A serving size is designed at 10 milligrams, with each serving physically indicated on the product.”
A panel of edible makers at the recent Cannabis Cup in Everett hosted by High Times magazine offered these tips.
Alison Draisin, Ettalew’s Medibles. “Always start small. You can always add more. It’s a whole lot harder to get off the crazy train. The hard part is when they taste really, really good. You have a hard time stopping. Have some restraint and put it away. Set your phone for 45 minutes or 90 minutes and just try to wait.”
Marla “Molly” Poiset, Cheffettes: “There are 5 to 6 milligrams in small chocolate truffles. Start with just one. Five to 6 milligrams is going to be something that isn’t scary if you have not smoked pot or ingested edibles. Or if it’s something you did in college 30 years ago. I can only ingest 3 milligrams. I have to be careful when cooking my edibles so I can finish my working day.”
Her workplace allows marijuana use.
Most don’t.
Also, remember to leave your pot at home when you travel.
It is illegal to take marijuana outside of Washington.
For more information: www.learnboutmarijuanawa.org and www.liq.wa.gov.
Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
Pot stats
It’s the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. According to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 7.3 percent of Americans aged 12 or older had used marijuana within the previous 30 days. The average age at first use was 17.9 years. Though use of marijuana among Washington state youth has remained relatively stable over the past several years, youth perception of harm from use of marijuana has been steadily decreasing. (meaning: fewer adolescents believe marijuana use is harmful). Marijuana is the second most-commonly used substance among high school seniors (alcohol is the first), with 27 percent of high school seniors reporting current (past 30-day) use.
Source: University of Washington Drug &Alcohol Abuse Institute
Cannabis terms
Marijuana, grass, pot, dope, Mary Jane, hooch, weed, hash, joints, brew, reefers, cones, smoke, mull, buddha, ganga, hydro, yarndi, heads and green.
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